3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
I wish I could do that overwintering thing. This is my first time at digging up & saving tubers (may I say what a lot of work!). Granted, they were a Costco purchase but the dinner plates were outstanding & gave my mom (& the rest of the fam) such joy with armfuls of bouquets for 2 months! I didn't use fungicide or vermiculite, didn't do any dividing, loosly following some bad directions I saw online. I have LOTS of shriveled tubers & need to really inspect now for eyes. Got any advice?
You must live in a dry climate. Time to put the tubers in a plastic bag with some damp potting mix and put them where it is about 75 degrees. If they are alive, in about a week, the eyes will swell and you will have successfully stored them. If it is too early to plant(and I assume you are many weeks away from planting time) put the sprouting tubers back into a cooler storage area.
Here is a great link to answer all your questions... with pictures! : )
Keriann~
Here is a link that might be useful: How to Grow Dahlias
ok, i'm definitely pulling them up and potting them! i just read on the american dahlia society website (http://www.dahlia.org/index.php?page=growing-dahlias-in-pots) that a soilless mix is recommended. how necessary is this? can i use a regular potting soil?
also, i'm wondering about lights...i don't know if i'll be able to provide close artificial lighting like the article recommends. the best I could probably do is place them right next to an east facing window. will this be sufficient?
thanks again for all your input!
-jen
I use a plain old MG potting mix. My gardnen soil has too much clay in it and i am not a fan of bringing garden dirt (and the bugs) inside. You can also get other brands, and it will set you back about $20 bucks, well worth it in my opinion.
I they will do okay in a window, but much better under a shop light. I pinch mine back pretty good when I plant them, so if they get leggy by a window it is not the end of the world. Just make sure you harden them off before you put them outside. Hardening off is a process of slowing getting them used to the sun and wind outdoors.
I hope that helps!
Keriann~
Oh sorry just set myself up. While I have this up
thanks to all who comment. And thanks to Poochella, plant lady and JRoot for all their info and words of wisdom with dahlias I have been reading their posts for a couple years now. Im trying Jroots newspaper in a pot trick this year hope it gets me a good head start.
Try eBay. That's where I found mine in the past. You can get tubers or stem cuttings with nodes which grow just fine. I don't have enough time for them to bloom but if I can get them to 14' in AK, you should get bloom from stem cuttings. Here's one current listing.
Multiple stems:
The smaller the dahlia flower, the less need to prune to one stem. Large flowered dahlias do not do well with multiple stems because the multiple stems cannot hold the heavy weight of the flowers. Also, the flowers would be smaller. Large flowered dahlias do not have a lot of blooms either. I would say the Miniatures and Poms and such could grow with several stems with no problems. BB sized(4-6 inch flowers) are a lot better with one stem but having two or three is no big deal. B sized (6-8 inch flowers) and larger should have one stem.
What a lovely flower! I really like that gold background to the pink color. Does it have a name?
My first tuber orders are arriving, and i will be potting them in my greenhouse today! (I request mid March delivery so they are tall and strong in gallon pots when I plant them. Come on SPRING!
Hi all, thanks for the comments, Honnat in this area many properties are quite large & many are situated like this one on top of rolling hills with volcanic red soils.
Lizalily sorry can not help with the name of the pink flower with yellow tones, as I did not write it down when talking to the grower. Will visit the grower again soon hopefully get some new flower as well as a few names (as I would like to order some of the large flowering ones to add to my garden).
Here are some images from my garden today;
A fimbriate dahlia Nenekazi 
From Mar 18, 2011
Here is a link that might be useful: Dahlias in my garden today
Hello Lezard
Just a thought.
Depending on how long your blooming season lasts, I would not be as focused on which are 'the best' (which is a relative term to each person anyway) but I would make sure I had a variety of early, mid and late bloomers.
I made the 'mistake' of going for attractive dahlias without realizing they all tended to bloom at once. This year, my order from Swan Is. was centered on early and late bloomers to fill in the 'gaps' of blooming cycles. (As well as focusing on plant heights since you cannot plant a 5 footer in front of a 3 1/2 footer and expect to reasonably see the smaller plants blooms.)
I had only 2 out of maybe 25 that bloomed into October and every day I kicked myself for not thinking about that when I ordered originally. My yard may look like Butchart Gardens in June and July but then looks like a neglected weed patch in Sept.
If your supplier does not indicate the bloom cycle, I am sure the knowledgeable folks here can help you out. I have deduced that most of the giant dahlias (over 10" -like Bodacious) tend to be late bloomers. I suspect they need more sun?
Of the ones you listed; i've only grown BODACIOUS. I would second the other poster that suggested Nick Sr. It is very similar to BODACIOUS; but much "better." Better form. I had only one really large bodacious bloom and the others were quite diappointing. Here is the one that turned out better.
please don't stop posting! You've brightened up this dying forum. I had kind of written it off until I noticed this new guy posting from Australia. What a treat!! Keep them coming. I've still got 4 foot piles of snow on my dahlia beds. It's driving me crazy. Finally, we are starting to get some warm weather now. Still 11 weeks from planting time for me.
I just love Poochella(she used to have a profile which mentioned that she, indeed, was one of those people who cracked herself in the face by stepping on the wrong side of a gravel rake..bless her funny soul!)And, if you are reading this, you are right Poochella, they ARE more than homely.
Anywho, Jxa, I really got a reaming when I posted my earwig issue with the soil/organic/composting or whatever forum on the "imbalanced garden" issue. And, in point of fact, I had less earwigs after I followed their advice. So you just might want to do a little research there...they might tell you to get a pet frog or some such thing we wouldn't think of in this forum.
BTW, I keep hearing more and more against woodchip mulch. Along with the issue that it oftentimes is highly acidic, if you nonetheless use it, it should be swept up and away in the fall to keep from providing shelter for even more insidious and ugly creatures that the tiny earwig!
G'luck.
Lucinda
I'm getting ready to start my dahlias in pots inside for Spring planting outside for a head start. So, I'm thinking now about how to avoid the disgusting Earwig problem I had last year ... If they don't destroy the bloom, they stain it with their disgusting droppings ... I need help.
Any ideas on how to avoid this for this year?
Oh Janice, Thanks! That is great news. It is one of my best Connell's dahlias. Christine
Your welcome Christine! I sure do miss Connell's....I'm pulling my tubers out of the garage and cleaning them now...whenever I find one of my Connell's tubers that didn't make it through the winter...I feel like another variety has gone extinct. Still have fond memories of one of my favorites, "Summit Festival"... sadly I lost it this year
Janice