3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Hey, I know this is from last year, but that is a beautiful dahlia. I've grown them from seed but it was seeds I bought commercially. Did you collect the seeds from plants you already had? If so, please tell me the best way to do it. My dahlias look good but I never have collected seeds from them and would love to. Thanks for your help. Joe
Hi Joe - I have just now examined my tubers from last year and am so sad "Burgundy Silk" seems completely dried out - so sad. As for seeds - I didn't collect any from this one, but from another, it was quite easy: rather than deadhead, leave a bloom to completely dry out while still on the stem, and when it's "done" the seeds should fall out easily into your hand. But don't forget, as I recently was told/advised: you cannot count on the seed coming true to the plant due to the pollination by bees - of which I have plenty. But it can result in some nice surprises.
Anna
Those kidders are just toying with you Calpat.
Can you just barely unearth where the stalk is emerging to get an idea which way the tuber lies and then reposition the cage? The tomato cages I have used are fairly wide and I can't imagine that you would do any damage at this early stage. It would be a shame to not be able to use your support system as intended.
My two cents.
I'll give it a shot! I was so careful when planting to make sure the "necks" were aimed at center of cages, but I find that some plants just don't like discipline!:) As long as I have been planting "stuff", I'm always amazed when I see new shoots poking thru.
lizalily, have you heard of the trick of using an open flame to 'cauterize' the end of the stem right after cutting? It prevents and air bubble form forming in the stem which would block water vase water from reaching the flower. Yes you are right some dahlias definitely last longer as a cut flower that others.
Daconil is a fungicide that can be used on Dahlias but always use as directed or a little less as too much will curl the leaves and leave a residue. I do use it all summer in my sprays to keep fungus away.
Fertilizer--You can use 10-10-10 or Miracle Grow Rose food or any fertilizer with a nitrogen content of 15 or less. Dahlias don't like a lot of nitrogen.
It all depends on how warm the soil was when you planted, how deep you planted & your weather. Also some dahlias take longer to wake up than others. You can do a little poking around & see if there's anything growing under there but be careful you don't break off any starts. Walt (aka- the husband) usually gives them a couple of weeks & if nothing shows he'll carefully dig them up & have a look- if there's shoots replant quickly & pretend you didn't really disturb them!
If when you plant you just cover the tuber with soil it's easier for the shoot to get through the soil- then you fill in the hole as it grows.
Thanks for the advice Plantlady. I'm in coastal San Diego so we use the method of digging a deep hole, covering with a couple inches of soil, adding more soil whenever the plant growth hits a couple of inches, etc. (Not sure if that's how everyone else does it.) The weather has been much cooler than normal lately but the sun is still pretty strong so the soil warms up OK.
I guess I'll give them a few weeks before I start digging. Another one came up today but I still haven't seen anything from the tubers that had no eyes. Guess I just need some patience.
You can fill the pot to the top if you want- take off the leaves that would be covered. You can pinch them or when you plant them you can take off some of the leaves & lay the stalk horizontally with the top few inches above ground- or you dig to China- might find some cool new dahlias there! You could also take cuttings from these plants & have free plants.
They are probably startd from seed and grown in hot houses.
I have 18 that I have grown from seed this year but they are a long way from blooming size yet. They definatly cannot be planted until all danger of frost is past in your area. Same holds true for cuttings. and sprouted tubers. Since mine are all unknown, I may go ahead and set some out after the first of may here and take a chance on them making it, but still hold a few back in case of late frost. I would plant it a couple inches deeper than a 4" pot, if that is what it is in, and then fill in around it as it grows. Do they give any ideas as how tall it grows? jim
This is how I got addicted to Dahlia's last summer. I bought 2 in 4-inch pots around mother's day. They were already blooming. Since it was after my last frost date, I just planted them at the level they were at in the pot. They were border dahlias, got no higher than 18 inches with similar spread. I got regular flowers from May through September, though production tapered off as the days got shorter, and stopped just before the first frost. However, considering that they were $5 each, I considered it quite a bargain.
One was a yellow FD that looked like a ponpon (2-3 inches), the other a blood-red semi-double (2-3 inches). Both were very nice, but unfortunately there was little to no tuber production, so I couldn't really find anything to save. I later found out that they were called "border dahlias" and were grown from seed. I found some similar seed at Target around X-mas time, so likely could have started and grown my own, but decided to move on to full size Dahlias this spring.
Good luck,
Thane T. (igwiz)
Katy-"plant like tomatoes" means you can plant them deeper than they have been growing in the pots. Remove the bottom couple of rows of leaves & put them in deep. Your plant will be sturdier & as a bonus it will grow more tubers at the leaf nodes.
Beverly- to harden them off you put them outside in a semi-shady spot during the day- not too hot or windy a spot. Then you take them inside at night. You can, over a week or 2 get them used to more & more sunshine but still take them in if it's going to frost.
1- You can add soil so that just the shoot is out- & add more as it grows. When you plant out, plant deeper like you would a tomato transplant.
2-If they get 2' tall you'll just have a ready-made garden when you plant out!
3-Go ahead & pinch them at 3 sets of leaves- or around 1- 1 1/2' tall.
4- You can still get away with 2 to a stake- one on either side.
5- Just treat them as one plant with enough space around for good circulation. Later in the summer you can take off the bottom couple of rows of leaves to permit better circulation.
6- Have fun! They're not at all hard to grow!!
You can use them for cuttings- or just plant as usual but with the old stem attached. Sometimes the only way to keep a hard-to-keep dahlia is from the sprouts that come along on the stem.