3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Many people on the Oregon coast dig their dahlias in the Spring and divide them into individual tubers and let them dry. They go "dormant" when dry and will take off and grow again when they are placed into moist soil. I just got a batch of tubers from a friend on the coast and have placed the dry tubers into moist potting soil in some pots. I am going to take a few cuttings from them and then plant them in the ground.
They aren't leggy at all, they are short and stocky!! They are Ferry-Morse "unwin's dwarf dahlia' and I started them about 1 month ago. They are about 2 inches tall and have their 3rd set of leaves.
They look quite healthy and ready to go in the ground (it's in the 70s and 80s and last frost date should have passed). Just not sure if I should plant the first set of leaves in the ground or plant them 'as is' as far as depth goes.
If I knew how to post pics I would show them! I am hoping they work as perennials for my area!
Please see this page from Corralitos Gardens. It goes against conventional wisdom regarding dahlia planting dates, but has, in my experience, worked. Please also not the more technical note about the temperature of the soil.
If you really do your research, the commonly quoted 60 degrees for first planting is just not workable in much of the country.
http://cgdahlias.com/dahlia_growing_tips.html
Here is a link that might be useful: planting advice
I start all new dahlia tubers in gallon pots starting in March, with them in a warm room in my garage with grow lights. I aim to have them about 18" to 2" tall when I set them out so that the slugs will not eat off every shoot. It has been working fine for years. The gallon pots give them enough room for root development. They transplant well for me at that stage. I try to get the tuber down 6" from the soil line when I transplant them. I pull off any leaves that are below the soil line. The last frost is usually not later then the 3rd week of April. And yes, our soil sometimes does not get up to 60 degrees until late summer. By that time I often have buds on my dahlias...first bloom usually in late June and they will bloom until frost around 31 October. I am in a very temperate maritime climate. I grow about 160 plants a year. Last year for the first time in 2o years 3/4 of my tubers froze in the ground. So you never know, there will always be the exception to the rule. But this works for me. I can't remember when I had the last rotten tuber that was not from being frozen over the winter.
Monica33flowers,
All of my Dahlias this year come from Swan Island Dahlias.
This is the link to Gitts Perfection
Cheers,
Russ
I plant them 1/2 of their height apart in my cutting garden and 1/3 their height in my show beds.
It is easier to snip them with more room, but 'look' better more full.
Their height = their mature height.
Like plantlady mentioned, I keep 3' rows between rows in my cutting gardens and 2' in my show gardens just to keep good air flow.
Keriann~
I'd do cuttings from the hopeful ones that are a clump with starts. Some dahlias are really slow to eye up- we still have lots that haven't eyed up yet. We have one variety that, every year Walt has a whole tray that he thinks won't eye up so stashes it somewhere & forgets about it- along about June- there they are-- growing like crazy! I'd start them all in flats to see what starts & what doesn't. Some people will put them in a baggie with moist potting soil & place it in a warm spot to get them started & not take up as much room as flats do
Perhaps Juul's All Star for the orchid?
Here is a link that might be useful: Juul's All Star
If I had a tuber that was moldy, and yet still firm, I would wipe it off; coat it with some bulb dust or dip it in a mild solution of bleach; and then plant it.
If the tuber was soft, that is a different story. I would insist on a replacement.
Mold can happen, but we want to avoid it if at all possible. Mold can definitely cause problems for all plants including dahlias.
Hi jroot,
Thanks for the advice. The tuber is actually brittle and crumbly, so I asked for a substitution. I was appalled that they did not just provide a substitution when I mentioned the mold. They charge a premium for their tubers and should provide only the highest quality product.
I agree that mold can cause problems for all plants, and do not want to add it to my garden. Who knows what it really is.
thanks. i did check them earlier and i dont know if they were rotting but they didnt have any growth.
I just went into lowes and see that the dahlias there all already have growth and the bag I had bought had zero growth in it. it was seriously just a bulb and dirt, so I will be returning that and buying a new one that looks alive!
Okay.... FYI they are tubers not bulbs, tulips, daffs ect are bulbs : )
If you want to try potting them up inside before you return them it is worth a try. Use moist soil and lay the tubers on top of it, and get it under some lights, or a bright window.
The warmer temps inside, will help promt the eyes (growth spots) up near the stem (well stump of a stem)
FYI for your 'new' batch of lowes tubers. They look like skinney potatoes hanging from a main 'stem'. Each skinney potatoe (tuber) needs a part of the stem (collar) and a growth eye (part where they start growing from) in order to flower for you.
Roots will start to form BEFORE you see top growth. So if you are able to start them inside you should see roots in 2-10 days. Wait till your soil is 60* and plant them outside with the stem up and the potatoes dangling down. Or you can plant them on their side (horizontal) if it is easier, just try to keep the eye pointing up. I plant mine about 2-3 inches below the soil line. 2-3 inches from the tubers, not top of the stem. They are pretty hardy so they should be fine in less than ideal situations (too shallow, too deep, cock-eyed ect).
Good luck!
What kind did you pick up?
Keriann~
Nobody seems to have an answer for you, sorry. My first thought was hard water scale, but unless you're misting them, that doesn't make sense. Powdery mildew was another thought, but that is finely powdered and not very flaky.
How are the plants doing otherwise? Perhaps it's nothing much to worry you.
Hi Poochella,
Thank you for your reply. Plants are doing ok. One variety better than the other. The not so good variety now seems to have black on the a couple of leaves and the leaves tend to curl up? The white stuff is very flaky. Comes off very easy. I water at the base of the plants. I hope I am successful this year. I LOVE DAHLIA'S!!!
Racheal: when do they start blooming for you?
Where are you exactly?
I would love to plant them in the ground in April but isn't the soil to cool.. or frosts?
Let me know : )
Keriann~
I don't think in my zone I would be confident putting them in the ground yet, not until Mid May. A Dahlia grower in my neighoburhoood told me not until June!! I am just outside of Toronto, straddling a Zone 5/6.
I potted mine up early. I layed the tubers on top of some soil in flats, just like they show on dahilas.net. They did great!! They eyed up, and then sprouted, you can take sprout cuttings too if they throw off more then one shoot. that is really fun, and will get you more plants! However, I had mine in flats since February, and needed to get them into a little deeper soil, so I have them potted up in the pots that are a size down from 1 gallon. I water them very rarely, only when the leaves start to droop, and I water from bottom up, to make sure the soil is saturated when I do.
If they are going out into containers, the main thing will be to make sure it does not drop below freezing overnight. If they are going into the ground though, you will have to wait a few weeks I figure to actually plant outside.