3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias

Start them in some potting soil- damp but not wet & you shouldn't have to water them until they start growing. Now is a good time to start them for planting in mid May.
06* is OK- 68-70* is better.

Some aneomonies are quite tall & so are some singles- just because they have small flowers doesn't mean they're going to be short plants. To get really short ones you need to look for border or container plants or the mignon singles.

Suki and Bluesette are already traded.

There are some recommended varieties in this article.

Here is a link that might be useful: bedding dahlias

Thanks, Granny. Have to say that your pictures have definitely inspired me. One day, I hope, I will come close to the beauties you grow. Hope spring comes soon for you in the U.P.

Igwiz

Sounds like they just rotted from being in the ground & not divided up for 8+ years. They could have frozen or been too wet over the winter. The earthworms wouldn't eat your tubers but could have found the mush & eaten that if the tubers had rotted in the ground. As for the centepede looking things- I've seen them around but they don't appear to have eaten any of our tubers- I think the creatures have found the remains of the tubers after the they've rotted & decided it was a free lunch!

thanks plantlady. you hit it right on the spot with that '8+' years thing. how did you know that? some of my dahlias have been there for over 10 years. you know in seattle, it's wet and cold during the winter. it's very hard to get my butt off to do any digging. but now i learned.

You should harden them off if you're going to make them have nights at 40* but then they should be OK as long as they don't freeze.

Sorry for bumping this down, guess there are no takers...

Are the worms IN your tubers or just around them?
In any case, if it were me, I would rinse them off, dust them and isolate them for a while. Without a photo, I couldn't even guess what they are. Good luck.

I have never worked with Oasis wedges, but a couple of things come to mind. These are my own thoughts, and others may have different ideas.
#How long are your cuttings? You should not have to have over 2" of stem below the bottom leaves. You can have more, but 2" is sufficient.
#If they have a lot of leaves, I would take off all but three or four leaves, and bury them up to the bottom leaves. Be sure that there are some nodes where you removed leaves on the stem that you are burying--this is where the roots will come from.
#Spraying AND covering them ( use a newspaper if nothing else) certainly would help.(I'm assuming you have them in sunlight.)
#If your cuttings are small, try covering them with a "clear" plastic cup. Makes the situation similar to a greenhouse, but be careful if they are in the sun because it could roast the cuttings. Give them lot of light, but not direct sun.
#Try my suggetions on some of them, and do the rest if things are to your satisfaction.
Hope you have good success.

I've started cuttings in Oasis for several years. What was your purpose for soaking the cuttings in water before putting them in the Oasis? Was the Oasis totally soaked before you inserted them? The water should come up about to about 2/3 of the Oasis. Most likely the wilt comes from having no dome or not misting them. The leaves need the humidity. Gordy Leroux (originator of Kenora dahlias) got me started and he doesn't use a dome, but does mist regularly. I use a dome and rarely mist. Are they under lights? They need to be, but that shouldn't cause them to wilt after 30 hours. After I take the cutting, I put in the Oasis immediately. My cuttings take about 14 days to root. Were they in direct sun? That could also cause them to wilt.

Teresa