3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias

What state gives you the longest blooming time for dahlias. I think I may move there.

YIKES, trustmissy- that's one nasty looking center. If it doesn't straighten up on the next few blooms, give it the old heave-ho! That can be caused by extreme weather or by the stock just being no good any more. If they all have looked like the second picture for long- ie- a dahlia that's supposed to be fully double but has an open center then I'm tempted to say it really has broken down & needs to be replaced. If that's a picture that you took late in the bloom's life & it was closed in the center (like poochella's picture) when it first opened then it's OK.
poochella- yes - those are curly petaloids- but our weather has been so weird this summer that I'd give it until the end of Sept to see if all the blooms are like that. Hopefully it's straightened up by now.
Growing for eg.- 8 up --means to allow 8 laterals to develop on a plant.
If you grow too many up on a plant the blooms will suffer as they won't put enough petals in each bloom so you get early open centers. Your blooms won't be as large either. If you grow too few up- that is-- if a dahlia has a really high petal count- like Wyn's Sensation or Wyn's Aztec Gold-- for instance, the centers are pushed into ovals as they try to crowd a lot of petals into a small space.

pdshop- usually the Pacific NW is dahlia heaven- they grow better & easier here than anywhere else in the country-- & there's a load of dahlia societies from Canada to Oregon so you can move here & get your fill of wonderful dahlias every year! Right now, the weather has settled down & the dahlias are spectacular!

This is supposed to be an open and honest forum. That is a terrible Just Married. The color seems OK but not the form JM should have. I like Urchin. Good pics. Steve S.

Sorry my second bloom of Just Married is worse than the one you picture. Steve S.

CORGICORNER HERE AGAIN.
It is my opinion only, but I think most potting mixes are too "heavy". By that I mean they do not drain well, and are very liable to become "muddy". Try a small amount in a pot, and see how it reacts--if it drains well, and doesn't seem muddy----that's your decision. NOW, mix a small batch of 4 parts of your potting mix and 1 part perlite. TAKE YOUR TIME AND MIX IT WELL! See how that reacts. Yes! I know! you will have to decide which you think is best! Remember, you are putting a lot of time and energy into this project, so take your time and try to do it right. (By the way, you can incorporate those experimental batches into what ever you decide to go with.)

Thanks again. The mix I got is very light & has perlite in it. The 6 pots were washed, given a mild bleach dip, & rinsed. One tuber had a sprout which I cut off, dipped in rooting hormone & put into a small pot with a clear plastic cup on top. There were several smaller tubers that I put into a window box type container & covered lightly. If they sprout, I will find more large pots. The sun porch gets rather cold, so I'll move them into the house.
I am feeling like a mad scientist, minus the lab coat.

Yes trying to type with cats tring to bite fingers I never know what I said.

love the pic! when i'm cutting dahlias for a vase, i love to swish them around my cat. she goes nuts! she has NO idea what they are. she hasn't quite figured out they come from the same plant she likes to sit under, yet.

Word at the ADS show this year is that Connell's is closing. The kids have decided that there's more money in selling the land to developers than there is in growing dahlias. It's too bad- after Les & Viv built the business up all those years to see it go like that.

Well that's sad news, especially after all the hard work of the elders. They aren't making any more land in the urban counties though, that's for sure. Different generations, different interests, I guess.

It is going down to 4C tonight here, so I have a lot of my dahlias covered for the night.

I will likely be digging my dahlias before the end of September this year, as I have some things going on which will require my attention in October. They can be dug and cleaned as per my other posts, with the only difference being that the eyes will not be so readily visible. That never worries me, as I usually start them in late March early April and they eye up quickly enough then.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/dahlia/msg1016075928014.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Getting ready to store dahlias for winter

Brrrr Jroot! Time to break out the fleece! I hope you are enjoying the middle of your season as much as possible seeing it was somewhat shortened this year by Mother Nature.

Maybe they're just slow bloomers PD, or have you had them before and had them bloom before now? Try some Miracle Grow. I've got a few no-shows yet, so those better get blooming or they'll get out of my garden.

It was 48 degrees last night. I need the steamy heat we had two weeks ago. Yes Pooch I have had some of them before. Show and Tell used to be the first one to open. Some of the buds have leaves on one side and the other side of the bud is smooth? Just need it to get hot again.

Glad you posted this. You have beutified the forume by this post.

Beautiful collection! They don't look waterlogged in any way- just gorgeous.

Lovely, both. I have a b/w cat and also a w/b cat :)

Pooch--when you say "limited sun" do you mean a spot with shade or is your region just characterized by overcast days? I'd like a deeper color to compliment Innocence (the only dahlia I have that's blooming well this year....and one of the most elegant flowers I've ever seen) but in Z5 I don't want to wait until Sept. for all the complimenting.

...Which raises another question. My innocence is at least 5' now and my Kidd's Climax next to it is 4+' with nary a bloom. Is this b/c of limited sun? The nodes are about 8" apart?

Thanks.

No, no Verzer, we have wonderful moderate, sunny summers. 'Limited sun' means that my garden beds are carved out of an evergreen forest with towering fir trees and hemlocks all around. Some could be dispatched, but I like them for year round greenery, and others are not ours to cut. It makes a huge difference in height of dahlias for sure, and sometimes in their color, for better or worse.

When I had Kidd's Climax it bloomed very late too, but that doesn't mean anything. I try to stick with early to mid-season bloomers, but you don't know how they'll behave until you try them in your own place.

Innocence is very lovely. Reminds me of Bracken Ballerina. I would want a hot pink or dark pink blend to go with it, crowned with the deepest maroons.

Thanks pooch! I don't mind the green showing and I really don't mind staking as long as it stays up and doesn't fall over. I was using the plastic green stakes and thats why I was getting so aggravated but my dad has just cut down alot of his bamboo so I will try to use that next spring. Your picture looks like you just pulled the green tape around the limbs and its not attached to any support. I guess theres a bigger stalk supported in the middle and the ones you have the green tape around are outside shoots. I have used pantyhose before on tomato plants and it does work great but now have depleted my old ones and my sisters so now I need to go get some tape.
They did answer me quickly at Accent about the height yesterday. They said that since they grow at different heights for people they don't like to put the height on there. Thanks for all your help. Judy

Thanks Suzie. Lucky you to get to go on the tour. I am going to try to find some local places to go and visit. I will go check out Wynne's Dahlias right now. Thanks a bunch, Judy

You're welcome. When they're short, it's a matter of me tying the stalk to the stake, but once they're up and growing in every direction, it becomes a matter of corraling the laterals so they don't break or flop, not always anchored to the stake itself.

Gotta bet busy- possible thunderstorms this evening :(