3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
I grew wheels two summers ago and it was the one everyone wanted. Unfortunately the tuber didn't reproduce well and the one that I did get didn't survive winter storage. However I ordered it again for this year, but from a different grower. HAD to have it again! This will also be my first year with Honka. Looking forward to that wierd little dude too.
Here's to hoping a different source gives me more to store and share next year. SHARE THE LOVE!!
The point being that the agreement, when you join the dahlia forum is that if you sell dahlias you are NOT allowed to say so or advertize or send people to your site on pain of banishment. The plantlady was mearly answering a question that was answerable by sending the questioner to her "Seedlings" album-- where they DO NOT sell dahlias but it was construed as advertising & she was dropped from the forum by the powers that run the forum- how fair is that when others flat out say they are selling from their site & send people to said site??
The American Dahlia Society is working on providing more information on dahlias for different purposes including cut flowers, garden flowers and container dahlias and extra dwarf dahlias. One of the articles coming up in their bulletin will be a list of the best cut flowers taken from an informal survey of several growers(not me though). I believe there is a distinction between a cut flower and a garden flower. Many dahlias do not look all that good in the garden but make good cut flowers and vice versa.
I use liquid kelp as a foliar spray every couple of weeks after the plants are a couple of feet tall. This seems to help in their growth and here in the South it helps them to withstand the heat. I find they will also bloom earlier using kelp.
I don't feel it will be to rich for your plants either by mixing it in the soil or as a foliar spray if you follow the directions. Maxicrop seems to be the most popular brand so just Google it to see where you can purchase it.
Try white sticky traps. I have found these are best for attracting the most of the bad bugs, aphids etc. I use white foam (meat trays from the grocery store work good) 2" by 6" stapled on a garden stake and then take Tangle Foot spread on lightly and place every 10'. I know most of the bugs like my white and pink dalhia or I can just see them better so place the stake right next to the plant. Do this real early in the season when they just start to hatch.
Lucky me, I've never had whiteflies attack my Dahlias but they do love my Hibiscus and lemon trees here in SoCal. For me, what has worked best is a good systemic poison (although I am now having trouble locating these!) or simply blasting them off the leaves using my hose regularly. I've read that they like humidity so I don't do this in the evening. Morning through mid afternoon only.
If I get in the mood and the infestation is large, I get out my sprayer gizmo and use soapy water. A little dishsoap and water does the trick. Probably not very organic but it works.
As for slugs, I have them too. Constant battle with them, but like whiteflies, they leave my Dahlias alone. I do have one variety where the slugs climb up and eat the flowers though. Odd behavior in my book! All of the usual slug baits work well here.
I've never seen a H.G. Hemrick but there is a G.F. Hemerick I almost ordered at Old House Gardens online last year. It's an orange dwarf single. You may want to check it out just to see if it looks anything like the pic you saw in that book. Good luck! Hope you find it.
The longer you leave a dahlia without dividing it the smaller the flowers will become. It doesn't have to try as hard to propagate itself if it has a nice big tuber clump to feed off of so it doesn't have to put out as many flowers or as big ones to attract insects & set seeds to ensure it's life.
The plant will eventually get weaker as well.
You will probably will be back to your bigger blooms if you divide it up. The pot shouldn't make a lot of difference if you watered & fertilized the same as if it was in the ground. I've seen AA sized dahlias grown to size in pots- spectacular!
Finding eyes is very difficult in the fall so just pack your dahlias away in a box lined with 8 folds of newspaper on all sides and cover the clumps with coarse vermiculite. Store in a cool basement, garage or crawl space but NOT somewhere they will freeze. 38-50 degrees is optimal. If you already have a storage method that works use it. When your tubers are in the house always keep your tubers covered with paper or other material so they won't dry out too much and start shriveling.
Check your tubers once a month to make sure they are not shriveling or rotting. Around the 1st of April bring them into a warm area and after a couple of weeks the eyes will start appearing and you can start dividing making sure you have one eye with at least one tuber.
Check out the GA Dahlia Society growing instructions at the link below.
Here is a link that might be useful: Dahlia Society of Georgia
In my area, to show at local fall fairs, most charge a membership or exhibitor fee, then you get the pass. They get the money one way or the other. You should find out what classes are offered (size, type, single or triple). With miniature dahlias, timing isn't so important. They give lots of blooms. The most important item for you to know, is how to pick the winning bloom, how to display it, and have it in the right class. Do another post with the classes, and then maybe someone can offer the names of dahlias that would be appropriate for you to grow.
the exhibitor fee is in place of course but it is still less than the admission and it is for the entire event, all 5 days (Rodeo included). As for picking my winner(s) I believe the entrance forms come out in June or so. I'll be back...(sez Aaaahhhnald)