Hi Cindy-

I am on the same page. I decided to turn one of my last veggie gardens into another Dahlia cutting bed.

I just love them and cannot get enough of them.

I have about 300 of them and that is after I have given 200 away to friends, neighbors and the local gardening group where they sell them to pay for the maintenance of the city beds.

It is all the other things that seem to be taking over... the boxes to store them, the stakes and the extra tillers.

I just love them : )

Happy Gardening

Keriann~

I'll only have maybe 60 plants in my yard this year. The most I've ever had, but a small amount compared to other people on this forum. I do have at least 90 divisions to give away to friends this year, but I've bought about 25 new ones this year too. WHY, can't I just save my money and plant the divisions from last year...I don't know. I'm a dahlia junkie I guess. I even saw that they had some tubers at the local grocery store in their flower dept and was tempted. I probably would have bought it if my husband wasn't with me...

-Katy

People! What do you cut your dahlia tubers with? I bought a curved rug knife. No way is it going to penetrate the stem and tuber. Of course the eyes are between 2 or 3 tubers so I don't know where to cut. That is why, until this year! I am going to cut a finger off I know.

If they didn't come in so many colors, forms, and sizes it would be easy to stick with a lower number. I'm maxed out for a one person operation and am actually cutting back on flowers, adding more veggies. That's my plan anyway.

So, Poochella, what is your max number of dahlias? Just curious ? I thought I was restricting myself to 130 but then I found a few more survivors, and there were bonus dahlias with my orders, and I have some that I lost the names to and want to grow out to see who they are....and.....

Hi Liza ...and those dang hybridizers keep making new beauties LOL

I hit 400 a couple years back and managed those well. Just a few less the past couple years, and, from the looks of things, it will be another jam-packed dahlia year in 2010. Just when I wanted to cut back, someone gifted me 30 new varieties this year. Who am I to look askance at some great new dahlias? But I refuse to be digging up clumps 2 days before Christmas which is what happened last year. You are lucky to be able to get away with leaving yours in the ground. That just doesn't work here.

PD- Try a fruit secateur shears- thin blades, like a pruning shear that can get in those small spaces, stab into tuber crowns and get the job done with all fingers intact. Gempler's has them. Don't fall for the similar Fiskar shears found in stores- they fall apart in hours.
Or if it's a massive clump where you could sacrifice some tubers, try hammering a screwdriver down the stem dead- center. It will help break things apart and you can take it from there with a shears, possibly a knife. Tubers and necks get broken that way though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Needlenose Fruit Pruner

Oh, is that what they are. I have a pair and just cut flowers with it. Not sure it will be strong enough but will give it a try. I went for the large pruner type. I guess I will plant but I am sure it will bring on a big freeze!

Poochella you make me feel better (400) I think your a brug addict too? I have about 75 brugs to plant along with 250 dahlias. Pdshop your a brug lover also? have you tried an X-ACTO knife for the dahlias, I find that helps me with the compacted tubers. Cindy

Collielover:

I love that you grow brugs in 5B.

Do you keep them in a greenhouse over winter or do you make them go dormant?

What kinds do you grow?

Would you ever consider a trade? A brug cutting for Dahlias? Can you tell I am begging :)

Let me know. I keep telling myself this is the year to keep brugs but every year life happens and I don't get to them.

Keriann~

PS I know there is a Brug forum but most of them are from zone 8+ so it is hard to get zone 5 advice :)

Thanks in advance!

No, no brugs for me, collielover. Jroot had some brugs, as I recall.

Hey, Keriann Try to dig up the brugs when you dig up the dahlias, just put them in a pot, I cut mine back but not past the y so you can have blooms sooner. I like to take off all the leaves because the bugs love them in the house, only water them once or twice a month. I put mine in the basement, but some like to have them as house plants (too many bugs for me). I would love to share with you. Cindy

Thanks!

You keep them in the ground? I thought it was pots only up here. How large is the root ball on these guys?- I am picturing dragging to a 40 gal + pot??...

I looked for your e-mail address on your page but could not locate it. My 'junk' email is keriann5775@yahoo.com. If you would be so kind to send me an e-mail I will get you over to my 'normal' e-mail address.

Thanks again

Keriann~

collielover
what temp is your basement? i think mine is just a bit colder than the house. i normally keep my brugs in the greenhouse, but you're right they're whitefly and aphid magnents, plus don't really have the rooom for so many full sized plants, not with the 1200 daylily seeds i start every year.

i also finally got dahlias again from poochella. i don't really like the small ones, mostly aa and a sizes but i may try some b's later. what temp do you store these at. i lost all mine the first fall i got them. i dug them and left them lay to dry off and went away for two days and when i got back they had all frozen.

Cody, I keep the house cold 66 or so and the basement is 5 to 10 different I think? Also my house has so much humidity that I have problems with mold, good for plants but not for us. I will try to post a pic of them in storage. Cindy

Okay, what's a brug? I did a look up . . . a variety of dog? I'm not connecting the dots.

A brug is short for brugmansia lol

It looks a bit like Datura but the flowers drip down on a much larger tree/shrub, instead up pointing up on a medium size bush.

Brugs can get 12+ feet tall in warmer weather, but up here we hack them back to go dormant. They also have a lovely fragrance. Pop over to the Brugmansia forum, Kylie and others have beautiful pictures posted.

Keriann~

Have brugs in Maryland. Lots of work but worth it. Bought four new pink ones this year. Steve S.

Wow, you guys are my heroes. I cannot overwinter dahlias no matter how I try. I treat them like annuals and start over every year. You all must have some pretty impressive real estate. My limit is a dozen each summer and boy is it hard choosing. ;o)