3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
I plant my dahlias around the first of May here in kansas.zone 6...
the smaller bedding dahlias bloom first and thruout the summer....the tubers vary in blooming time depending on the variety
the small and medium ones from first to mid summer and continue until frost
the dinner plates are later to bloom for me but much worth waiting for.......
I am a dahlia newbie but ordered some from The Dahlia Guy. I haven't received these yet. Walmart had some so I bought a pack and potted them. From what I'd read about how to store them, it seemed the Walmart tubers had not been properly prepped last fall. As such, I didn't have much hope. Maybe three weeks later, all three Walmart tubers have green growth. I ended up with two tuber packs completely buried and one had the stem sticking out of the dirt a bit. They all look alike now. The buried ones came up first.
I was hesitant to grow dahlias in the past, due to having to dig and store them in the fall, but I now think it'll be worth the effort.
NOW, I just need DH to build some trellises and figure out how to protect them from bugs...
The Portland Dahlia Society allows members to borrow a very nice Ph meter to test their gardens. It cost about $125- and gives results in a few seconds. Members find that their soil does vary in Ph from location to location in their gardens. Here in Western Oregon our soils are generally a bit too acid and the addition of lime does wonders for dahlias. I have read that dahlias prefer acidity of about 6.5 but I have noticed that they do grow reasonably well at 6.0 and above.
Well, the test itself was free, but came back with a pH reading of 8.5 - Yow! (This exercise is no longer free - I will be spending money on soil additives.) I find this interesting because Michigan soil is normally a bit acid and I amended with loads of Canadian peat about 18 mos. ago. I think I'll do an independent soil test myself (another outlay of $$$!). The Colorado Dahlia Society recommends Aluminum Sulfate (among other things) to lower soil pH and indicates how to apply it. Does anyone have experience doing this? Results?
Thanks
I traded for a Mingus Nicole tuber and have it in a pot to take cuttings. The sprout has just started and when it is about 2 inches long, I will cut it off and root it in some sterile potting mix. I have wanted this one for about five years and have never seen it for less than $10.00. I am looking forward to growing it again and it is one of the prettiest large dahlias available. Tubers are notorious for rotting in storage.
Thanks, Ted, for both of your responses.
"Tubers are notorious for rotting in storage." This is the type of information I find invaluable from this forum. It tells me how to care for a "special needs" Dahlia. I will take cuttings as you did and grow it on as a pot tuber. It should store more reliably than the normal process.
BTW - I located it for $3.00 (US).
Last year I used the wooden stakes from Lee Valley, both short and long. Short when they were in their 4" pots, and long when they went into the beds. I used permanent markers to write on them, and have to say that many did not survive the season. I'm going to try a burning thingy-ma-bob this year.
I will say, however, that my main supplier writes directly on the tubers and I've always been able to read it come the following fall...so there's a lot to be said for that. I just haven't figured out what they used (or how they wrote so nicely on such a rough surface!)
Perhaps someone else can explain how that occurs.
Cheers,
Russ
Sharpies work great on dry tuber skins though like Russ said the rough nubby tubers are tough to write neatly on. If you lose your tag in the season or during digging up, having the name on the mother tuber is a blessing.
I use plastic tags hung on stakes with a twist tie. That tag can move from stake to tuber clump in the fall and be reused. They are soon hidden by flowers or foliage and I'm not one to worry about esthetics, so the tags don't bother me in the least. Black and brown sharpie inks hold up best on labels in sun for me, but recheck them monthly or write in plain old pencil first, sharpie over. I like the Sharpies for ease of seeing at a distance, pencil alone is too light for me, but pencil alone would work too. Some people toss a tag along with the tuber into the planting hole, again, for ID at time of digging.
On damp tubers in the fall, get Sanford No Blot Ink in a Pencil permanent pencils. I bought in bulk from a log home equipment site that has since gone under. Art supply stores or other online sources are options. They work very well, though make a permanent mess if pencil shavings or lead fall where you don't want them. Like on your lips or hands!
A lost identity in the dahlia bed is easily avoidable if one picks a couple labelling methods and uses them consistently. Usually.
Firstly, thanks so much for all the discussion about the little beggers. I whole-heartedly concur with Ted that bringing in that fully growing plant was probably my biggest mistake. Equally, using the soil that came out of the 4" pots that the Dahlias had grown in all summer was another one.
I'm not completely convinced that dusting or soaking the tubers in some solution is mandatory, but I'm certainly leaning in that direction. This fall all that work will be done out-of-doors and the tubers will come in clean, and into new clean soil.
Meanwhile, I have just had a great conversation with a woman at the company whose link is below. They are Canadian sellers of natural pest controls, including mite predators. While I too am concerned about letting things lose in the wild, I'm going to trust someone else in this case as I can only have so many areas of expertise...;-]
She has recommended that I get 2000 predators in vermiculite to cover my 90 sq.ft. of trays indoors. She said they can go on after the tubers are planted, as long as its not too long after (e.g. days are fine.) The predators cannot be stored and should be used as soon as received.
She has further recommended that I get another 2000 during the week (or so) I am going to be taking cuttings, as stress is another factor in mite growth.
Predators like 75F (23C) and ~65% humidity.
I will get some more when the plants go in the ground outside.
Cost is C$45 for 2000, plus a C$12 shipping charge. So that's very reasonable considering I'm trying to keep some C$600 worth of tubers from going to waste.
I'll let you know how it goes. She did recommend I completely scrub everything and try and ensure I've gotten rid of as many ahead of time as possible. That sorta made me laugh...if they can't overcome mites that are there...what use are they? But ok, I'll give them as much of a leg up as I can.
