3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias

Sorry Steve try me next year, Steve in Baltimore County

OK, thanks, I'll try to remember. I've gained quite a few new varieties this year so I expect to have plenty to trade next year. :)

To keep from loosing your dahlia locations...it is suggested that you plant a stake at each one when you plant. All but the miniature varieties will need staking up later as they grow, so by putting in a stake even a small one when you plant you will know exactly where to put a taller sturdier one when they get up several feet high, without impaling the hidden tuber as you stake it. After many frustrating years, I now also bury a plastic tag with the plant name along with the tuber, so when I go to dig it up after its dormant I know which one I am diving and possibly giving away tubers to. A label just stuck into the ground by it will be pulled out by chickens, crows, children, dogs, ets. Been there, done that! Last year was teh first year with 4 chickens in my garden. They pulled out all 160 labels and flung them as they were scratching for bugs! They also unburied the tops of the tubers. THis year they are no longer allowed in there when the dahlias are growing!

How clever! Thanks for the tips. The dahlias are all coming up despite my rough handling, so here goes nothing.

I have too many for me to use any artificial lighting, so they just go into my west and south windows. Actually, this year some had to go into the northwest window, too. I find it depends on the variety whether or not it needs more light. A couple of my cactus that I grew from seed and keep the tubers of are waaay to tall; I was just trying to decide this am if I should cut them back or not--I should, but I decided instead to stake really well and enjoy blooms! The varieties in the nw window are actually not leggy at all. I am blessed with great light in the spring, and windows to take advantage of it.

Thanks for the response - What seems so weird to me is that I have about a dozen tubers that I didnt pot up - they were extras or hadnt eyed up yet. THey have just been sitting in baggies with a little potting mix, on my desk in my work shop. They are looking incredibly healthy. only 6" sprouts, but sturdier and greener leaves than the ones I potted up and put in the window. There is a fluorescent light above the desk, but at least 5 feet away. I definitely need to make some changes in how I do this next year.

If you are having the warm spring that the rest of the country is, I would think you could go ahead and plant. I usually wait until june 1st, but even here in WI spring is early early. I will get mine out as soon as I find the time to do it.

We planted about 35 plants. So far so good. We had one casualty (brushstrokes, so sad, this was a new tuber for us!!!!) with a soaker hose moving and breaking the stalk from the tuber. We are hoping for it to grow a new stalk.... Thanks for the encouragement! Hopefully everything will continue on and remain healthy!

depends on, how pampered they where. If they never got direct sunlight their older leaves might get burnt, but they should produce new ones really fast.

I transferred some Dahlias 2 days ago, about 4-8 inches high, they looked fine yesterday. I had put them on the balcony frequently, when the weather wasnt too cold.
Just mind the slugs, then everything should be fine.

Bye, Lin

They are pretty dang tough. I always bury mien deeper in the ground then I grew them in their starting pots and they looked sad for about a day and the next they looked great.

Hardening off is another subject. Like said above, a few leaves might get burned, but very unlikely you will loose a plant. Just and FYI, if you snap off new growth by accident, try putting it in the ground too, you may get it to root and have more plants!

keriann~

Thanks for the info, I wanted to give them some fertilizer before I plant them in the ground in a couple of weeks so that the plants are growing well before I plant them. I always put bone meal in the planting hole but wasn't sure what other fertilizer I should be giving them.

Linda

Don't know if this is right or wrong, but I use Jobes tomato stakes, 2 to a plant and put them in after growth is about a ft. about 6 to 8 inches away from the plant.My dahlias grow well. I left them in the ground last winter, and they are all up and growing now.

Checked for both of these and nothing, well, nothing on leaves and haven't seen any fruit flies looming about. Anything I should look for specifically?

Thanks.

For some reason some of mine have been doing this, too. But they seem okay other than the leaves. Definitely no bugs around.

Ah yes! All that Jazz, love all the colors she displays! Mine was so slow getting going last year with our cold gray summer but I did have some nice ones before frost, and will certainly plant it this year. Another nice one is "September Morn". I have to stop and think which is which between those two as they both show blends of nice autumn colors that go well with other flowers. Its nice to see what form "All that Jazz"could live up to if it got in gear here!

I should have gone to bed before that last post, LOL. I'm still royally confused between these two but I love them both...lovely autumn colors!