3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
I take cuttings for two reasons, increase the number of plants from a special variety and to get a good root system started.
As for the difference in timing, if you plant a cutting, with say four sets of leaves, and stop the main growth tip, it will bloom earlier then a tuber. Why? The tuber has to emerge out of the ground, get four sets of leaves and then be stopped.
Now to really throw you a curve!!! I also grow for show. If I have a show on Sept 14, 2008, and I want A size (8"-10") dahlias in full bloom for that date, I'll count back 60 days and stop the main growth tip on the plant (tuber or cutting). It dosen't matter if there's eight sets of leaves (that is possible if using a cutting) or four sets of leaves from a tuber. The number of days to bloom will still be 60. I'll only allow four laterals to develop. So if that cutting is 3' tall, it's almost stripped right down to ground level (I only want four laterals and lower to the ground they are, the easier it is for the plant to supply nutrients). If I don't do this, they get too tall.
If you are growing for cut flowers, I'd suggest that you use only small dahlias (BB - 4"-6"), waterlily's, ball and miniature dahlias. If using cuttings and you take out the growth tip say by May 14, and then plant if conditions are okay, you can have blooms by the first or second week of july.
I just double-checked. I didn't pay the duty on the tubers until March 16th last year, and I now remember putting them in the fridge for a week if not two before they were finally potted up to start inside. So they were basically started around now and were in bloom on June 19th.
Cheers,
Russ
Linnea- you can put them in water- just get a small jar- like a babyfood or jam jar, cover the top with foil- anchor the foil tightly with an elastic band. Poke a hole the size of the cutting stem in the foil & insert your cutting into the water. Now you're really doing it hydroponically! The reason I use the sand is to keep the cuttings straight up- they do tend to flop around a little with the "just water" method.
Ellie
Linnea,
For what its worth, my cuttings are in Miracle Grow Seed Starter or Moisture Control, both potting soils. I switched to Moisture Control only because the local shops ran out of Seed Starter. I also think the Moisture Control helps reduce the amount of watering I do...a little.
I now have 196 cuttings to sell, and 29 cuttings for my own formal Dahlia garden...;-]
Cheers,
Russ
Cheers,
Russ
Yikes! Every garden is different. I have read the same things about the soil. I talked with a woman that has a beautiful garden of every kids of plant imaginable so I asked her how she fertilized all her different plants. She told me she uses Plant Tone on everything! I am going to use 5-10-10 month before I put in the tubers and when they are up about a foot, give them a boost of water soluable with a higher N reading and than let them go for about a month and see what they need. This is after I test the soil.
Hi,
If you are unsure about whether your tubers are viable, place them in some slightly damp shavings or vermiculite in a plastic bag, close loosely and put on top of your water heater or refrigerator. The gentle bottom heat will help pop the eyes and start the sprouting action. Be sure not to get the material too wet as this will promote rot. Sometimes tubers which have been kept fairly cold will take up to 3 - 4 weeks to pop their eyes. It's really easy to mistake bumps such as old roots and other lumps on a tuber for eyes. I've been doing dahlias for over 30 years and have a little experience in finding viable tubers. Hope this helps.
Linht, here's the thread. In the Sunday Nov. 6th post by plantlady will be a link to photos. As I recall, they have short crossbars welded onto standard t-fence posts. Christmas tree twine is strung through pre-drilled holes in those cross bars. I was priveleged to see them and so many beautiful flowers in person at Wynne's this summer.
Should have ordered Moonlight Sonata! Maybe next year.
By the way, you can just put a poster's name in the SEARCH box above and up will come all the posts they've made at various forums. Very handy to try and find past information by a known poster.
Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Plantlady2's support system
I also grew from Swan Island all were outstanding. White ,Hakuyou and snowbound, pink miss rose fletcher, and purple bold accent, emory paul, these are not true purple but will go well. I have order for this year almand joy,oregon reign,vassio meggos,fremont's memory,orchid lace,thomas edison,lavender ruffles, purple taiheijo, gitts perfection and touch of class. That will fit your color requests. Happy growing.
Christine R, I was at the PSDA sale at 11:11 and there were a ton of "Christines" available so I hope you nabbed one. Great variety this year!
Rosebacopa in MN: My ideas for waterlilies I've grown:
Lauren Michelle- great two toned lavender with dark purple reverse that blooms early and a lot. Good tubers too.
Bracken Ballerina- probably on the Fab 50 of show winners in the past, if not now. Lovely pastel pink and white, lots of flowers, good tuber keeper.
White Ballerina- sure wanted to try it but the slugs or something were just drawn to it in the middle of a dahlia plot like magnets! I had it surrounded by everything but an electric fence and they just gnawed it down to nubs til death ensued. I've never had that happen to a single cultivar of dahlia in all the years of growing them.
Sandia Shomei was a lovely lavender and white waterlily that bloomed in nice flushes but didn't keep well for me. Bloomed early.
