3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
wow is that gorgeous! yeah mine look nothing like that-
they're probably weeds..lol I will take a picture later on and post it. I tried some of that 'critter away' spray and it didn't keep anything away. I even tried moth balls, as recommended to me by a friend but then I read something about that being extremely dangerous to your health so I trashed those as well.My well meaning and sweet neighbors (on both sides) feed the squirrels so they have an over abunance of food to bury so the digging never ends. I also tried the netting but after spending a few hours cutting, (and detangling as it got caught on everything) the little pets o' satan figured out how to get the netting off too.
I suppose it could be worse, I could have a deer or mole problems-from what I understand they are far worse so I shouldn't complain too much. It's just annoying. It's also got to be tough for you to have your own darling kitties digging-since you love them and they are your pets, you can't really fantasize about beating them with shovel as I do with the squirrels-i'd never do it, even if I could catch one of these little $@#@#'s but it makes for amusing day dreaming. thanks for the response and the beautiful picture-I love seeing everyone's fruits of their labor!
Katie: I wish I could take credit for that photo - but it was just a random "snatch" off the internet via Google images - a very handy tool, and has helped me identify lots of things.
Yes, my puddies - who love to dig around. It's funny, but before I became a gardener big-time, I couldn't understand why folks would get so upset about a little digging in the flower beds - I sure do now!! Here is something I use a lot, especially around freshly planted stuff and it may help with the squirrels as well: it's called gutter-guard, sold in rolls in hardware stores. I cut it in strips and then "staple" them to the ground with pegs, or "earth staples". This is a black plastic mesh, and harldy shows at all once it is laid down, and it can be cut to any size. It really helps curb the damage incurred by critters, domestic and otherwise, that are simply "doing what comes naturally". I also sometimes make a type of guard around a plant standing it up - see the picture. Give it a try!
Anna
If the tubers have rot, it will just progress and, no, the plant won't do well. As Willow said, it is best to dig it up, try to save the roots that may have formed by keeping the dirt on them, trim off all signs of rot like you would a brown spot on a potato, treat it with antifungal dust, or Lysol spray, let it dry and replant it.
You have nothing to lose by at least trying. If you have rot, you will almost certainly lose the tuber and plant.
I just dug up another one yesterday that was stalled out at 3 inches or so: rot was progressing. I took a cutting of the shoot and cleaned up the smidgeon of tuber remaining and will replant it just because I love a challenge!
I am not sure if you resolved this but you will get more answers if you post in the discussions area rather than the gallery.
Or better yet, you might try the pest and disease forum.
Holes in the leaves suggests something is munching on them. Black spots on the buds could be pest or disease. Do you have a picture?
Here is a link that might be useful: dahlia forum - discussions
I had a slug work over one of mine while I was on vacation. I put more bait out and it seems to be recovering. It has lots of nice green shoots where before it was just two slimy stumps leveled to the ground. The jury is still out on whether this one will make it and bloom, since I am also battling some underground symphylans that have gotten 6 of my dahlia tubers already.
I wish you luck with your dahlias and curses on those rotten slugs, but at least I can give you a little hope that the plant should sprout a little green.. :)
"Topping" the main stem is the way most dahlia growers ensure a bushier plant with more laterals - the slug just did it for you! It's usually done when the plant is about 2' tall & has a couple of rows of leaves. It should come back just fine & bloom for you until frost.
Sounds like powdery mildew. Are you watering from the base/roots only and allowing plenty of airflow between plants or adjacent walls etc? There's a simple solution you can spray on to treat it. The good news is, it's only unsightly and not a killer; if it is indeed powdery mildew.
Here is a link that might be useful: various organic treatments
Dahlia's have to have well drained soil and at least 6 hours of sun. We have have had pretty heavy rains here in NY. I would try to rough up the soil around the plants to help dry out the soil and pray for some sun. Remove all the brown buds and the lower leaves to get some air flow . I hope that you don't have tuber riot, keep an eye on them and if they are still wilted after a few days of sun ,you may have to do some digging and remove the mushy tuber sections, spray the good piece with lysol and replant them. Good Luck
Don't worry about the blackened leaf edges. You can remove them when the plant gets bigger and has other leaves. I've got one plant with such horrible slug damage: they ate it down to the center vein on a large leaf too! But it's coming along fine. Keep up the slug bait. I've been at it weekly or more after a rain and the results are great!
The new sprout bitten off is a tough one to figure. Is it still showing a stem? Leaves? This happened to one of mine, something bit all foliage off just a two inch tall sprig. Thereafter, the plant went nowhere so I dug up the tuber. That bitten sprig was dying- going nowhere- but the tuber was already kicking out a substitute eye. With the bitten one cut off at the tuber, I left the new shoot and replanted. It has now rebroken ground and doing well.
Maybe you can describe the amount of bite damage a bit more, that might help bring on some advice or experience.
Most of the larger (taller) dahlias will all develop hollow stalks/branches. You've done nothing wrong and a lot right, from the sounds of it. They are prone to be brittle especially supporting heavy flowers. That's why staking or supporting is a smart thing to do, and even then heavy winds or rains can snap them.
Wish I could be helpful, but usually by this time, most of us already have our tubers planted. There is usually a flurry of trading going on in the Fall and early Spring. Buying/ordering tubers is usually best accomplished in very early spring before they sell out of the ones you most desire. Say, in February or so. They get shipped at the appropriate times by the growers.
Poochella....so sorry for your loss...i am another that has been thru it...several years ago ..hubby found a large roll of concrete wire at a yard sale.....he made cages for his tomatoes with it..he made dahlia cages for me with what was left.....i do stake mine at first...then when they get a bit taller i put the cages around them...better protection than just stakes alone.....but....if he hadnt found this cheap deal.....i would probably use metal stakes..
i did search through this forum and saw the different posts about seeds...and i understand that they won't be true to parents. the seeds that i planted were supposed to be diablo seed from a very reliable source, and it certainly looks like a diablo plant to me. what surprised me was that the germination rate was so low, and i wondered if there is something about hybrid dahlia seeds that makes them harder to get to germinate. anyway, these leaves are just a lovely dark green with black cast. and i thought i'd try propagating a stem cutting under a cheap misting system that i have rigged up. any suggestions on that method?
by the way, had you pulled your planters in over the winter? or did that tuber winter over outdoors?
thank you for your response!
The planter hung on the front railing of the porch, under eaves and thus got no water. The soil was bone dry when I cleaned it out for this year. Even though we have freezing spells in winter, it gets warm air from the nearby dryer vent, so I suppose the dry, non-freezing spot was good enough to keep a tuber.
Flowergazer, I meant to ask you what you do with the pulled up plant after you pull it. I am growing in large containers for the first time and I don't like it much. The lower leaves burn when in contact with the hot black plastic, plants dry out too fast, tough to support a stake, the list goes on. Several have been depotted and put in the garden which I find easier to manage.
Alina, thank you for the link. That helped quite a bit, except it looks like my dahlias have a few deficiences!
Poochella, I have tall and short plants. I didn't know if they needed all the foliage on the bottom, they just looked kind of funny when I trimmed it down. I'll have to trim more because the yellow/brown leaves are travelling upwards.
Can anyone suggest what brand of soil supplement to get for a nitrogen and/or potassium deficiency?