3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Definitely tell the vendor of anything that doesn't produce. Mine was happy to record the fact so my next year's order would receive credit, and, to boot she threw in 2 extra tuber choices for next year. I did not need anything to be replaced immediately, but I did get the feeling had I asked she would have accommodated with anything she still had stock of.
I have a very good experience, and I think all vendors would likely strive to be as accommodating.
Cheers,
Russ
Man, I like the look of Wheels too; very bright and cheery.
Phyl, I didn't answer your earlier question on the already-blooming one you bought: yes, it will likely produce tubers and yes, you can save them as you would any other dahlia tuber (which means about 40 different methods to choose from. Good luck with that!) I'm so sad I killed my Pooh tubers..... next year perhaps I'll get it back.
Best luck with your new flowers!
No, when I get my photos developed (at WalMart) I only pay an extra $2 to get them to put it on an unformatted WalMart disc at the same time. Then I can upload them onto the computer. They have formatted Kodak discs too for more $$ but I have not tried them yet so I don't know what the dfference is.
Then I just uploaded my photo to photobucket.
Many folks say to let the dahlia get hit with the first frost in the autumn, and then bring it in when the leaves are turning black. The idea behind that is to force the good of the plant into the tuber.
Others say, get them out just before frost.
Your call. If it is a light frost, I prefer the former. If it is a really heavy frost, I hope that the soil protects the tubers. As I say, your call.
Keep it in the sun. They love that. I also prefer to plant them directly into the ground, with a stake behind it for support.
Enjoy !
How curious Phylrae. Does NY want to protect their earwig population???? It's certified for organic use.
I know I stopped at several nurseries last year who were not going to order Sluggo Plus until their stock of regular Sluggo was sold, so my cynical side wonders if the Agway guy was just wanting to clear their shelves of product before ordering a new product. Total mystery.
Couldn't find any mention of Sluggo Plus on the NY State Dept of Environmental Conservation banned pesticides etc, but I did find Sluggo Plus, quite allowable, on the list at the link.
I don't know why it would be banned, but get it at Amazon and see if they can ship it to you. Don't call me for bail money when the Sluggo Plus Police come a-knockin' though LOL!
Here is a link that might be useful: scroll down to Sluggo Plus
There's a link to the cloth manufacturer below. Quest Plastics 'Select' - Silver. 5 year guarantee. They have 4 grades, this is the second lowest and called 'Nursery Grade'. Higher grades have a 20 year, or 'infinite' guarantee, but are considerably more expensive (C$5, $9, $14, $30) Comes as a 3' x 50' roll. Stuff to hold it down is extra.
I bought it at Canadian Tire.
BTW, my dogs and I get along with cats...;-]
Cheers,
Russ
I think my problem with fertilzers is that I spend the winter reading all sorts of stuff about growing dahlias and than go on line and see all sorts of things that say they are the one and only thing for dahlias and buy eveerything and throw it in the garden. It will be interesting if I get away with it this year. Next year tomato spikes
5 hours at those hours should be enough to produce blooms. Many of mine struggle for sun with our surrounding trees and they do just fine. You may not get the intense colors you expect, or you may get better colors on those that like shading. Just try and see.
I can't tell you why it's happening, but when the shoot dies the tuber should send up a new one shortly. so, as far as that goes, all is not lost. Last year I had problems with wilting/death that was related to a rotting tuber, but the plant was a lot further along than what you are describing. Has it been really wet and cool? Rotting tubers could cause your problem I think. If you think that could be a problem, you could carefully dig one up just to check things out.
HTH
Katy
Well, there's two types of "brown" in my experience. There's the dark brown that to me means the plant is rotting, or the light brown which means its drying out.
Given your soil is clay, I'd say its probably the former, where the dark brown is almost black sometimes and rather than getting brittle, the leaves are wilting at the same time.
If this is the case, then my guess would be there is likely too much moisture at the ground surface (from the tuber to the air.) Of course the tuber could be rotting too.
I would definitely take the soil off the top of the tuber so you can check this out, whether the tubers rotting or not. It shouldn't be soft at all.
If I'm right, then you'll need to amend the soil some more to ensure the water drains away from the tuber.
Cheers,
Russ
I don't know who wrote the quote...this is my first year to grow dahlias. I got some dwarf varieties without knowing what they were, and after seeing the flowers, I ordered 10 different varieties of tubers online - the ones that grow 3-4' tall. I read all I could, and spent some time preparing the soil, added horse manure, and now they are sprouting. I am growing them because I know they require an investement of time and work in order to pay off, and I wanted a challenge with a pay off of beautiful cut flowers...
You can certainly cut the plant back at the stem practically anywhere you want as long as its close to where some branches are (just like you did when you topped.) However, its a shame to lose the growth just because they're not standing up on their own. When you topped they should have gotten thicker anyway, and should continue to do so.
I'd look to one of the solutions I mentioned.
Cheers,
Russ
Russ:
I thought that when I topped mine, they would branch out and get bushy, but they have not. And, to top it all off, I forgot about the hardening off thing. I may just take a suggestion from another forum person, I believe her user name is plantlady. She suggested if the dahlias are too leggy, when you plant them, just plant them deeper, removing the bottom leaves like you would tomato plants. If I can get them planted in the next few days, that might work. If we get more rain before I get them in the ground, I will just have to cut them back as you suggested.
I envy your lovely garden area. I could see some of the trees in the background in the photos you posted. I hope you will post more photos when your dahlias are blooming.
I don't remember my Bishops having the dark foliage till they matured a bit. You won't really know though until they bloom. I thought York was wonderful - a very hard to describe color and I know why Llandaff is still the #1 seller - what an outstanding plant.
Thanks, that is what I wanted to know - the green foliage is normal for young plants.
Hopefully, I got right plants!