3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
They're black aphids Russ, and very easily managed with a stream of water, like linht said. I use a forceful squirt from your basic spray bottle and that's the end of them. Without a spray bottle, place forefinger and thumb on opposite sides of stem and wipe em out. They're easy.
The ants have a symbiotic relationship with aphids, apparently.
Here is a link that might be useful: Ants and aphids
The company's trade name is "LES DOIGTS VERTS", so you may have more success looking for information on that name (I found far more hits in google for LES DOIGTS VERTS than Catros-Gerand.)
The one Dahlia I found on their site was "Dahlia Cactus White Star." They didn't give any details, but it looked like a perfectly normal cactus-style Dahlia.
Sorry, but I don't have any experience with seeds.
Cheers,
Russ
Here is a link that might be useful: Les Goigts Verts Official Website
Two tricks just for you pdshop. Take a picture of the same dahlia with every setting you have on the camera. Trick two take a shot of the same flower in several different lights. Morning noon and dusk. Once you have compared photos you can use a embrella to cut the light of a photo. I will post two shots for you and you will see what I am talking about.
The nitrogen amount of 10 is a little high for this time of year in your area. We always cut the nitrogen to 5 or less after the first of September here in the South so our blooms won't be spindly and the tubers rot during the winter. Also, too much nitrogen during the late season can keep the eyes from forming.
You might use it during this last week in August but after this week I would go to Mor-Bloom 0-10-10 (google it) and you can double the strength per gallon and make it 0-20-20 without any problems.
There are a couple of other blooming agents that work well and both have seaweed. Maxsea 3-20-20 (google to find it) and a new one Sea Grow 4-26-26 from Charley's Greenhouse.
These should get those plants blooming
FWIW, all of my Dahlias are being grown in 4" pots. My pictures attest to how well this works. I too have noticed a few holes near my Dahlias, but none of those Dahlias have suffered...guess the little buggers got to the plastic and moved on to someone else's beds...;-]
Cheers,
Russ
Wow! I have never had this. That is going to be one lot of shoveling if I have to put them all in pots. I also have voles. I guess I have been lucky the first few years. They have moved on to the one behind the first. Darn things are 5 feet high and I have not seen the buds open yet. We have had some 50 degree nights. I am worried about alot of my buds.
My thoughts exactly.
1) There has to be a difference in the soil where they are planted. At my house, the soil is different at the back from the front of the house.
2) Also, how loose is her soil? I find they grow better where the soil is loose and humousy. Even in my dahlia bed, at the end of the bed closest to the grass, the plants don't grow as tall.
3) Does she had good drainage?
The tubers should be okay this fall for her. However, suggest that she really work that bed up, fairly deeply. I would suggest at least 12 inches (30 cm), and dig in some leaves and compost as well at the same time.
I do both. Obvious divisions can be done in the fall. Some of the more subtle ones are easier to do in the spring when the eyes become really visible, that might not have been visible in the fall.
... just my two cents worth.
I think one of the key things to dividing is having visible eyes...knowing which tubers are duds and which will produce a new flower.
Last year I lifted my tuber clumps shortly after cutting the stems, which meant I had not left them in to allow the eyes to form. When I divided my tubers I had nothing to go on, and many of them ended up not propagating (my fault!)
Everything I've read says to cut the stalks and then leave the clump in the ground for a week or two, depending on frost conditions. You may want to cover the ground with straw or some other means of keeping the tubers from freezing while this eyeing up occurs, or, heaven forbid, cut the stalks sooner...(I wouldn't!)
If you can't leave them in the ground to eye up, then I would make as few divisions as possible in the fall. Divide only to make them manageable in storage, and ensure you don't have any soil left in the clump so as to avoid rotting. Then you can make further divisions in the spring once you've brought them out and they eye up.
Cheers,
Russ
Two sets of true leaves would be correct but I would let the root system develop pretty well in potted soil before transplanting. Seedlings are vigorous growers so it won't take too long to develop a good root system and it will help it get established when transplanted.
Use a roots type fertilizer at half strength.
So, to be clear, you've started some cuttings now in pots? You'll bring them in before the frost and continue them inside under lights.
Using averages from my "Cutting to Bloom" times, cuttings taken today should be full size and blooming around the end of January. That would mean that by the end of May they'd be the equivalent size of something typical in late September. IOWs, they'll be huge bushes while inside...;-] Now multiply that by 400 and ask yourself where you're going to keep them.
And my numbers are based on not giving my cuttings enough lumens while they were under lights. I figure I should be able to knock at least 30 days off the average 155 days it took to go from cutting to bloom by simply using T5's and having them closer to the cuttings/tuber sprouts.
Perhaps I'm completely misunderstanding...if so, my apologies. If not, this is going to be an extremely interesting experiment.
I've been wondering just how long I could keep a plant blooming. Could I bring it in in the fall and keep it blooming through winter?
Cheers,
Russ
Russ if things get too big I will take cuttings from them and keep the cycle going. I have at presant the ability to use 5 four foot sections with shop lights. If I wanted to I could make more spaces. So we will all see what happens every month. Some one from a very warm climate should tell us how long they can keep a plant in green stage.
I love the glow in the very center, did you put a spot light on it to get that effect?
Cheers,
Russ
Russ no that is a setting on my camera. I think it is a high speed setting. Which restricks the amount of light that hits the sensor. I have always had trouble with snowbound getting a good shot in day light. Then I just started taking shots with all setting to see which was best. Now sometimes I know what setting will work for me. I still take more than one shot of each subject just to see what I like.