3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
So I found a neat new toy from a company called UPM, its the EM100 Energy Meter. You plug it into a wall outlet and then plug in anything you want to meter into it.
In my case I have all of my lights for my Dahlias plugged into it to see how much power they're consuming.
24 x 54 watt T5 bulbs for 14 hours = 15.5kwhr = $1.77/day (in our area.)
If you ever wondered just how much something was costing you in electricity charges...its a great way to find out.
Cheers,
Russ
FWIW, what you have looked at and enjoyed was the result of someone caring about the flower/plant name game. You may not care, but if all of us didn't, you wouldn't have what you have...and, you may not have it next year, because people aren't caring about the flower/plant name game.
I don't mean to sound negative, but we aren't simply harvesting some naturally growing beauty here. Knowing a little bit about genetics helps a whole lot...or else we'll be here 3 years from now trying to explain to someone you've given tubers to as to why they don't look anything like your description now.
I here portulaca is nice?
Cheers,
Russ
Well, Russ, I'm glad there are people like you in the world. No need to get on your high horse. I do know a little about genetics and open pollination and I find crosses to produce some very interesting combinations. I was just stating that I grow my garden for enjoyment and not so that I can say I have an original so and so. It so happens that I have posted on my exchange page that all plants are open pollinated and that sometimes you get what mother nature creates. People who understand that and enjoy crosses like me are the only type of people I trade with. Perhaps you should cross some of your dahlias. You might actually enjoy what you get.
I paint the insides heavly and the bottom of the legs. I put several coats of bull eye shalack on the out side. We love the look of natural wood. Then I dump potting soil in. They get quite heavy when the soil is wet. I us a refegerator cart to move them.
Yes, Swan Island has an open house in the summer & they cut everything off at the same height so people can take pictures of the fields & they will be uniform. It will set the blooms back - you'd have to figure out how much bloom you want to give up & how long it'll take the plants to recover.
Do you "stop" your dahlias when they get to about a foot tall? This is done early in the season to keep plants shorter & bushier & doesn't get rid of as many blooms as mowing them off later in the season. This article on the Colorado Dahlia Society site tells you how to do this.
Here is a link that might be useful: Topping dahlias
>Do you "stop" your dahlias when they get to about a foot tall?No, I didn't do that this season. I'll definitely try it next season and hope it prevents them from becoming 8' gangly giants with tall stems that snap off as the flowers bloom. And that link you provided showed an excellent how-to. Thanks so much! :)
Adrienne,
Even with your good description, it's almost impossible to name a dahlia from a photo unless it's a very obvious variety. I was going to guess Golden Scepter, but only because I've grown it, but your dahlia's petal tips are too pointy. You may end up calling it 3" Yellow NOID, and there's nothing wrong with that as long as you enjoy it.
I can't imagine the heartache of hurricane clean up. One relatively minor windstorm here can wreak absolute havoc on gardens/trees etc. Enjoy your little survivor!
I sure am enjoying this one. It still looks lovely in it's little wine goblet...it opened all the way up. I am going to try to contact the farm where I got my dahlias last year and see if they can tell me what it is...I think it was the only yellow one in the bunch. I think there was also an orange and a white that didn't survive (DH + weedeater + plant with no buds = certain death)...Thanks for the tips. I'll try to take a look at some more images online - I think if I hear the name I'll know it.
THANKS!
I had something very similar happen with my A La Mode. It is a bronze flower with white tips, but the first few were fairly wierd, like this:
It was supposed to look like this:
It has something to do with the genes of the plant and it trying to revert to its dominant original flower...I think.
Cheers,
Russ
Russ, I have had it for three years and it makes a huge plant. Swan is the only place I have found it. This Spring I got my tuber and it rotted so they sent me a plant. It was by far the most prolific. I will see the tubers of these soon when I dig. You are welcome to one if you tell me how to wrap and send it.
I can't remember, are you in Ontario PDShop?
If you are, I'd send it in a bag of peat. I'd doubt much could happen to it in the short transit within the province. Not sure what the Post Office will make of it...;-]
Drop me a note at russ.cooper@rc.on.ca
Cheers,
Russ
LOL, I am about 2 1/2 hours north east of Brrrrrmidji! I think I am going to do the first option, maybe. I have a really busy week ahead of me. BUT if it looks like we have some nice days I might do the second option. Oh I don't know, it is going to depend on how much I have going on.
I hate to cut them while they are still blooming!! (whine)
Thanks
Jenny P
FWIW, there is a 3rd option if you have a cold room (or cool reasonably dry place.) Dig a largish area of soil around the tubers (keeping the tubers in the soil as best you can) and place those clumps of soil in garbage bags. Tie or tape the bag with a long piece of stem still sticking out.
This makes the removal processs relatively simple now (no worrying about cleaning the clump), will keep them reasonably moist until you get back, and totally avoids the possiblity of the ground being too hard to dig when you return.
I wouldn't be recommending this except that you've only 3 clumps to do.
Cheers,
Russ
Kellymack,
What you really want to know is not when a variety flowers, but how long a variety takes to bloom. Then, with that knowledge in hand, you start varieties that take longer to bloom earlier than the others, and they all end up blooming more or less the same time (its impossible to get it exact, but once they start blooming they aren't going to stop.)
I have numbers on my 40+ varieties I grew this year, and have worked out rough starting times for each variety to get them to all be blooming the last week of May 2009. For my varieties, the earliest date is November 24, 2008 and the latest is March 20, 2009.
I've never found a lit of bloom times. Swan indicates some as "early bloomers" and others as "late bloomers," and presumably everything else is average. 2 years ago when I first planted dahlias, my "early bloomers" came into bloom in mid June, and the "late bloomers" in September.
Best of luck.
Cheers,
Russ
Lots of things can affect whether a Dahlia blooms. That it did at all usually means its viable. Ask yourself:
When did you plant it? You should have been able to plant it in mid to late May...whenever the ground is no longer frozen. If you planted it later, that could explain late blooming.
Did the stem break at any point? I had a Lemon Tart that was coming into bloom in late May (I started it inside in January.) Shortly after it was planted out, one of my dogs decided it was in her way and broke it at the ground. It finally recovered and bloomed 2 weeks ago.
I'd go ahead and lift the tubers and give them another try, earlier next year if you can. Might also want to check your soil. Take some into a garden center and ask them if its good for tomatoes...if not, Dahlias won't like it either and may not do as well because of it.
Cheers,
Russ
I'm with Russ on this. I give any variety at least 2 years' trial before tossing it. Good advice to try starting your tuber early next year and see how/when it blooms. Seems silly to waste the space for one flower that shows up just days before the season's over.
"Ripples" got two years in my best sun and still didn't bloom til October- out it goes. Some just bloom later than others no matter what you do.