3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
I can tell how excited you are Christina & you've a right to be. Generally if I have harmed a tuber in any way, it's a gonner. That's o.k., lesson learned, pay attention! Hope you'll enjoy all your pretty flowers when they start blooming and don't forget we love to see pictures.
I've got a couple that are shrivelling as well. Fortunately, I have a few others that I can replace the "sick" plant with. They are mixed in with many others that are getting the same treatment, and loving it, so who knows why these two are shrivelling. In my garden, only the tough survive. The others become compost.
For some reason, not all dahlias produce viable seed. I've saved seed from different varieties, had excellent germination from some batches and absolutely nothing from others. I've also had really lousy germination from commercially bought seeds (0-5%).
My recent experience with Ferry-Morse's Unwin dwarf seed: of 72 seeds sown, fifty have germinated. Still have more in the packet for further seeding. The first four seeds showed germinating roots in thirty-five hours! They were sown three per peat pellet; situated near a southerly facing door. Temps have been optimum, I reckon. Purchased the packet at Lowe's this spring.
Thank you! I am so relieved, as I hate to remove stems that seem to be growing so enthusiastically. Just want to say - thanks to you and others here, I was able to make 4 plants out of one much desired dahlia that I bought this year (a big clump which was showing several eyes). And I felt so proud I divided correctly!
Thanks again,
Anna
I've used Shultz Moisture Plus Watering Crystals, they used to sell it at Wal-Mart and Soil Moist, which is sold at Pike here in Atlanta GA. I use the crystals for my Window boxes and it keeps my plants alive. Other than that , they would surely die, because my boxes are up high and the heat is relentless. You only need a tiny bit for each plant or else you will have a ton of jelly like beads all over the place that will eventually surface.
Yipeee!!!
My dahlias are now planted. Just came home from wintering in Florida. Checked my tubers and they wintered just fine. Most eyed up nicely. Bought 14 new varities for this season. I have way more than I need and will probably give many away and make someone else a Dahlia lover.. So excited for this season...
Sue
The stem should root if it had a couple of small roots on it. If they don't have any roots I like to put them in potting soil in bright shade until they lift their heads again which indicates they have rooted. Then into filtered sunlight just like hardening off seedlings or cuttings. Once they have a strong enough root system you can put them back into the garden or grow as a pot root.
Plant the tuber also as two or four more eyes will form and grow from the original eye.
I had a 4 ft stalk of a dahlia break at the tuber last 2 years in a row. In both years, I jammed the whole stalk down into a container and let it go - and they bloomed nicely both years. When I dug them up they had made small tubers off the stem. I think you have to keep the soil moist because it has a lot of green plant growth to transfer water to, so you wouldn't want to stress the plant by drying it out.
I assume the research you mentioned was Jroot's and Poochella's postings and photos repectively about spring and fall dividing. They are excellent.
You know Laura, when your friend sees how many tubers you come up with this fall and how compactly one can store them (I tried saran wrap for the first time with success) she may regret giving up those clumps!
Happy blooming.
They want to be well drained, but at the same time like to be watered.
I have found all kinds of critters like to chew on them. I had a lovely shot of a squirrel eating the lower leaves of my dahlia right on my deck right in front of me. That being said, put it back and let it grow.
I find that the bottom leaves often droop. I actually usually trim off the bottom 4 inches of leaves ( once the plant is big enough) so that I get better air circulation and prevent mold on the lower leaves.
Hi jroot-
Thanks for responding. I read a posting where you told someone you cut the bottom leaves off for better air circulation and to prevent mold---and frankly, after I saw that, I did the same and trimmed.
But the fact that "lower leaves often wilt" is news to me and certainly nothing I noticed last year... If the top 2/3rds of the plant weren't doing so well I would be tempted to pull it up and see whats going on with the tuber itself--The fact that I started it in regular potting soil and had to water fairly frequently, makes me wonder if I have some tuber rot going on---
Anyway, about those squirrels, there may be 8 million people in the naked city, but there's 8 million critters out here...and I am sure out where you are.
Hope you've started planting.
Patricia
Midnightgirl - are you sure May 15 is your last frost date? I'm zone 5 but usually we don't count on frost being out of the picture till the end of May, when we plant non-hardy annuals.
http://www.avant-gardening.com/zone.htm
PS on the lilacs, mine are in full bloom the first week of May now and we are getting night time temps in the low 40's. I think they are early - they also aren't as heavy as previous years. Lots of things look a little odd this year - all those warm weeks during the winter and then the hard freezes and snow in April.
I finially planted them and the last of my summer bulbs and tubers this past Wednesday. I figgure it was finially late enough. I think they are going to look really great with some glads placed between and some cannas planted behind them.
It could be a flea beetle if it looks like BB's have been shot though the leaves. They are little black beetles that jump like fleas and are usually found on the underside of the leaves. Sevin will control them and just about any other bug that eat on your dahlias. It will kill the bees too so you don't want to use it on blooms.