3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
They have had two weeks of rain now. If I didn't have rot before, I bet I will now. I have never had a wetter Summer. I put in the veggie spikes today as I thought they might need some fertilizer with all this water. The slugs have been having a wonderful time. I will rest better when we have the lower leaves of the plants taken off. That will be quite awhile from now.
Hi Anna:
What you haven't mentioned is the size of the dahlias you are planting. If B and larger, I would only put one in a 14" pot. However, I do have an old galvanized washtub which I painted white and I plant three in there whithout a problem (B sizes I believe).
One thing they do suggest is mixing your potting soil about 50-50 with top soil. Holds more moisture and anchors the plants better.
Good luck,
Lucinda
The bunnies are so cute. I think I got grandpa (very big) and Ma and Pa and then all the children. If you cover the trap, they walk right in. Some are in a nice green cemetary and some are in a friend's yard as she wanted a little bunny. I do hopoe that is all. I haven't put any lettuce in lately but it didn't stop a dumb squirrel from going in. I just let him loose.
Thanks John and Plantlady!
The problem I had was I planted it temporarily and stakeless in one of those very rounded terra cotta pots for azaleas. Consequently, I wasn't able to get a stake in deep enough for my tastes to feel the tuber and stalk was very secure. But my little corset of ties worked and I've planted deeper as plantlady suggested. PHEW!
For potted plants that I intend to place in the garden, I like to use dark containers (or paint them black) so that they disappear behind the foliage of other plants and aren't so visible in the border. But I love the idea of using anything and everything as a plant container (although I've managed to kill a couple of things by forgetting to drill drainage holes!)
Well, based on all the data I gathered last year:
It took an average of 42 days to go from a newly planted tuber to being able to take the first decent cutting (e.g. the sprout had > 3 sets of leaves.) The minimum was 28 days, the longest was 87 days.
It took an average of 124 days to go from cutting to first bloom (flower actually open fully.) The minimum was 73 days, the longest was 181 days.
I didn't use any fertilizer, just water from the lake for watering (which is pretty high in nutrients.)
My suggestion, just based on what I've read, would be to disbranch and disbud liberally. This might put all of the plant's energies into fewer flowers, which might help it bloom sooner.
You might also want to consider planting them in containers you can bring in in the fall. If they haven't bloomed and frost is nearing, you could bring them inside and put them in front of those windows you use in the spring. It wouldn't surprise me if you could get them to bloom once inside.
Best of luck!
Cheers,
Russ
linnea56, you have nothing to lose by planting them. They will very likely come, and you will very probably have flowers before frost. Sturgeonguy has a good suggestions however, and it is something that I often do, in that planting in a large planter produces a nice result. If it does freeze, they are much easier to cover up, or bring in. While most of mine are in the ground, some of mine are in planters. I get to move them where I think there is a need for more colour.
Dahlias prefer a slightly acidic soil, so I wouldn't add any lime. I don't know how Earthboxes work, but you might consider adding water-holding polymers (i.e. Soilmoist) to the bottom few inches of soil where the roots will be. Containers need to be watered regularly.
Here is a link that might be useful: about soil and dahlias
I hate those twisty stalks. You don't say how tall that one is, but maybe you could plant most of the twisty part underground and allow the end (hopefully, straighter) to remain outside to grow. Easier to stake and easier on the eyes too.
If that doesn't appeal to you, you can grow it twisty and hope it can be supported as is, or break it off and wait for the regrowth that almost always occurs. IMHO.
You might try Riverdance a cheerful red anemone with lots of early blooms. It gets taller than 3.5' for me though, and is a very broad plant that would require a strong stake for sure.
Raz Ma Taz is a small (
Nescio is also 3' or less and early to bloom. You can always try to get a jumpstart on your season by starting in pots.
Good luck!
When you say 'dead tubers' does that mean they're shriveled dry, rubbery, or rotten? If not, you could certainly put the tubers or clumps covered shallowly with barely damp soil, in sun, and see if that encourages sprouts. Some take a long time to show up, but this is pretty late not to see some signs of life.
I'd try that, before giving up completely.
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/thrips.pdf
Check out the site above. Your problem may be thrips. At first I thought fungal disease but the leaves wouldn't be as healthy as they are.
I can not give you any specific advise, but I do recommend that you go to the bottom of this page and click on the number 2 which will give you the next set of 30 messages. The third message down is "Dahlia Information" by me, corgicorner. This will lead you to information on the American Dahlia Society site, and I do recommend that you download it and read it, and keep it for future use. It is an excellent aarticle from a reliable source.
I hope you become more acquainted with dahlias, and get to enjoy them, and share them with others.
It is raining today so I was thinking of you jroot. There is nothing more depressing than to have the drabness go on and on and on. There is so much work to be done this time of year. Now I live in MA. so we needed the rain, but I hope you have finally got some good weather. What do all the people in your area do with the high rental fees, when it rains. Not good
Well said, sturgeonguy. They do love their fertilizer. I do mine every Sunday morning with Miracle Grow. Works well for me. ;)
I have fertilized twice with Alaska's more bloom but should I switch?
It is 0-10-10. I am always afraid of killing them with too much stuff or over watering. We haven't had enough warm weather to warrant a lot of watering.
thanks again,
April