3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Creve Coeur; Danum Meteor; Wyn's Cinnabar & Wildman are all AA size SC & red. The most Christmas Red one I think would be Creve Coeur. If you could make do with an A sized one the clearest, cherry red I know is Wyn's Dapper Dad but it's more of an ID form.
Ellie
Cuttings will take 3-4 weeks to root, they then need 4-5 weeks 'potted on' in 3 1/2 or 4 inch pots to establish strong roots and growth before planting out. Then reckon on 4-5 weeks to the first blooms. I'll be planting mine out at the end of May and expect the first blooms in the first half of July with the main cropping through August and September with blooms continuing until November or the first frost, whichever comes first!
Here is a link that might be useful: Withypitts Dahlias
Kitkat- they'll come back fine if they were just nipped on the tips. Your blooms might be one flower late but not more than topping would have done. You were lucky that the frost wasn't a hard one that would mush up all the new growth but even then, if the tuber doesn't freeze the plant will usually start growing all over again but blooming is set back every time you lose new growth.
Ellie
linnea56,
They can usually be found pretty cheap at asian markets/groceries. If you're in IL, then you'd probably find something in Chicago's chinatown. I've made the 8 hour drive out there from MN a few times and their chinatown is pretty big. Good luck!
Zorro is my red AAID and Gregory Stephen my red AASC.
Lavender Ruffles (AAID) is my pink (ok, Lavender) mostly because its based on Purple Taiheijo, which I absolutely adored last year.
For white I went with Iceberg (AAID), also based on Purple Taiheijo.
All from Swan Island Dahlias.
Cheers,
Russ
Forgot to ask-- did you cut a hole in the bottom of the small container so the sand stays REALLY wet- the water below isn't just for humidity- it's to keep the sand wet at all times. You're growing your cutting in the water- the sand is just to keep it standing up straight- which it will do if it's shorter. If you didn't cut a hole it won't be wet enough & the cuttings will wilt.
I did put holes in. I figured the sand had to be sopping wet. Then I can water from below too to keep it wet. I did think of cutting up the long stems and making more sections, but I donÂt know what IÂm going to do with these as it is! I have a lot of tubers started. They were too leggy and I knew I had to cut them down, and hated to waste anything.
jroot
I didn't plant any. I have them in the litter boxes. When it is nice I put them outdoors. I chickened out about the planting. I have one tuber in water trying to see if it will show an eye. It wa from Swan. How long should I leave it there before I get another?
it is so hard to tell when "All danger of frost has past" these days with Climate Change. I mean we thought we were done with snow two weeks ago (and the weather the weekend before it was lovely) and yet there it was.
Ma Nature has gone all hormonal on us.
Looking up historical lows gives you a pretty good idea, despite climate change. For me its pretty easy, I just remember a few years ago when a bunch of kids were camping on my lawn and the temperature went down to 0C on a May 24th weekend.
Another mistake people seem to make is planning for planting out pre-started Dahlias versus when others plant out tubers with eyes. In-ground frost has already past, and if you consider it would likely take 6 weeks for a plant to emerge from the soil, you realize that they aren't likely to be subjected to air-frost prior to mid-june in my zone, later if the tubers went in on May 24 as is customary around here.
Cheers,
Russ
You guys and gals in zone 5 are much braver in planting so early than I in zone 7. If you cut off the frozen growth, the eyes will be sending out new shoots and likely more than one. You can let them all grow, or break off the extras that emerge, leaving just one main stalk. Your choice.
Unless you have a very deep, prolonged freeze again, there should be no need to dig up tubers. They'll do they're growing thing with a bit more warmth and no further help from you.
Have you considered terracing planting beds in that area? It would be quite a bit of work, but if they can do it in the Andes and in steep SE Asian slopes, so can you. My sunniest area is on a fairly sloped hill, but so far I'm only working on the base of it.
It would be entirely possible to cut out beds, bolster them on the downhill side and grow dahlias or anything else to your heart's content.
Here is a link that might be useful: Picture a hillside of dahlias here
It sounds like you don't have much choice, but to cut off the damaged parts. Often they will send up new shoots for you. If they are not planted in the ground, one should consider taking them indoors to a garage for the night, and then back out the next day. They will be okay on nights that are not so cold.
When you mention the you "placed a tarp" on them, I hope it is not a plastic tarp. That doesn't seem to work well for me. I prefer to use an old sheet which breathes, if it is cool. On clear nights, when the temperature is really low though, I always take them indoors. I never plant in the ground until ALL danger of frost is over. Here that is the 1st of June, but the plants have had the benefit of a month and a half of growing outdoors in pots.
I am going to plant mine this weekend. I think the beginning of May is a perfect time since it is when you should plant other frost sensitive plants like tomatoes. It looks like the weather will be great this weekend so go ahead and plant them. Even if by some rare chance we still have a frost you can cover them.
Ginny,
Practically all of my 68 Dahlias are from cuttings. I have no experience with this, but I've done a lot of research.
A tuber is planted lower because it is the fuel for the new plant. A cutting has no tuber, so there is nothing to protect (e.g. there is no fuel to protect from sun or rot.)
Ergo, since Dahlias are shallow root plants, a cutting is planted shallower because it is expected that the tuber will form below the base of the roots, whereas a tuber should be below the base of the sprout so the roots can grow up or down from it.
My "research" says that there is no difference in terms of the plant produced. Planting a pre-started tuber is no different than starting a cutting, IMO. If there is an existing stalk, and there are leaves on it, then you have a choice whether to bury the first set or not. It matters not whether that's a tuber or cutting. If you bury any leaf sets, they should be cut off. No need to feed something that you expect to die (i.e. the branches that are buried are going to die for lack of sun, the Dahlia is going to treat the node as a place to put out new roots if its below ground.)
If you consider the fact that you can't get a cutting to grow unless some portion of it is below ground, and that the part below ground is going to put out roots, you should soon see that its the roots, not the distance below ground, that determines whether the plant is strong or not.
IOWs, there should be no difference in the strength of a cutting versus a sprout from the tuber. The weight of the tuber isn't relavent.
I've currently got >200 cuttings that all look as good as the few I grew from tubers. I've had to stake some of the cuttings, and some of the sprouts from the tubers...
Sorry for rambling...;-]
Cheers,
Russ