3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Thanks everyone!
Bad news: I never did get around to digging out the dahlias - too cold and even snow, and I was at work.
Good news: DH (amazingly) offered to do the deed. I would normally never expect him to do this, but he saw how sad I was to lose all my plants - so he did it!
Anna,
If there was more of a chance of saving some with DH's help, then I would do it. All you need is an eye and out of all the tubers you probably have, he can't ruin them all - can he?? Just show him how to get one out of the ground and he can do the rest. Maybe he can even clean them off?
Yep, I'd go for hubby's help! :O)
I learned from Swan Island to choose the low growing varieties for those of us in the colder climates. They told me that all the low growing varieties were early bloomers. I had quite a few dahlias that did not bloom as well as they should have this year because they were later bloomers and I ran out of summer! Fall came quickly here in upstate NY. They also told me they're going to incorporate this type of information on their website at some point. From now on I'll avoid anything over 4 feet. For me, they get ridiculously tall and I plant them in as much sun as I possibly can.
Hi, I would be interested in trading some in a couple of weeks. Mine are still blooming at the moment but we are expecting a freeze tomorrow night so I will be digging in a few weeks. I only have 13 varities right now because I lost quite a few last winter. If you are interested in any of these let me know.
Tahati Sunrise
Unknown orange cactus from Lowes
Fire Magic
Bahama Mama
Pure Magic
Candlelight
Bodacious
Show-N-Tell
Helen Richmond
Grand Finale
Moonlight Sonata
I'm A Hottie
Bewitched
Linda
Lots of dahlia pictures being post to Flickr:
Here is link to see them:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/dahlias/
I have horses so any manure used around here comes from them. Try asking at your local stable or doing a walk and nock at a farm and ask if they have any aged manure they would like to sell. Most people will probly just give it to you. I put my fresh manure in a pile all winter until about march when I start a new pile. I stop adding to the first pile in feb. and start using it in april. So about three months from being fresh manure to being usable. If you ammended your beds even with fresh in the fall it would be fine for spring planting. But again I was told by several dahlia farms to not use manure on dahlias aged or not. Of course I didn,t have that info. years ago when I grew dahlias and I don,t seem to remember any problems.
Hi Lizalily
Beautiful pics. Always a pleasure to see more dahlias when I'm at work versus in my garden.
I have a Q about Sunny. I planted Sunny this year and it is a very low growing plant (2 - 2 1/2') that gave me about 4 really large blooms. Then it went into hibernation and is about to bloom from a lateral but it has been weeks since the last bloom. Is yours like that or maybe (I suspect) it is because I just planted it (year one) and in a pot to boot and maybe it needs seasoning?
I have had Sunny for a number of years. It grows tall for me usually, but this year it was the survivor of a freeze that killed 2/3 of my tubers. I moved it and it was a bit shaded by other large growers and decided to crawl along the ground and bloom where it poked out,,,Not good form but not its fault. I presume that if I give it its proper location it will be back up there where it should be at 4-5'.
Not a silly question. Dahlias are a breed of their own.
Most of the answer you seek is because some dahlias 'sprout' in early spring and are called early bloomers. Meaning (according to your conditions) anywhere from April to june.
Most dahlias are summer dahlias and then there are the late bloomers. I have 4-5 late bloomers still blooming and it appears a couple will last into Nov.
Under your conditions, you could pretty much plant anytime you wish. The only bad times would be trying to plant an early bloomer in March.But you could plant summer and late bloomers that late with little downside.
As for catalog ordering, most cats we all peruse (Swan Island,Dan's,Amer. Mdws will say 'sold out' or out of stock until Summer.They won't accept orders usually until near fall and they ship sometimes as late as March to CA. So 'their' dahlias may well say plant in Spring since they don't intend to get them to you until then.
Hope this helps.
I suggest that you leave them in the pots. Even though the original tops have almost died off they may continue to grow or a new shoot(s) should be coming out of the tuber since the old one is not growing correctly. Give them sun & water and let them grow during the rest of your growing season.
When your dormant season arrives cut off the sun & water and let them go dormant in the pots. They will be just fine since you have such mild weather.
I do the same thing with a number of pots I grow above ground. When frost takes the tops I just move them into the cool side of my basement (garage) for the winter. I don't have to fool with trying to divide and store them for the winter out of the pots. When I am ready to start cuttings in Jan/Feb I just move the pots I want to take cuttings from into the warm side of my basement, add water & light and another season begins.
Hope that helps.
I would say yes, to the one grown from seed especially, as long as they have produced tubers. I grew some from seed a few years ago, and there are 2 that I simply could not lose - very simple blooms that I named Lipstick, and Burgundy Silk. Can't find those in any catalog - they are stunning!
Mine did kinda poorly this year :( Here a a couple that did ok.
[IMG]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l278/bluelytes/IMG_2627.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l278/bluelytes/IMG_2574.jpg[/IMG]
this is a little bitty one:
[IMG]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l278/bluelytes/IMG_2561.jpg[/IMG]
Best;
Bluey
PS Anyone with dahlia seeds or know where I can get some?, please email me directly with info. Thanx
I have never heard of baking soda being used as a fungicide. I have heard of Cinnamon being used.
FWIW, most growers do not use peat moss for storing tubers. It tends to pull out the moisture. You could search the forum other techniques. They have been fully discussed.
Gail