3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
In San Francisco they sell lots of rooted cuttings and some tubers. Link to dahlia sales site:
I found that before but I was googling to find out when the show was. That link did come up, that is where I got the April 7, because the hall of flowers does not list it at all on their website. I was going to post the date of some local garden shows on pininterest. I did not have many on my list, so I was looking for the dahlia show.
Dahlias can be grown to bloom earlier by starting them in gallon sized pots 4 to 6 weeks before traditional planting time. In your climate, they need to get to blooming size before the hot weather of summer when they do not grow much.
The blooming dates for varieties is not all that different but goes mostly by the size of the flower with smaller flowers blooming earlier. Varieties that grow only 3 feet tall or so may bloom a bit earlier.
In large dahlias, Trooper Dan is an early bloomer because it grows only about 3.5 feet tall.
The Colorado Dahlia Society web page has the big list dahlia locater which will show you where you can purchase the varieties you are looking for. It may be hard to find them at this point since many people have already placed their orders as far back as last fall and many varities are already sold out.
You should check and see if your local dahlia society has a tuber sale and you might find some of them there.
Good Luck!
Linda
Yeah, it is up to you.
I keep some of mine at 3-4 stems because I think they look better, but I am not growing them for competition. Whichever works for you. I will say that you need good air circulation no matter what you choose to go with 1 vs multi-stems.
Good uck!
Keriann~
I would divide them now. But I would prefer multiple plants than a plant with multiple stems. If you are concerned about burying them right after dividing, just nestle them halfway into the soil of the pot to start with, and then bury them deeper as they grow.
Last year I had some tubers that were to large to fit into the pots I was using. I just cut off the end of the tuber (about 1/3 on some of them) and it didnt seem to slow them down at all.
Some of mine now have sprouts that are coming up and some of them do not. I do know they all had eyes that were starting to sprout when I planted them. I think some of them are just slower to grow. Sometimes I get impatient and dig around to see if anything is happening or make sure the tuber didn't rot.
Most people lay the tuber sideways when they plant them. The sprout will find it's way up. You want to avoid watering tubers until the sprout is about 3" tall otherwise you'll either cause it to sit in damp soil and rot or in the case of a couple I grew my first year they swelled and split and then rotted. I'd water it once it gets warm outside enough to keep the soil from being bone dry.
Here is a link that might be useful: Swan Island Dahlias growing tips
Viking, How long have they been potted up? I have 15 currently in pots and I am just starting to see a few sprouts poking out of the dirt. We are going to have some really nice weather for the next week so I am take mine outside for some real sunshine.
Linda
The wife got sicker than she normally is and I did not have time to store tubers properly. So I had nothing I could post. I will have to get the posting info when they bloom because I have lost all that also. Thanks for asking.New dog so will be in the back gardens nost of summer.
Early spring follow up: I dug up and stored the dry, wrapped tubers in the garage and after an incredibly mild winter I took them out to check them last week. Of the 3 clumps only one had an eye and the other two had rotten sections (really gross btw). Not sure if they did freeze during the 2 really cold days we had, or if something else got them. So I potted up two pared down clumps in hopes of some growth and this morning was rewarded with tiny stems and leaves in both pots! Next fall I'm going to have dahlias and begonia tubers to figure out what to do with...maybe the attic this time? My garden is too small for 5 foot plants with 8 inch flowers, or to grow hundreds of tubers but this year I ordered tubers for a type called "Star Wars" that has the dark foliage I love so much.
Here is a link that might be useful: Star Wars Pot Dahlia
2 of the dahlias that never bloomed last year formed eyes. The 3rd didn't even grow much of a new tuber...too skinny to make it through the winter (although I haven't given up total hope, yet!).
Honnat, yes, the ground could be frozen here 2 weeks after first heavy frost. Normally, no, but last year we had an unusually late first frost. And the year before that, it was even later, but frozen ground was earlier than normal. I didn't get all my dahlias dug last year, as the ground just wasn't thawing out during the day. When we hit 25 at night, but 40 during the day, we're far more hours below freezing than above, and the sun just doesn't win. I've planted bulbs in the snow, too, but for us, snow in October usually means warmer weather than sunny skies do.
Leave them in a warm place for a few days. If they don't sprout they probably are eyeless.
I started potting up my dahlias at least a month ago. ..they got potted as eyes started to sprout. Ten minutes ago I was going to give up on the last few tubers that weren't showing any promise yet and toss them into the compost. But yet another little Rock Star tuber now has eyes, so I guess I'm giving the rest of them yet more time. When I saw those new eyes (2 days ago I couldn't see anything on that tuber, even with a magnifying glass...now it's visible to the naked eye), I thought of this thread and had to come tell you not to give up!