3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
I've been posting in a different thread. Oops!! Plus, I need to go add a new one! :)
Here is a link that might be useful: State of the garden
Best bet is to dig the tubers a week after a hard frost, and store them between 45-60 degrees so you can grow many more of that same type next year. (Research 'dividing and storing dahlia tubers' in the GardenWeb search function or on google for details on that)
The 'big box stores' typically buy from companies in Holland that aren't really concerned with correctly labeling in the first place, and when you buy an unlabeled bag, the chances of identifying the variety is not likely.
There a several thousands of named varieties out there, and plenty of unnamed seedlings floating around. Even when you think it is a match with another dahlia picture, it wouldn't be right to trade or sell those tubers with another grower under that assumed name without lots of experience in dahlias, and/or growing the actual variety next to your no ID plant and having an experienced dahlia person compare them for you.
You can give it a garden 'nickname,' but make it clear to folks you gift to that you don't know its actual name.
Enjoy it- it's very pretty!
Cheers,
CC
Are there leaves left? If so, the dahlia will branch out and be fine--the break is above the ground. But flowering will be severely delayed.
If not, it may re-sprout. Watch and wait. Water the soil only if it gets very, very dry--dahlia without leaves don't require a great deal of water and you risk rot if you over-water.
Are they all like that? Do other dahlia in the same area produce similarly stunted flowers?
If the answers are yes and no respectively, it looks like a somatic variation in that particular dahlia tuber. While I know a person or two who'd kill for that dahlia, you don't care for it--so remove it at season's end (or now) and don't use it again.
If it's only on one part of the plant, remove that stem as close to the base as you can. I once had a Sky Angel (lavender with white accents) produce white with faint lavender accents at the tips. I chopped that branch off and discarded it.
If all plants in the area do that, you may have a resource shortage in the soil, a disease there, or some sort of invader that warps the flowers.
Herbicide damage is my guess. Most commonly caused by contaminated compost or manure. Herbicide products affect dahlias in minute concentrations and numerous people have had problems. No cure but plants will have fewer symptoms as the season goes on and they should be OK next year.
>>Lots of growers pulls off the side buds to allow that main middle one room and energy to grow bigger. It also allows for a longer cutting stem. Some growers of the smaller dahlias prefer to not disbud, and cut the stem with two immature buds with the middle fully open for bouquets. Typically, those immature buds will not open once the stem is cut, but they add a fun design element in the vase.
Some of us (me) leave them on the plant, deadhead the center blossom off when it's done, and have the fun of watching the side buds open.
Sure, the flowers are smaller, but they're dahlia flowers. What's not to love?
:-)
For the ones I cut for vases, I do leave the buds on the stem. They look great, but like you said, don't open.
As one who has bought from almost a dozen different vendors or stores over the years, it would NOT likely be the vendor, as Ted said. I have had tubers from at least 8 vendors where some grew and some didn't and ordered once from a grower and perhaps 60% that they sent never panned out.It's just part of the game with dahlias. Annoying, but not preventable.
I ordered a Hottie years ago that grew but never bloomed, the next year it hardly even grew but bloomed a couple of weak blooms, last year it was a dud before I dug up a 3x10 foot patch and put brand new soil and fertilizer in it and replanted the tubers. All did spectacular this year except Hottie. I finally tried to dig up the tuber and it had vanished! (Couldn't stand the good soil I guess)
All to say you pay your money and take your chances. But I wouldn't put the blame on Old House - there is no benefit for a grower to knowingly send duds out or risk getting a rep for bad tubers.
Hi vvon
I would not worry too much, IME it's what Dahlias do when they get a certain size. Mine always have hollow stems, and I just cut shortly above a node or junction. I never lost a plant because of a rotting hollow stem. I think that wasn't valid advise
To my knowledge hollow stems are to be avoided when taking cuttings, but that means you need young shoots.
So enjoy your plants, and if in doubt keep taking pics in case you need to analyze/ find a problem somewhen later.
Have a great Dahlia season, bye, Lin
Oh didn't even think of that at the time, but I should have tried it.
Since then I did some reading on cuttings & my dog foraging for bunnies in the garden trampled and broke off a few inch sprout on another dahlia (I've since cordoned off the dahlias that are still small) which I did stick into rooting powder after pulling off the bottom sets of leaves, we shall see if anything good comes of that.
