3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Poochella, thank you - that helps a lot. I'll repot them into milk cartons as I'd planned, and water them sparingly. They're all coming up and the leaves look really good, so I can't have screwed things up too badly yet. :-)
I have a heater in the greenhouse - it never falls below 50 (normally it stays around 58-60 at night and on cold days, but if it drops into the teens at night, it gets down around 50 or so). So freezing isn't an issue at all. I have veggies and annuals growing out there right now that I started from seed - a freeze in the greenhouse would be a complete disaster for our gardens this year.
Russ, I did say 13 hours of "daylight", not "sunlight". My greenhouse is situated where the sun hits it very early in the morning, and is on it all day, no trees or anything shading it at all (doors and vents stay open all day on warm, sunny days to keep the heat managable between 70 and 85 or so, and there are fans running in there 24/7). There are about three microclimate zones in my yard - the greenhouse is in the warmest, full sun microclimate, where I have roses (my favorite flowers) starting to leaf out already. I have all manner of annuals and veggies growing out there in the greenhouse, and none are getting leggy at all, so I'd think that if there's enough light for tomatoes, there's probably enough light for the dahlias to get started. They're coming up fine, as I said, the leaves look good, so I think they're getting plenty for now. Obviously as the days get longer, they'll have light longer. I'm not on the "mountain side" of the state - south-central Montana (where I live) is closer to a desert than the cooler mountain regions in the western parts of the state.
And I never said I didn't like dahlias...I said my husband loves them (which he does). I like the flowers, but I have more of a passion for roses personally (don't have to dig them up in the fall). Maybe I'll fall in love with dahlias after growing them for a season or so - but I won't know if I don't try! My hubby doesn't care much for typing or forums, and he would never "make" me ask anything, anywhere "for him" (he wouldn't have asked for himself either...he'd just throw them in a pot and let them grow or not, as his dad does). I asked of my own free will, because I was interested in how to get them the best start possible. It's my nature to jump into whatever I decide to do with both feet. I am interested because I love my husband, he loves dahlias, and that makes me want to have some in the garden for him, regardless of some extra work in spring and fall. Have you never grown something just because someone in your family really likes it?
In any case, thanks for the advice. I'm sure we can get the dahlias off to a good start this year now.
Here I am in mud zone 7 and all you Canadians and Montanans are lightyears ahead on dahlia growth. Congratulations!
Your set up sounds very good Jamie, and I hope you'll be won over by the versatile, variable, and vivacious dahlia in 2008. There are so many to choose from: each with their own merits. I gave my roses away- too disease prone for this locale. I did like their scent and delicate petals, but dahlias are also most amazing in their fantastic petal formation, wide array of colors and color combinations and various forms and sizes. You can't beat 'em!
I can hardly wait to see my new ones and the old favorites!
Hi,
The only Classified dahlia (in the ADS Classification handbook) with fragrance at this time is Hy Scent. It has a definite hyacinth-like fragrance, albeit a little light. Several of us are trying to come up with another variety or two here in the US and are having some little success but the only other one I have personally seen at this time is an open centered variety that comes from a friend and he was not sure he was going to send it to trial garden or release it for sale. It would probably be classified as a Peony type. I am using Hy Scent as a seed parent and surrounding it with non-scented fully double varieties in the hopes of garnering a fully double seedling. If wishes were horses..... the search goes on.
They're Mexican perennials, which means youÂll have to lift them in the fall because they canÂt handle frost. YouÂll end up with a clump of tubers in the fall (including the one you plant in the spring) which requires storage in a cold room (or fridge) over winter. Alternatively, you can treat them as annuals if the price isnÂt prohibitive for you.
Click the link below this message for a good primer on all aspects of growing Dahlias.
Cheers,
Russ
Here is a link that might be useful: Snohomish County Dahlia Society How Tos
I know nothing of sand AND soil mixes, but as long as the mixture is damp and I mean damp enough for the little guys to root, you're fine. Dahlias are fairly bullet-proof. Mist them and if the potting medium becomes a little too dry-dump a little water on them. I mean, most home air is dry, sand drains and I doubt they would rot unless you drenched them.
Congrats on your sprouts. The ones I ordered had no eyes and their little necks are starting to shrivel up.
start them indoors and enjoy blooms earlier and for a longer time.
Here is a link that might be useful: head start for tubers.
From all that I've read, soil is soil, whether its inside or out. Dahlias like soil that's good for veg, and don't like anything that's been treated with a herbicide.
So get something you could start tomatoes in and you should be fine.
I have several tubers planted inside in pots intended to stay indoors. Several were planted in Miracle Grow seed starter, others in MG moisture control, and still others planted in a left over potting mix (don't know which kind, but its been sitting in the pot for a year or more.)
All seem to be doing fine.
Cheers,
Russ
Mary;
If you are willing go beyond North America in your search, there is sort of a European / UK availability list at the address below. I made a quick check and they showed eight INCAs mostly from the national collection. This link is also available at the top of the BigList.
Don McAllister
Here is a link that might be useful: Europe/UK Dahlia Availability List
In my experience tubers need:
1. Water
2. Light
inside. When they go outside, the need soil. In other words, you could start them in wet newspapers and they'd likely eye up and sprout.
Soil only comes into it when they sprout roots, and when you're starting tubers you're not really going after roots, you want sprouts. The more roots they grow indoors, the more work it is to transplant safely.
I'd use the loosest soil you can find, and keep the tubers shallow in the mix. I started mine in a 50-50 mix of Miracle Grow Seed Starter and peat. Worked fine, but I doubt the soil had anything to do with anything.
Cheers,
Russ
Russ, you described your goals perfectly and made 'China Doll' sound very intriguing indeed. I guess the reason I find dahlia foliage plain, is that I cut off all the flowers and see nothing but green foliage, buds and stems, and short-lived flowers before the shears comes along to harvest them. I have had some short varieties full of blooms as you describe and found them quite pleasant, just not my goal.
I wonder if the mass of main branches on Matchmaker were multiple main stalks or just wildly branched off one main stalk? Mine last year was very average in flower production. I would like it to go nuts with long stems as you describe!
Do you disbud: remove the two inferior buds, (or more,) alongside the main bud on a branch? If not, that would account for a more massive flower display per plant.
I'm getting kind of itchy to see some of these dahlias of which we speak. Too bad it's only April.
Poochella,
I think my Matchmaker stems were all off a single main stem. I had started them inside and knew there was only one main stalk when planted out. As I said, I did pinch it, which I assumed accounted for all the large stems at the bottom. I did the same thing to a Cabana Banana and its large stems broke off at the bottom after a storm, despite being fairly well trussed up.
I did not disbud last year, but I am definitely thinking about it this year. Particularly for something like Purple Taiheijo, which I found had very short stems that the flowers were on. It made it such that the flowers were almost buried in the foilage. Gregory Stephen sorta did the same thing. I recognize now that it was probably because I wasn't tending to their needs as good as I could've (e.g. disbudding.)
China Doll was definitely my favorite from last year, so this year I've made a place for 6 of them...;-]
Cheers,
Russ