3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
I'm sorry, but those don't look anything like dahlia leaves to me. If you live in zone 6 or lower, chances are the cold killed it. I'm in zone 5/6, and I have to dig them up every winter. Even if you live in a warmer climate, lots of things could have done it in, like too much moisture. An overturned pot, extra mulch or digging them can help overwinter in the warmer areas.
Hi there,
going by the foliage, its shape and position on the stem,
it could be something from the Labiatae famili, like Coleus, Salvia or Perilla.
So, probably some weed, but my guess is not a very aggressive one. You could wait for flowers, that would make an ID much easier.
Liza - I don't doubt you for a minute but this makes absolutely no sense to me.
I 'assume' that plant DNA's are like human DNA and if a plant is a semi cactus, there is NO WAY it could be a Form Dec or an Inform Dec or some other 'variety' also. It has to be one or the other. Maybe plants (or dahlias) are different and can be both? Or either? I have never heard of any other dahlia being a different variety unless a grower was trying to turn one into another on purpose.
I actually sent an email to the vendor asking why the discrepancy but he responded they are basically going out of business, never answered my question and said he was politely telling me to order from other vendors this year. So I never got a straight answer.
And overall, the 'hedge' experiment was/is a failure. As mentioned before, they both bloomed but then I went on vacation and returned 3 days ago and Court Jester has turned pink, while jester turned darker pink. Neither have many blooms on them, neither had much white in them and overall I am very disappointed with my 'red/white' section.
Guess you live and learn though.
Dahlias are octaploid meaning that they have 8 sets of chromosomes. We humans have but 2. That means that dahlias can be extremely diverse as the genes can interact in strange ways. Many genes for large makes them really large. Extra genes for a color can mean more intense color. It also means that if gene is damaged another gene can take over. An orange dahlia can lose a gene and the flower can turn to pink. A red dahlia can lose a gene and turn purple. While not common, the loss of genes does occur and many dahlia varieties are the result of that process. Spartacus lost a gene and turned into Vassio Meggos. The loss of a gene can also change the form of a dahlia too. The most common loss causes a flower to be no longer fully double and the pollen center shows; it has gone open centered. It is very possible that the gene that causes the florets to roll up into a semi cactus can become damaged and the flower would be a type of formal decorative. I have seen a flower where the gene loss was only on half of the flower. Half of the flower was ball and the other half the petals were much longer and were much like an informal decorative formation. So dahlias can change in many ways. However, the most common "change" is the grower (and sellers)mislabeling his plant.
Steve, I have seen this kind of damage on hosta and dahlia leaves with baby pill bugs as the culprits, caught in the act. The small ones leave the translucent skin intact because they can't chew through it yet.
I haven't seen damage like this on blooms, though. My guess is its a tiny nocturnal bug that will soon grow up to take much larger bites out of your blooms if not stopped now.
Thank you everyone,
@mantis_oh thank you for posting the picture. That is nothing like what I was expecting.
At Daves Garden, the photo posted by Milochka is what I was expecting and the reason I bought them. Fingers crossed that is what I get.
These two will send plants... Both excellent vendors.
http://www.cgdahlias.com/
http://www.dahlias4u.com/
Hi CC,
thanks for your nice comment, that Glorie is definitely one of my favorites!
And yes, hoping for loads of bouquets, planed some kind of color scheme, so I had the option (if all keep growing nicely) to arrange warm, glowing, yellows, orange, reds, or,
more subtle, pale pink, pastel yellow, or dark purple with white.
and on an especially daring moment, perhaps hot pink with orange...
well, have a great Dahlia season, bye, Lin
I'm not an expert in the garden but I had a similar problem last summer with my sunflowers. I came to the conclusion it is a fungal problem in the root system. We don't get much sun in the summer and sometimes the ground just doesn't warm up and dry out. I got a powder called Actinovate and fed the plants with it and it really helped. It definitely helps with fungal issues. I just treated all my plants today even though I haven't noticed a problem. The powder adds beneficial microbes that help root systems. My local hydroponics store also had another brand of microbe that also helps roots out but don't remember the name. Maybe go into your local stores and ask them. I found nothing at Home Depot and more commercial like nurseries. These items were carried in more organic gardening type places. I hope this helps.
Thanks CCvacation, I will try the milk spray. Seems like it would not be as damaging to the leaves.
Oh the gophers are terrible on dahlias here. We gas the tunnels, and it keeps the population down, but all it takes is one...
Another thing I may try is planting a trap crop for the gophers. Jerusalem artichokes are a lot cheaper to replace than a named dahlia, and I imagine the tubers are very similar in food value to a rodent.
I'll let you know how plunging the pots works. Because it's so windy here, the tallest dahlias I grow are 3 feet. I have some 10 and 15 gallon pots I can put them in, so maybe that will work. Between the heat and the damage from the baking soda, some of my dahlias look really sad! and many of the others are showing the beginnings of mildew. Crossing my fingers...
The soil in the sunk pots is definitely cooler. But I think that even my shorter-statured dahlias would be happier in 10-gallon containers. I know at least some of the fabric pots are meant to be in the ground, but I'm wondering how they hold up when attacked by gopher teeth. Anyone have any experience? I've also thought about drilling lots of holes in my containers to give the feeder roots more running room, while keeping the tubers safe. I'd think the heavier duty injection-molded containers would be somewhat resistant to gopher teeth, I'd appreciate some opinions.
I meant to ask if those might have come from Michigan Bulb. I know they sell those varieties and I have occasionally received a couple that were mis-labeled. The ones I have bought from there have never failed to bloom beautifully although MB does receive some bad raps. That pic you posted is a beautiful. I always say, I've never seen an ugly dahlia.
The name boogie sounds familiar. I may have bought it and neglected to write down in my notes. I may have bought it as a tribute to the 70s. It does match the other two so the colors don't clash. I only have a small garden. I can't have too many , but they are increasing in size so I will have to give away some by next year. I don't think the company was at fault, as I have both big pink and floodlight. If the bulb was wrong it was a bonus bulb, not a case of a mistaken order.
It's pretty late in the season to be taking cuttings with the intention of getting fully blooming plants this year. If they were my plants, I'd leave them alone, and plant clearance annuals from all the sales going on right now in the empty spaces you have.
In trying to gain more plants, you might very well destroy healthy growing and soon-to-be blooming plants.
Cheers!
CC
You ought to post a picture of it on the American Dahlia Society Facebook page. You would get lots of positive comments.
Fun anemone, Steve! What's its name, and who is distributing it?