3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias

Plantlady2008 ~ what do you fertilize with ? Seems that a couple who can manage that huge amount of Dahlias has so much knowlege. Any reading material you would recomend ? Or just tips to help us ametuers handle our Dahlias better ?

Thanks so much ~

Gina- When Walt plants he mixes about 1/2 cup of good old 10-20-20 farm fertilizer in the bottom of the hole- (the same stuff we've always used on the row crops of corn, beans or berries-- we have 62 acres with raspberries & blueberries on about 40 of them). Then he puts in a shovelfull of nice black riverbottom peat soil from down at the back of the farm & mixes that well. Then he puts in the tuber & covers with about 1" of soil. As the plant grows he fills in the hole & hills it up. Then he lays down the T-tape drip irrigation & covers that with soil & hills up some more. About the middle of July he side-dresses with 10-20-20 so the plants put out great blooms for the shows. That's it for the fertilizer for the year.
As for reading-- there's a great deal of info on the Colorado Dahlia Society site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado Dahlia Society Site

Yum. Love it. Good work!

Thanks for that Russ.

Ray,

According to the writings I've read, a good forceful water spray should actually kill them, not simply dislodge them. They're ultra-tiny soft-bodied insects...as you spray, keeping imagining the sounds of *MUSH* while you chant; "Take that you little beggers!"...;-]

Cheers,
Russ

LOL!

Thanks for the chuckles, Russ. :)

-Ray

Thanks for your help and advice, everyone. I went out and dug up the tubers...lol.....there were no tubers in existence, not even the remnants of any. The green growth I THOUGHT was at least one dahlia sprouting turned out to be just a weed!

Yes, the tubers DID have eyes, and I tried hard to do what the instructions said. Not sure what I did wrong. I guess in the future I'll buy local tubers if I try dahlias again. I have to say, I've had difficulty with tulips and lilies rotting, even though I amend the soil very well and don't use high-nitrogen fertilizer.

Think I'll stick with "easy" flowers-roses, daylilies, lilies, siberian iris & other perennials/annuals. :0)

Phyl

Phyl,

Dahlias are indeed easy to grow. .... and very rewarding. However, we have had a weird spring. You mention that you lost some tulips and lilies as well from rot. This is likely what happened here. I had several dahlias that I lost also, but enough of a reserve which I had started indoors that I don't notice their loss now. It is something that sometimes happens. Don't let this slight setback turn you off of these amazing flowers.

Make sure that your soil is well drained. I have my best ones in a slightly raised bed. Originally I thought that I would raise the bed so the landscaping crew would not cut the flowers off while they cut the grass. I realize now that it was a really good idea.

Lol, well, I know I come across wanting exact figures, but I do know how to go with swags too...;-]

Well-drained soil...definitely, if you have tubers! See, all of mine are from cuttings and the tubers haven't formed much yet.

Mulch for retaining moisture...definitely, because Dahlias are shallow root plants, their roots run more horizontally near to the top of the soil rather than down and deep. If the soil gets baked, so too could the roots (or at least they'd lose access to water in dry soil.)

I think I'll try giving them some sprinkler water and see what effect it has. At least it might help with the spider mites.

Thanks!!

Cheers,
Russ

Hey Russ. Glad to know that vague is ok too, LOL. I got scared after your post about tracking and synchronizing the first bloom dates for all your dahlia varieties. I'm more from the school of "plant it and if it grows, do it again next year, if it dies, put something else in that spot". So we'll see how my dahlias do, they are getting BIG, and I inspected them with a flashlight tonight, and I think I see a bud. :) JOY.

My best plant success so far is with the stuff that the neighbors are yanking out of the ground cursing, and ask me, "are you SURE you want to take those? you can't KILL these things!". I figure if others can't kill it if they try, I have a shot at keeping it alive, and it was a really nice thing when we first bought this house and had no money in the budget for trips to the garden center. In my neighborhood, my garden is kind of known as the freebie garden. I have all kinds of ferns, elephant ears, cannas, cast iron plant, mexican petunias, oleanders, and several other things that neighbors donated while trying to eliminate the from their yards.

So I worry about giving advice to others who actually have a method of any kind when I'm so fly by the seat of my pants...Dahlias are the first plant that I've nurtured and watched every day and they are the reason I found the gardening forum! BOY am I learning a lot from all of you!

You are right.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I just love that one. That's a really nice bloom! Looks happy!

Looks more like something eating than a virus. FWIW, I was just reading an article on Spider Mites and read that the use of Pyrethrin may very well make it much more likely you'll get them because Pyrethrin kills most everything that might eat Spider Mites.

Cheers,
Russ

No thats not the stem that's brown, I just think it's time for me to buy a new camera.

I agree with you Russ. If you've ever read the Pyrethrin instructions, you can be assured it's just as toxic to humans and beneficials as the "non-organics". But I've been shooting the dahlias with soapy water and it doesn't seem to be working.

And thank you. Based upon your observation I went back to the WSU website and admit their mottling doesn't appear to have the amount of dieback I am getting around the edges nor can I find the same patterns of mottling they mention. But it may be a mute point because the virus's are generally spread through aphids and leafhoppers.

I have found a few leafhoppers and a few aphids but not enough to explain the pathetic condition of this plant so I am still wondering...