I never have success on cuttings that small outside. They need covered for humidity control, and babied a bit before they get a chance to root. With sections six inches or longer, they do better in the ground if you just leave an inch or so sticking out of the soil.
morpheus, does splitting the tuber clump with half and half guarantee 'eyes' on both sides? I am a bit intimidated by splitting this fall/next spring.
burry, I ordered some nicer tubers this year too and my growth rate is hit or miss it seems also--a few of my SI ones are doing well and others never did anything.
I gave fish emulsion at first for nitrogen, and now MG bloom booster and about 1/2 of my plants are starting to bud now. I do like fertilizing though, gives me something to do while I wait. ;)
>>morpheus, does splitting the tuber clump with half and half guarantee 'eyes' on both sides? I am a bit intimidated by splitting this fall/next spring.
In my experience so far, yes--if you split the stem in half, giving half the tubers one piece of stem, and half another.
You can split them more if the dahlia wants to do that, keeping bits of stem on each set of tubers. One of mine last year spontaneously fell apart into three. Two are in my garden, one is in my mother's,
(Shhh, I don't always split. I actually like a multi-stemmed, wider, denser dahlia. It's a little more susceptible to powdery mildew, but I can control for that if I have to. Plus I have limited garden space for dahlia as they're used as accent plants).
>>I gave fish emulsion at first for nitrogen, and now MG bloom booster and about 1/2 of my plants are starting to bud now. I do like fertilizing though, gives me something to do while I wait. ;)
Cool! Mind the phosphorus levels over time, it takes a while for them to go toxic and toxic levels are very, very high. But over the course of years, it can get there. Mine's riding very high at the moment, so I'm limiting phosphorus sources for the next...well, decade or so!
The occasional garden soil test is a good idea. Mine this year pointed out a modest calcium shortage (with the accompanying pH problem), and a low boron level.
This is my first year with dahlias but I already have a few budding..! Some were slow to get started, others slow to recover once planted in the ground (started in pots in April), but I am surprised to see buds so early here..figured not til late July. We shall see. Only a few have buds, some others are slower, and yet others barely seem to be growing. I have a few Crazy Love tubers that were going gangbusters in pots, transplanted, they have stagnated since. Other tubers planted AFTER the CL's are the ones budding! It's amazing how some varieties just seem so robust and others aren't--even in the same bed!
My understanding is that there are typically two indicators of when dahlias will bloom... Growing conditions and leaf set counts. (A buildup of virus plays
a factor in the growing condition, which can stunt a plant)
Each variety of dahlia has a genetically pre-determined number of leaf sets required before a plant sets buds. For example, Mingus Toni (a nice varigated informal decorative) always blooms for me after about eight sets of leaves starting from the tuber. (This year, I had the sad task of disbudding a terminal bud in April before I even got it into the ground. Still waiting for the first blooms from that one, as I topped the plant to help it develop side branches.) Regardless of where this variety grows, one should have an average of eight leaf sets from bloom to tuber. I've seen as few as six (Hollyhill Spiderwoman) to mid-20s (Levonne Splinter) leaf sets, with citron de Cap somewhere in the middle (12? 14?)
When growing conditions are optimized and even, advanced growers can use leaf count data for each variety to time blooms for shows. Some delay blooming by debranching and extreme disbudding, counting the leaf sets and only allowing the plant to set a bud at the right time.
Perhaps tracking leaf sets might interest you.... But it is from the tuber and not the ground level, so there is a risk of damaging the plant/tuber at this point to get the exact count. I only casually notice them, as it's interesting but not pertinate info for how I grow.
It sounds like growing conditions really excelled after things settled down, and you've got some great dahlias coming on to make all the early stress well worth it!
Cheers,
CC
This post was edited by CCvacation on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 13:30
Thank you Highland for your advise and concern. I have decided that it is that the soil is too wet and I am going to move the remaining dahlias to higher ground. My local extension service has been called and a soil sample taken. I have to figure out how to get better drainage in those beds. I cannot build up the soil because the beds are contained in stone. First things first today I am on a rescue mission. I have never moved dahlias before but I believe they will die if I leave them where they are. Wish me luck. Thanks again.
That looks something like a Sky Angel, which is a key plant in my mailbox garden.
I love those. They're smaller blossoms, yes, but very cheerful, and there are always lots of them! And they do tend to look at the viewer instead of bashfully hiding.