Purples B'ish sized as I don't have time to look up all sizes: Jennifer's Wedding, JAX CHAR (I really loved that bold color,) Mary, Lavender Perfection, Lilac Time, Thomas Alva Edison (is a great color but late to bloom here,) Emory Paul was very late here and not worth the wait for me, Wyn's Garden Glow is a fluffy, rich lavender with gold centers that bloomed early and often for a large dahlia. Spike is a large white, also available at Wynne's Dahlias, White Perfection is a common white "dinnerplate" dahlia that does well, and I really liked Yuukyu, a B sized white ID I grew last year. Gitts Attention is a BB white with split tips that is a nice white addition.
Otto's Thrill is a large pink with yellow undertones that is pretty reliable.
Pretty in Pink was my favorite new hot pink from last year, available at Wynne's Dahlias. Bloomed early and often.
Alloway Candy is a wonderful more pastel pink and white stellar bloom that produces a fair number of flowers.
Ditto for Miss Rose Fletcher in a small cactus, but perfect pastel pink and wonderful form.
If you can go smaller to ball form 4" dahlias, don't miss Mary's Jomanda in hot pink, Brookside Snowball already mentioned and Robann Royal which was a great rich lavender/purple last year. I haven't had much luck with Jessie G for two years' running, but I know people rave about it elsewhere.
There are so many more out there. Check out the "Big List" by name or "How to Find Them" at the Colorado Dahlias Society website.
Here is a link that might be useful: Look Here for all kinds of dahlia information
To find information about the over 100 North American Dahlia Society Plant and Tuber sales being held this year just go to the link below.
Here is a link that might be useful: 2008 North American Dahlia Society Sales
When you post your original question, under the "preview" box is a smaller box you have to check to get replies e-mailed to you. If you don't check it (or forget to), you don't know if anyone has replied. You can't go back retroactively, either: if you forget you have to bookmark the thread so you can find it again.
FWIW, of my 2007 tubers that sprouted this spring (in flats under lights inside my house) they averaged 47 days from the time I planted them to the day I took my first 3" cutting. The longest was 65 days.
So, I would say that 6 weeks isn't too long. Of course you could take a little hand broom and sweep the soil off the top of one of the spots you planted to see if you can find the tips of the sprout to re-assure yourself, but be careful.
Cheers,
Russ
thanks everyone. Soil temps are not yet in the 60's. Mid 50's right now. I check on one of them, and it was not rotten. Yes, the eye was facing up, so that's not an issue. I'll keep watch and pay close attention when the temps start to rise, hopefully in a few weeks. Thanks everyone.
Matt
Unfortunately, I think, there's two types of growers and I do believe that advice is different depending on your goals. If you want to take a flower to the flower show, then you do things you wouldn't do if you just wanted a big bushy plant...IMO.
I got hooked on Dahlias from a friend who couldn't care the least about them. He brought me a clump that had to be from a 3+ year-old plant, and it was what he had split off because that plant was "too big" for his garden.
He proceeded, after several beers, to literally rip tubers off the clump and, without considering which end was up, stuffing them into various holes in my garden beds.
Most grew, and were covered in many flowers.
Call it luck or whatever you want, but Dahlias are left by many in the ground to grow into larger and larger clumps. I have to believe that most of those clumps have many stems.
I received this year, for the first time, a clump rather than a single tuber. It is Firepot, and the tubers are about the size of ping-pong balls or a little smaller. I assumed they sent me a clump because they couldnÂt separate the tubers from the crown with enough assurance theyÂd get eyes on each tuber. Currently, each of my 3 Firepot clumps has a single sprout.
Meanwhile, some of my single tubers have shown multiple starting sprouts.
If I had to decide, I would let a clump grow whatever number of stems it wanted (within reason, considering how much area I want it to take up) but I would trim single tubers to a single stem. No long years of experience involved in my decision, just my interpreting what IÂve read.
Cheers,
Russ
IÂve been pretty satisfied with the ones I bought locally. Since I donÂt plant that many and have not successfully kept them over the winter, mail order is kind of expensive for me. To get the best pick I start calling the stores in early March and get them as soon as they come in. I only buy the ones that come in a clear bag so I can examine the contents carefully for eyes or sprouts. There are some that come bulk in a larger bag or box where you canÂt see the contents. Those have often been duds. It seems like they are packaged earlier or sit around too long under sub-optimal conditions. I tried SamÂs Club boxed 3 times, nothing in a box ever performed (except Asiatic lilies which apparently can withstand the long storage better). We don't have a Costco but I hear they have better plant material than Sam's. I have been happy with the stock at my Home Depot, Walmart, and a regional hardware chain called Menards. But the HD and this one particular Walmart have a very good dept manager who really cares for stock, like keeping bulbs in a cool area so they donÂt sprout too early.
Oh My God, this is getting complicated. I am going back and get the 5-10-10 at the feed store and than later when things bud I will switch to the 6-30-30 that Poochella suggested. It only comes in a little tub though. I checked at Swan.
The only fertilizer I used last year was a small handful of bone meal in the bottom of each tuber hole. Worked great!
I should add that my sprinkler system gets its water from the lake, so there were likely additional nutrients being delivered via the water. My bay is very calm, shallow, and has 2' of mud on the bottom so its nutrient rich, I believe.
Cheers,
Russ