3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias

Hi maybe that what knock over my dahlia that was about 10 in high. I know those guys are really crazy they ate a hole in my plastic pot i could tell by the teeth marks it was a squirrels. Thank god it was only the rim of the pot but the hole was about 2 in dim. So now we not only have bug problem we have squirrels problem bye for now Anna lisa

Watch out for the blood meal- all the dogs in the county came & dug in my garden & knocked over my pots when I tried it years ago. The hot pepper worked well to keep dogs, cats & rabbits out of our borders.

You forgot to add the glass of wine Poochella!!!LOL

Willow

And a glass of the finest wine you can get your hands on, of course! What was I thinking?
As long as ladybugs aren't doing that evil infest-your-house thing, I love them in the garden.

A lot of dahlias are blends of 2 or more colors. If you have a pink tinge it could be your soil or it could be you didn't get the dahlia you were told you got.

Hi,
I have recently read something about plants that are planted toghether they can change color and it is called a sport. I think it has something to do with roots touching. Could this be in your case?
As an example a month ago I planted in pots some purple violets and some yellow violets, about two weeks later I noticed that the yellow violets had purple streaks in them they formed a sport.
But Dahlias are hybrids so it could just be a that. I have a Dahlia Linda it blooms yellow but I noticed that one flower had a purple spot on it like someone dropped some ink on it and it ran. It was pretty cool looking. I think it happened because it is a hybrid.
I bet yours are pretty Dahlias!
Happy Gardening,
Laura

If they are in a crowded place or against a building with limited air circulation I remove the bottom foot of leaves. It makes for easier watering, fertilizing etc. anyway.

The one year I had mildew, it was on plants right next to the garage that didn't get much airflow. FWIW.

Thanks,
I think I will remove the ones touching the ground except for one that has very few leaves I will remove those when the plant gets more leaves.
Thanks!
Laura

Anyone interested in dispelling fertilizing myths should read this article below. This experimenter proves that:

"Weak stems are not the result of too much nitrogen. In fact stems can be strengthen by fertilizing with additional nitrogen."

My experience has been the same. I use cow manure compost and a fertilize additionally once a week. I get thick strong stems.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mid-Island Dahlia society

Thanks for the link.
Happy gardening
Laura

Hi I tried this last year i planted a tall dahlia in a 14 in dim pot and I found that I only got about 5 blooms out of it and it grew about 3 feet the ones in the greund grew about 6 ft and had alot more boooms try both and see what you get bye for now Anna lisa

Thanks,
I think i will try one in the pot and see waht happens.
Happy Gardening everyone
Thanks,
Laura

I am so glad I waited until well after May 1!

Today I gently dug a couple that hadn't showed above ground today - and found that one had rotted. Drat. I have one more of the Monets, however. It's in a warmer, drier spot, thank goodness, but i've learned to watch for just the right micro-climate...which appears to really mean NO heavy, COLD WET SOIL, for long anyway.

This year it seems that it will not stay at 70 degrees for more than a few minutes. And when it does, sure as heck, I've left a flat of seedlings somewhere with a bit too much sun, and they fry. So I set others in shade to harden off, and the Slugs have a fest! Ack. So it goes in the great NW. Gotta get back out & do more planting, and re-seed what the slugs ate.

Staring at colorful blooms keeps me from getting as much work done as planned. It's like a drug. Can't wait for the Dahlia blooms to take over. Many are showing strong foliage, so I know it's gona be great. Happy Spring!

pdxJules
(who spent an hour yesterday teaching the neighbor girls about bulbs, & deadheading, and how some flowers come back every year, and for some we can help by getting the seed in the ground...and how bees help pollinate flowers, and what seeds look like inside the pods. They are planting their first tomato plants today, yay!)

PDX Jules- I lost my only two remaining Monet's to rot, so please please put me on the list for a trade if you get a good tuber harvest of it.
Glad to hear the others are coming along, and of your neighborly lessons to the youngsters.

Wow, you're right!
I lifted the plant and the center tuber was a rotten mush! I removed as much as I could and then (with considerable trepidation, I might add) applied some Lysol before replanting it with some additional sand.
Then I also followed flowerfarmer and spaced it farther away from the other one and now both face south with one no longer overshadowing the other.
I had to stake the poor thing. The plant has two stalks - if one dies I'll still be happy. (I'm not even sure if you're supposed to let two stalks grow from one bunch of tubers)

Thanks for your advice - I'll report back if I see improvement.

C.

Good for you Chris ont! Have no trepidation about lysol, other than inhaling it yourself. I think Flowerfarmer's advice was right on too: more space and better sun between plants would be beneficial, but if you've got a soggy tuber going bad, it's best to get rid of it.
Hope you go on to have many blooms from your plants.

Your dahlia is one of the most beautiful called Kidd's Climax and was introduced in 1940. I usually plant about 5 or 6 each year.

WOW! thanks for sharing. Evrytime i see a picture of a dahlia bloom it gives me hope!

Hey GrannyMarsh,
Thanks for responding, Yes there was an eye when I planted it , Even the stem from last year , I was told it was a 2 year old tuber .
Anyway I went out today to see and lo and behold it is starting to come up !! Yea ! I probably won't see flowers till August or later that is if the earwigs don't eat it all !

Yup thats whats happening to some of my dahlias they are just a little slow to come up. I have to have plenty of patience but most are up! flowers hopefully will be soon to follow