3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
If divided they will bloom as well as the first year. As the clump grows & doesn't get divided the plant starts to get lazy & live off the clump & not try to put out blooms to propogate itself, so blooms get fewer, weaker & smaller. Stems suffer, too & become weaker so they can't hold up the blooms.
If you leave them in the ground for the winter you could dig them in early spring, divide & replant all in one go -- & have extras to pass around to friends or put in different parts of the garden.
Hi,
I am in Z8.
I leave my dahlia tubers in the ground all winter. Late fall, I dig the tubers, divide them, and replant them. My soil has fairly decent drainage and very few tubers if any rot. They come up in the spring and bloom allo summer and late fall.
JAYNE,
I would think not. But then I am a newbie also, lol. BTW, matchmaker just happens to be on my WISH LIST, hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge!! :) Unless you whacked every tuber offa the main part, I would think you should have at least ONE viable one.
I have some NOID tree dahlias and some other kinds of NOID dahlias also. Did I happen to mention that I did NOT HAVE matchmaker?? heheh
If you reply, please do so to my email: bluelytes@yahoo.com in addition to here. Thanx.
Regards;
bluelytes
bluelytes
I am embarassed to say that I did cut all the tubers off the stem. Some of the tubers on Matchmaker are nearly the size of the palm of a small hand. I would love to share with you if there was a way to know for sure that I would be giving you a viable tuber. I just got a different computer and my e-mail is not working. Please post any response to gardenweb at least for the time being. Hopefully next week-end I'll have it repaired.
About the same as you'd reserve for a small- it's the blooms that are giant- not so much the plants. A miniature or BB can put out just as bushy a plant as an AA or A. The ones that are termed "Border Dahlias" take up less room because they are short- but they can still be bushy. We usually do 3' by 3' but they can be planted as close as 2' by 2'. Any more crowded than that & you're asking for trouble.
You can place stakes in the ground three feet apart. Plants two tubers per stake, one tuber on each side. BTW, I suggest 6-7 foot stakes made from steel (for concrete) reinforcement bar. Drive 18 inches into the ground. Use soft jute twine to tie them.
Since you know how to store them, I suggest you do only that. When spring comes, put them in a warmer location and allow them to start to sprout. Once they start to get eyes, you will see how to cut and divide the tubers. The eyes come where the neck attaches to the crown and not on the tuber body. The eyes make it easier to see where to cut. Be sure to keep part of the crown attached to the tuber neck. Dust with sulfur powder to cauterize the wound and prevent rot.
Thank you plantlady2 and sedum37. Hope they will grow in the spring, that is my major concern..
Steve,
Hi Steve, I use "Bulb Dust" by Bonide prior to packing in vermiculite into plastic bags. Contains: Cedar Oil, Garlic Power, Dried Blood, Bone Meal and Sulfur. This eliminates bugs, rodents and helps them not to rot. Should be able to find at "www.bonide.com". It even helps after planting with the bugs and rodents eating your tubers. I use it every fall. Hope this helps you!!
Sue
Nikki, I just travelled back to the midwest US greeted by 28 degrees, 30 mph winds and snow flurries. You Canadians keep those arctic air masses to yourselves would you???? LOL! I had to help my mom cut down some of the last of her perennials and had forgot just how piercing the cold winds in the north could be. 50 degrees seems like a real heatwave now.
Body count LOL! I hope to end the year with all ten digits attached to my hand. I've always got nips from the shears or scissors on my fingertips but today I caught part of my forefinger skin way down by the first knuckle in the pinching pruning shears, not even the blade, but it drew blood real well. Clearly, I need a butler to help me with this carving task.
I am asuming you want smallish ones for bouquets- not AA's so I'll go with some of my favorites that bloom non-stop all season & all with long enough stems to have nice cut flowers. However, you have to be aware that you have to disbud any dahlias a certain amount to get a nice cut-flower stem. You just pop off the 2 side buds of each central stem & you'll get a good sized stem on just about any dahlia.
White- Arctic Frost; Pink- Chimmacum Katie or Valley Porcupine- this one is so cute & lasts a full week+ as a cut flower; dark - almost black- Shadow Cat or Rip City; hot pink- Camano Electra or Pretty in Pink. (And of course- there's the old standby- Chilson's Pride that will put out a ton of blooms- it's pink with a white center - we don't grow it any more but it is a good cut flower.) I cut at least 40 blooms a day off of these plants & the color combo is GREAT- we have a couple of plants of each one at our son's place-- way away from the AA seed parents!
Suzanan: I use the Karma series for cutting. They are specially bred for cutting, long sturdy stems. I planted 50 mixed ones last year and I am still n the process of dividing them. The plants continuously produces all summer and fall. These were a HOT seller at our Farmers Market. Good luck. HEIDI
Poochella,
Your many words of wisdom in this forum are taken to heart. I very much appreciate your experience and suggestions (esp. your post with the dividing pics).
I planted in pots as soon as I could after receiving my shipment this year (late April/early May) but I'll certainly start my divided tubers next spring much earlier.
As a general question, has anyone ever tried layering spring bulbs and dahlia tubers? I might experiment next spring with a pot or two.
Thank you all for suggestions and your expertise! I think I'll just leave the tubers in ground this season as they are starting to bloom. Crazy weather here as in most of the country. We're still in the mid 80's & all my gardens think it's spring. I've even got daffodils poking up!
Cookie you should definitely store them for the winter. Protection from freezing is the biggest factor. Sounds like you've done everything right. Don't let them dry too much before storing, it doesn't take but an overnight or few hours depending on your conditions/humidty. Some people don't even let them dry, just dust them, wrap and store them.
Even if you couldn't see, or identify eyes for sure, doesn't mean they aren't there. You might well be pleasantly surprised next spring. I find the eyes are easy to see and tubers are easier to trim/cut into just a day or two after cutting down the plant. After several days out of the ground (if I dig up more than I can do) the clumps toughen up and make dividing a much more difficult task.
By the way, the stalks seem to generally stay greenish. The leaves are much more fragile and change colors faster with a freeze or natural decline of the plant to yellow/brown etc.
Good luck! I hope it turns out well for you and your tubers.