3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
When you cut, cut above a leaf node and that should send out two more branches with more flowers each. Each growth tip will produce buds: remove the inferior buds for a single fuller bloom per branch or leave all buds to develop for a more crowded bunch of blooms on shorter stems.
How long it takes for branches to develop into blooms varies by variety. By mid-September you ought to have plenty of flowers on at least some of the 100 plants.
Congratulations on your pending marriage.
That particular (and odd) bloom is just about on it's last legs. Maybe the next one will look much different? I'll have my husband snap another picture a little closer up when the next one comes. This one looked like it belonged in the novelty category. It's sure not the gorgeous bloom that I saw at in Everett WA last year! But I do have some great beauties to console me . . ..
How can I be sure it is a virus? I had used a mulching product this year called Mainely Mulch. It is straw and hay chopped up, sanitized and than compressed into a bale that covers alot but is not heavy. Have any of you heard of it? Could that be my problem? I will indeed discard the tubers this year and also cover my soil with a tarp to try and sanitize it. Any ideas on how to sanitize the soil other than what I mentioned? It doesn't seem to bother the flowers but I hate looking at it after sooo much work!
See the thread below. Did your blooms look anything like that? I've since read it was probably a plant infected with Aster Yellows. The plant was fully developed, looked healthy til the buds opened.
Here is a link that might be useful: Possibly aster yellows
Redraif
IF you have blooms not opening or blooming dahlias that are wilting, there is something else wrong. Are you feeding them? Did you throw any Miracle Gro on them at some point?
You could have a disease or a pest problem, lack of water (once budding), bad soil - any number of things. One definite no-no is Miracle-Gro or high nitrogen fertilizers. Dahlias don't like that.
And don't be fooled by garden store blooming dahlias. Their growers could purposely cold store tubers to grow and bloom when then the stores know you can't plant tubers. What may be blooming in August now may start to bloom in May next year.
Your best bet if ordering tubers from growers is check their catalog. Places like Swan Island will often tell you which are early or late bloomers so you can plan ahead.
Good luck.
Redraif
IF you have blooms not opening or blooming dahlias that are wilting, there is something else wrong. Are you feeding them? Did you throw any Miracle Gro on them at some point?
You could have a disease or a pest problem, lack of water (once budding), bad soil - any number of things. One definite no-no is Miracle-Gro or high nitrogen fertilizers. Dahlias don't like that.
And don't be fooled by garden store blooming dahlias. Their growers could purposely cold store tubers to grow and bloom when then the stores know you can't plant tubers. What may be blooming in August now may start to bloom in May next year.
Your best bet if ordering tubers from growers is check their catalog. Places like Swan Island will often tell you which are early or late bloomers so you can plan ahead.
Good luck.
Dont blame you Poochella, I wouldnt have purchased it, but the BF picked it up cheap for his parents patio, then brought it back here in the Fall. Still, they are a great color - I have been floating them in bowls of water, just to have some of them inside. And since I tend to cut almost all of my Dahlias and bring them in, its nice to have something in that bed that is always full of blooms.
And yeah - I should have realized that you new what you were talking about re: the "orchid". sorry
"So what about plants marketed as "container dahlias"? Are these more likely to be successful because of heat tolerance or do they get that name solely based on size? "
Yes, smaller plants have smaller root systems. It may be a function of both heat and water with larger varieties in pots. They require an awful lot of water in a pot. Probably because warmer soil allows more evaporation. A partially buried pot seems to work really well; even smaller pots can be used.
I got a Neon Splendor from SI this year, it is in a clay pot and is spectacular!
I also bought Fire Magic (though they apparently delivered Dark Magic instead), it is in the ground and growing slowly, albeit with 2-3 beautiful blooms so far.
I have found advice from SI to be right on. They admit (as do most growers) that it is harder to grow dahlias in containers than the ground and I have found that to be true as well. One of my PAST mistakes though was underwatering. I had read so much about not watering dahlias after planting and having lost several that rotted anyway, that I held water back sparingly. I re-read their catalog this summer and it actually says you can't overwater dahlias (I'd heard that about roses years ago) once they start sprouting and blooming. So now I soak mine to the bottom every 3-4 days instead of the light 'washing' I used to give them every 2 days and they are loving it!
As for what soil I used in the containers? Lord only knows. Parts potting soil, part planting mix and part sand (I live in the dunes of S.F). The sand keeps them draining easily, the potting mix seems to be light enough for them to push through and the planting mix seems to keep it all together.
But other containers of mine are ALL planting mix or all planting soil (exactly what you are NOT supposed to put in pots) and they all are ablaze in blooms this year! In my opinion, the soil won't matter much once you start feeding them the right stuff (little to no nitrogen) and include blooming fertilizer that strengthens the stems and allows for blooms to do their thing!
I was going to ask the same question about Poochella and Plantlady. How are you folks doing this year? I miss your pics, Poochella, but I'm glad to see you popped up in this post!
Jesper--I have never heard of any of the three dahlias you show here but I'm certainly going to look them up. I love the G. H. Lammerse--that looks like great waterlily form! Thanks for posting pics!
Annabeth
I use the macro setting when taking photos of flowers. It's a little flower icon on my camera. I agree with the no direct sunlight suggestion. I also crop a lot. As long as the focus is clear I can later crop out what I don't want to get a nice up close shot.
PS. Honnat thanks for the great photo. It helped me ID a random tuber that I got from a friend this spring. :)