3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Someone else asked about this a month or so ago. Yes. JB's eat just about everything--in my garden at least. However, they do not seem to really destroy the dahlia folliage to the extent they have decimated my hardy hybiscus folliage.
Do the rose trick. Every morning or afternoon take your pan of soapy water and knock the JB's into it. Or if your not the timid type, squish the little devils with your fingers.
2 weeks is getting pretty old for a bloom, so that may account for the brown spots. Sometimes rain will spot petals too.
If you see ants on your dahlias, you might want to check along the stems for aphids. Easily washed away with a squirt of water, or even removed by hand squeegying.
I haven't had Bishops Children but have grown Bishop of Llandaff and Bishop of York in part sun/shade nd they were about 4-5 ft tall and just fabulous. No wonder Llandaff is one of the most popular dahlias of all time.
here are 2 seed companies that have it - just have to google
Dianes http://www.dianeseeds.com/Index.html
Thomson Morgan
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/en/product/7035/1
heres's Llandaff and York grown in containers on the deck
I've moved full grown, blooming dahlia plants before with lots of success. They'll droop for awhile, but generally come back with no problem. I'd shelter them from the sun for a few days. I have some holes in my garden where dahlias didn't come up or didn't look good after they did so I move some from my "reserve" garden to fill those spaces. One year my step-sister decided to get married very quickly. We had a long driveway and my Mother wanted dahlias lining the driveway. She moved plants from where they couldn't be seen to the driveway and they looked beautiful by the time the wedding happened. I, personally, wouldn't cut them back at this stage.
How much you water depends totally on the weather and your soil. Are you having any rain at all? The optimum way to water is with a soaker hose or "t-tape" (which is what I use). It's better not to get the water on the leaves -- helps prevent diseases. If you have only a few, using the hose directly on the plant would be good. I'd just let it run at the base of the plant gently for a while. They don't need water daily.
Teresa
Overall, I don't think one dahlia variety is hardier than another (I'm sure there are exceptions). In your part of the country, I wouldn't chance leaving them in the ground. I agree with Steve on how some (many) catalogs stretch the truth as to hardiness. Does it mention that dahlias do not like wet feet? Here in the Pacific Northwest, more dahlias are lost in the winter to that than to freezing.
Teresa
This is the first time I have checked this Forum. Re: whitefly. It must have a host plant to reproduce. Do a search for "whitefly hosts" and carefully reads the lists of plant names that will appear. You are growing one or more of them in your yard and if they are removed your whitefly problem should end.
This time of year you probably need a liquid. Since the demise of Diazinon you may have to use something containing Methoxychlor if you can find it there. Just mix according to directions and pour some around the base of the plant. Steve in Baltimore County.
I am so glad to see the live plant. I planted Mystery Day in June from tuber that was on sale, and only saw a picture online when I ordered. It is about 2 feet high now but no blooms yet. I can hardly wait now that I see how it really looks. Beautiful, Thanks for sharing.
How exciting! I've been growing Mystery Day indoors since June 25th. Yours look just like the picture that came with the tuber! Mine are also about 2 feet high but very puny.
I don't want to plant it outside yet because it's so darn hot here! I put it outside for a couple of hours every day to try and get it used to it. I planned on planting it when it gets a little cooler.
Here's a picture of mine:
By dgarrand, shot with PDRM5 at 2007-08-05
It looks pretty sickly doesn't it?
Thanks for sharing yours!
Dee
Hey Anita--
In my experience, yes a tuber does reach its mature height in year one----but it/they are slower to get there. Of course, I've not taken a tape measure to my plants and there may be variations of a few inches or so but nothing noticible to the eye.
In my opinion, clumps are simply unpredictable. Some of mine are shorter than the others of the same name---have more sprouts climbing on the ground before I notice and can stake them, and simply have less flowers.
Good luck,
Patricia
Sounds like Trips. I had a problem with them for a while, but it seems like the Pirate Bugs are getting them under control now.
I have used Spinosad on the buds as they are just starting to open and it seems to help. I don't like to use it on the flowers when they are fully open, becuase it is toxic to bees. The product I use is made by Green Light. Hope this helps.
This is my 2nd year growing dahlias and those relentless ants attack my plants too! I donot have any aphids so I'm not sure why the ants are there. I do know that they are everywhere from the base of the stalk to the leaves on top of the plant. They swarmed one of my newly sprouted dahlia plants a few months ago when it was only 1 inch tall. I've tried several types of insecticides for all sorts of bugs on my dahlias and Sevin seems to be the most potent. The downside is...I heard it kills good bugs too.
I am also new to dahlias this year, and have several large tubers in the ground as well as smaller ones in containers. At the beginning of the summer, I had a horrible ant problem as well. They were eating the leaves leaving gross little white egg looking things on the stems. Anyway, I bought a can of insect powder called Selvin and dusted it over the dahlias. The ants returned several weeks later and I dusted again. Now, about two months later, I haven't had any more problems and the plants are doing very well!!!
If you're having hot summer days, it sounds like a perfectly reasonable and normal dahlia to me. The key is that it rebounds, formed buds and they're almost open. I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep it watered once or twice weekly, fertilize as you see fit and enjoy. When they wilt and stay wilted, that's a real problem.
Thank you very much i will just leave it been and water it regularly.