Every other plant in my house is still being tossed, including the soil, and all planters thoroughly cleaned just in case.
Cheers,
Russ
http://www.naturalinsectcontrol.com/catalogue/getprod.cgi?1023A1
Russ, that sounds like a #$%^$load of mites. The guy at the hydroponics store tells me each predator eats 30 a day, plus eggs. I figured 1000 would be good enough to spread between me and 10 of my friends, and take care of the problem in a few weeks, especially in the house. Let us know how it works!!
I'm also reading about companion planting and Nasturtiums will deter aphids and there are some garlic sprays that can be used on the mites.
As I said, Viking- my favorite dahlia is usually the one I'm looking at, at the moment! There's far too many gorgeous ones out there to pick just a couple!...but- Wyn's Dark Dancer was a fav. in the gardens last year ;) I need to upload a picture to show it!
bklynxmas-- first, the back yard grass goes-- who needs it anyway? It always has to be mowed. Then-- the front yard grass-- the neighbors would rather look at dahlias any day-- then you ask them if you can grow your "overflow" at their place. Of course, they always agree. Then....when all else fails you head out to the country & purchase a few acres to grow yet more dahlias on! It's the Dahlia Addiction in full force-- & it all starts with Miss Rose Fletcher!!! ...although-- we do have 63 acres & only have 1.5 of them in dahlias so we have a ways to go yet!
Interesting I didn't see my two favorites mentioned.
China Doll and Sandia Joy. Both relatively small (4" on 24" bushes) but both amazing, IMO. Big is beautiful when you can grow them like Plantlady does, but small is perfect when you're an amateur like me...;-]
Cheers,
Russ
Depending on how much light you get will determine how your dahlias will perform. In my experience they need at least 6 hours of full sun a day, morning light is the best as they tend to wilt during the heat of the day. Dahlias originate from Mexico so yes zone 8 is fine, I am in zone 7 and I leave my dahlias in the ground every year with a heavy winter mulch of leaves. I also have morning sun & dappled afternoon shade. Be careful, I started with 50 plants & now I have over a 1,000. Get a few and see how they grow. Lots of luck!
Second the motion that Plantlady is a doll; always helpful with her vast dahlia knowledge.
Monet you answered a question I had about two plants per one stake, something I am going to try this year in places. To answer yours: corral all the plants' branches with a gentle hug of a tie. Especially when laden with a heavy large, or many smaller blooms, those branches are very prone to break in a wind or wet weather. Best to give all limbs some support to prevent needless loss by breakage.
Some of the really robust growers get two stakes here, at distances apart where I can assure I'm not stabbing into tubers of a neighboring plant, but that can still anchor athe very large dahlia from blowing over in a rain/wind storm. Thankfully we don't get those very often. A 6 foot 1-2 inch bamboo pole has worked really well for some of the bigger plants here, or 5 ft steel fenceposts. Very secure if pounded in well and last a long time.
I'd welcome any helpful hints on growing two plants per one stake. I know I've seen it online in someone's garden: at the ADS or Colorado Dahlia Society site perhaps.
WOW-- you ladies are going to give me a swelled head! We grow the dahlias in the show gardens- aka- the Greenhouse Garden & the Sheep Pen Garden, 2 per stake. We use the 6' steel farm fence posts. Dig your hole- 4-6" deep, put in any ammendments you use- we use 10-20-20 fertilizer & peat soil from the bottom of the farm, pound the stake in the middle of the hole, plant the tubers with their neck end right up against the post-- one on either side, cover w/ about 1" of soil. When the plant starts to grow & push through the soil, just keep filling in the hole until you have a bit of a mound over the tuber. Tie the plants individually to the pole as they grow. Tie all the laterals of one plant together-- ie. go around each plant with one loop of twine, do a figure 8 tie around the post & tie at the back. Do this about every 12-18" We use Christmas Tree twine to tie up all the dahlias whether we do them at posts or in rows.
You will have much fun trying to get the Dahlia tree to bloom before frost. Great idea to get an early start. I grew mine in half barrels of topsoil, sand and compost mixed. Fertilize as you would a garden dahlia, keep watered well and protect from slugs. The more sun and heat, the better.
In Zone 7 it's a real challenge to get long enough days and heat to get them to bloom, but I've had buds well formed before frost in October. Never a bloom this far north though.
Good luck trying! It's a marvelous, awe-inspiring plant to watch grow by leaps and bounds.
I agree gladzoe, great photo especially of the peach/yellow color change one. Very sharp focus. The large red dahlia is pretty nice too, to me. I've never tried to start 1/2" shoots, but the worst that can happen is that it will compost before your eyes.
In England most people buy rooted cuttings instead of tubers. Here in the USA plants are available from a few commercial sources. Many dahlia societies sell rooted cuttings and I believe San Francisco only sells rooted cuttings at it's sales. Dahlias frown from rooted cuttings do just as well as those grown from tubers. They do make tubers but not as many as a tuber grown plant.
Proudgm, you have some beautiful choices there. I just reordered Wanda's Capella after having lost it a couple years ago. Big beautiful yellow. And I adore Weston Spanish Dancer- really a great bloomer along with Pam Howden. Hope you have lots of garden space!
I ordered all my tubers from them in October! I had a crazy day. I used them last year, the first year I tried dahlias. A third of them didn't grow but I am sure i am to blame for it! I am hoping to do better this year with them I have already received them and I am just waiting to plant!
I,ve ordered for several years from Swan Island with very good luck.the one on your list called Seduction is a gorgeous bloom! I am sure you will like it.