3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
The advantage of the Saran Wrap method, or my recycled plastic grocery store bag method, is that it stops dehydrationi to a large extent. When tubers are stored in peat moss, or wood shavings, they do have extra insulation, but the media can absorb moisture from the tubers.
If I were you, I would not dry them too long, but rather after a day, now that they are cleaned etc, get them into the recycled grocery store bag with fungicide, or the saran wrap. Check out the other comments on this forum. I would NOT toss them. You never know, they may just make it.
That's weird about Photobucket Lizalily, "if at first you don't succeed......" It is the easiest photo storage I've found, especially for reposting to forums. Despite a rather large collection of garden photos, I've only used up 5% of my alloted GB- so I guess I better get that camera busy!
Love Fuzzy Wuzzy, I think I've fallen for that one and murdered it in Spring Rot a couple times at least, just like Wickey Woo.
OK, Poochella, If I can find time enough between family and friends in exciting transitions or just plain crises to have a whole mind I will give it a try again. I need a rainy day! One with no sick friends....But given the choice between a sick one and none at all I will take the sick one.....:-) Did that come out right? I better get to the garden and oxygenate my brain! Today is my day off and I have been goofing off.....
ARe they stored in anything? If you leave them sit around for more than several days they will continue to dry out and shrivel. You can mist them well with water, cover with newspaper in a dark, cool place and hope they absorb some of the moisture. Or dip them in a bucket for a little remoisturizing, it won't hurt anything, but you've got to then get them in vermiculite or wrap in plastic pretty soon.
Good luck.
It's a collarette - it looks like "Wheels" but I think Wheels is a better one. Now you can go to the Colorado Dahlia site & find a supplier who you can buy it from-- unless you're going to do the "Midnight Nursery" thing on your creepy neighbor's dahlia bed??? & how DID you get the bloom from your creepy neighbor's garden???? >:)
Alright-- if you can, take a tip cutting from the branch where it was, winter it over as a potted plant, grow it again next year & you'll have tubers from it-- as long as it stays the same you've got a sport of Hillcrest Kismet that you can call DahliaBoy Kismet & introduce in about 4 years!!
LOL Bib-- Triple B... I was thinking 'oversized beach towel' might be in order.
Plantlady, I had planned to make that trip north this very summer, but I was tethered to a hose on all my days off. Imagine that! I think, hands down, this has been the nicest summer in 26 years here. We had exactly 3 rains totalling 1.5 inches, that I recall, one or two days of 100 drops or less that doesn't count as rain and the rest sunny and warm!
How far north are you again? Near Canada, halfway to Canada? I would like to take you up on the offer next year for sure. Don't pour Round Up on the Wyn's King Salmon!
Howdy all,
Hey thanks a ton for the info. all very helpful. Yes I'm looking at selling them for farmer's markets.
Yo, Lizalily....
Great to see you!!!!! Because of you I posted an update on the cutting forum. I have been too busy with fire season cherry season etc. Things are getting alittle slower so I have been out walking my fields.
Ok, now on to the dahlias. I have had no luck with my dahlias. Of course these are costco and home depot specials. I'm not sure if they will work or not. I'm zone 8 but you have to remeber that I get no rain in the summer and most of fall. I'm super hot and dry.
I usually like fragrant plants only but the colors are too much. I like the idea of the karma ones. I sell to both florists and farmers market. I was just going to put a bunch in the ground to see what the response is. My mom had one when i was growing up and they bring back memories for me.
I will look at your list and if you can think of any other types let me know. Also what do you sell with the dahila's?
Take care all and I pray all is well,
Bucky
Buckster: The Karmas are definetely the way to go for cutting. Last year I bought 50 tubers from Van Bourgundian. They were absolutely stunning.(Only three of them didn't grow.) The stem length was great too. See yous back at the cutting forum. Heidi
Last year, I dug up two beds for dahlias. In one, I put all kinds of potted soil from my geraniums etc. In the other I left it alone, but did note there was a lot of clay and sand mixed there from the building site. In the bed with the potting soil added, the dahlias were huge. In the other bed, the dahlias were much smaller.
Do I recommend amending? Yes. This fall, I have already dug up and stored my dahlia tubers, but I have also added compost, and more potted mix to the bed that did not perform so well. I have screened out the clay clumps as well, so now have a nice blend of compost, sand, potting soil, and triple mix. We'll see how they do next year.
Looking forward to MAMMOTH dahlias next year. LOL
Where are you Giovana? I'm just curious.
You can move it easily to a more full sun location, especially that small. Just get your new location ready and watered, dig up the dahlia allowing for enough soil around the tuber and roots, and carry it on over, water it in. Best done in the evening, I'd think, so it can rest overnight before taking on the blazing sun the next day.
Well thank you for the welcome.
Time is running short now for the season. Frost is expected here tonight but it may not happen. Dahlias still have many buds and if it could wait a few weeks the season will be just a bit longer. Will be going to Florida in the beginning of November so really need the frost to happen 2nd week of October. Need time to prep the tubers for storage.
Good day to ya,
Sue
Years ago my husband found some concrete wire at a yard sale that was cheap cheap cheap......he used some of it to make cages for his tomatoes....he made the rest of the wire into 4 ft cages for my dahlias....he cut the bottom horizontal wire off so there were vertical wires to stick into the ground....i used old wood stakes from my neighbor to tie the plants up initially and as the dahlias grew...the cages kept the plants contained as they grew taller....we use them every year now...works very well for us....
carol
I feel your pain. I always lost gorgeous dahlias each year myself until I found a product through Gardener's Supply Company. They sell tomato and vegetable ladders (one is tall, one is shorter). See the link below. They sell them in groups of 5. Your hubby has to realize that you must have some staking system with dahlias, but I know where he's coming from. I always felt that it looked like a graveyard in my beds until the plants grew up.
These ladders were the least obnoxious and most sturdy that I've yet to find. This was my first year with them and I can't recommend them highly enough. You can weave the plants through them as they grow or tie them onto the cage easily. These ladders are so much more stable than stakes or the usual tomato cages because of the way they are designed. The Achilles' heal of most staking systems is that the plant is a lot heavier than the stake that is used to support it - which is why they fall over. Not true with these ladders - they are substantial. Once you push them into the ground, they don't move. Plus the green coloring blends right into the plants; and you can attach your plant tags easily to the frame. I can only grow 10-12 dahlias in my yard, so for me they are worth the one-time investment. For people that grow more, it would probably be too expensive - it really depends on how many you need. We've had some large wind and rain storms recently and they have not budged. They're good with any plant that needs support, not just dahlias or vegetables, so they have multiple uses. I used one to grow a clematis against my birdfeeder pole and one for a morning glory vine, and you know how big and heavy those can get.
Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato and Vegetable Ladders