3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
If you truly love them and they are a rare dahlia, I would dig them up and take them. They are considered an annual where we live. If they helped you sell your house, then it is a small investment to make a good sale. The new owner may want them. Check it out with them.
If moving them, take a big chunk of soil so as not to disturb the roots, and put in a large pot. Once potted, they can readily be moved. I don't think I would try to split them at this point.
You could do as jroot suggests to move them & also cut them back to a foot or two tall so they don't have as hard a time adjusting to being dug up. You'll miss a few series of blooms but still the plant will come back from the leaf joints & bloom later in Sept & you'll have tubers for next year.
So the Dahlias have no twine tied to their stalks but rather in effect what Walt is doing is creating a little "Christmas tree twine" cage for the plants if they need a little extra support, correct?
Now I love the idea that I can lose some of those steaks this year for my dinnerplates. I can never get them (the stakes) deep enough into the ground so that they aren't sticking up like goofy tall pencils over my beautiful blossoms! Thank you Plantlady.
Right- no twine on the stalks. The sheer bulk of the plants will hold them up unless you get really bad winds- & then nothing is going to help. Only a very few ever need to be tied on either side of the plant- I think the threat of being pulled out by the roots & fed to the cows helps make them stand up nice & straight, too >:)
Hi Jroot-
Well, as I said, the first one got away before I could take the pics. But I found another and apologize for my inability to provide better detail in the close ups of this teensy critter.
Unfortunately, these pictures have come out in reverse order so the last one is the first thing I saw (hmm, is that rust or a sac?), the second to the last, the second thing and so on.
Thank you for the wonderful photos, DB. That's the lil bugger that destroyed my squash crop this year. Borers not bad last year (cause of GA drought?) but this year they're huge problem (still in drought but had more spring rains).
I'm horrified you are showing them in dahlias. My dahlia bed is hop, skip, jump, and short moth flight from veggies to dahlias.
I have a couple that are wilting, but their neighbours are not. Your posting made me curious, so I went out to see if there was evidence of holes or frias. I can't see any. The ground seems to be not dry, and yet, if I put water on it, the plant picks up. Strange. I'll keep my eyes open, and maybe replace the culprits.
If they froze, they would be mushy in the spring. I am assuming that is not the case, otherwise you would not have potted them.
I am assuming that they were firm. If all of them had no eyes, I am assuming that the stems were cut off the tubers and then the tubers stored. A number of novice gardeners do this. I had a nice lady who presented me with a bag of tubers that she had "cleaned up" for me. She had indeed cut off the stems, and unfortunately had cut off area where the potential eyes would develop. All of them were useless, and none of them grew in spite of my best efforts. I always leave about 2 inches of the stem on the tuber when preparing for winter. That way, I know which end to look for eyes, and also I know that end is where the eyes will develop.
I do not store in dirt. If the dirt is damp, the tubers will rot. If the dirt is dry, the soil can deplete the moisture from the tuber, depending upon the consistency of the soil. There are a number of ways of storing tubers, and quite a few postings as to how to do it here on this forum. In the fall, I am sure there will be many more. Keep your eyes open for them ( Pun intended LOL)
Enjoy the dahlias you have now. Aren't they wonderful? Any pictures?
Mine have started to bloom. Alas, I left my camera at my son's place in Toronto, and it is a good hour away. When I get it back, I'll post some photos.
I will double check when I get home from work today, but I think you are right, my plants may not have any eyes on them. I remember cutting them stem real close to the union of the eyes and the tuber, in fact, there is a hallow depression there, thanks for the reminder. I raise orchids, so I should have known better .
I am glad on I learned on a cheap and easily (re)obtainable tuber. I never grew them before so this was a learning exercise. Thanks for the info. Now to focus my energy on the dahlias I planted already that are viable.
If you have a digital camera, or access to one, that might be more helpful. It could be earwigs. It could be snails or slugs. We had a hail storm here, and I have a lot of leaf damage from the hail. There are too many variables to truly determine the cause of your dahlia's maladies.
Cut off the yellow lower leaves. I always trim the bottom few inches of leaves off. This helps with air circulation, and helps to prevent mildew from developing on them. The yellowing could be the result of too much water. Have you had a lot of rain lately?
Wow! I love the purple one! Looks great! This is my first year with Dahlias too, and mine haven't bloomed yet. I'm in zone 9, texas. I planted about 6 weeks ago, and they seem to be growing nicely, should start budding any day now, I hope! Thanks for sharing your pics.
It sounds like it has been "pinched", either by human touch or by mother nature's agents. If you leave it, you will get twice the blooms. Personally, I feel that the blooms is the reason for growing dahlias. Certainly not al the work. LOL. Personally, I would leave it.
Thank you all for your ideas!
Due to my zone (7-8), some of them might be a bit hard to grow here, but I'll ask someone at Nursery next time I go there!
If I can find salvia which will remain somewhat green during winter, it would be great, too.
I have planted Liatris bulbs in different location for the first time this year. I'll see how they grow and decide if I want them in my dahlia bed as well.
All advices are very inspiring. Thank you !!!
-b
OOH YEAH! Lime green and pink look divine together! (thanks for the hint! ;-)