3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias

Anyone grow the collarette dahlias?
Collarette dahlias are type of dahlia flower. They typically grow 3-5 feet tall. Bedding mix dahlias grown from seeds are variable in flower type but consistently grow less than two feet tall. The best bedding type dahlias are grown from tubers or cuttings. Two sources are Swan Island Dahlias and Corralitos Dahlias both of whom have web sites.

I grew these from seed and was quite pleased with them. They made lovely flowers - some of them quite prolific. They are a bit bushy and stay under 30 inches. Mostly various shades of magenta/red/orange with collars in white and sometimes yellow.

very nice Dave..

Like the lav/white. Steve in Baltimore County.

Hi roxborough & all, from my experience growth is dependent on temperature, by this I mean when temps., remains low then the tubers will remain dormant.
If the temps., are raised to minimum 10 oC with max temp., 15 oC + then the tubers will initiate growth, untill green foliage appears the presence of fertilizer will have minimal effect.
The use of a temperature dependent fertilizer (here in Australia we use 6month Osmocote exact) which as the temps., rise the fertilizer starts to be released, hence starts feeding the shooting tuber when they have green leaves.
I tend not to feed most tubers, until they have shown green shoots (this is when I use 6month Osmocote exact). Once the foliage has developed sufficiently I use stronger fertilizers.
Dahlias can be kept in flower during winter, by adding lights in the middle of the night for approx., one hour, as this sends false signals to the plant that the season is summer instead of winter. This is the reverse process to flowering poinsettia.

Am still curious how the US snow storms are going? as I do not watch TV often, hence tend to miss the news which would show images & give reports on the extent & severity?

From what I have seen, it looks very stressful (if not terrifying?) to say the least for many people. The forum is very quiet gives me the impression people are occupied else where? would like a quick summery if any one has the energy & inclination thank you allan

You should treat the plants as though they were growing in a greenhouse. If they are growing and it is warm enough to get them to grow, you should feed them with 20-20-20 soluble green house fertilizer after they have sprouted. It should be used at half the normal rate and done a couple of times a week. Sun and heat plus water and fertilizer is what grows plants. If there is enough light and it is warm enough, the addition of the fertilizer will give them a real kick start. Here in my garden, I have noticed that the earliest blooms come from the cuttings I take in early Spring and grow to about 12 to 18 inches tall before planting in the garden. I do not bother to to replant them into larger pots and they are in 2.5 inch pots. They are root bound and somewhat tall but have stiff stalks because of the fertilizer. Since they have such a developed root system, they can grow very quickly when planted. If I plant a tuber in the ground on the same day I plant the root bound cutting, the cutting blooms a full month before the tuber. At a trial garden for dahlias, they accept both rooted cuttings and tubers to trial. They plant the rooted cutting 3 weeks after they plant the tubers and the cuttings still bloom well before the tuber grown plants.

Dahlias are self regulating about their growth. In your area where there is no possibility of frost now, the dahlias will grow at their own rate depending on the weather. Remember they are native to the mountainous regions of Southern Mexico and they over winter just fine there. I would just let them grow and they will do just fine. Worst case would be that several weeks of totally wet weather sets them back in April or May. You have the advantage in your climate that you could cut the plants down to the ground in any month between February and June and still have lots of growing season to have flowers in August through October and maybe later.

I'm on a Yahoo Group. Go to the Colorado Dahlia Society web page for tons of information, including forums. I also think some of the individual societies around the world have their own chat groups.

If you can get to a dahlia meeting you will learn all you need to know, at least a lot of information.

You might also look at Dave's Garden, although I think you have to pay to post messages.

Ginny

Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado Dahlia Society

Nevermind.

Why the "nevermind?" Did you just trash them or find information on the web about what to do with them? I've been growing dahlias for 20+ years. I love them!! I almost never divide them, but when I do I take a shovel and chop them into 4 parts, or so, and replant those.

One year I helped divide tubers by looking for the eye, etc. I did it under supervision but decided very quickly that it was easier to divide by shovel or buy new ones rather than take a chance on cutting my fingers.

Ginny