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out of season query
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Posted by
roxanna z5b MA (
My Page) on
Sun, Jun 29, 08 at 13:31
| am trying dahlias for the first ime. when digging for storage in the fall, when do you do it? before a frost? after a frost, and if so how long after? i'm in MA, zone 5. thanks for any helpful tips! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: out of season query
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About 5 days after a frost if it's not too late in the season- if it doesn't frost by the middle of Oct. Walt starts cutting them off & digs about 5 days later. This allows the eyes to start so he can see where to divide.
You could wait longer if you want- we have about 7,000 for Walt to dig so he has to get going on it or he'll still be digging by Christmas! He likes to be finished digging & dividing by Thanksgiving-- & yes, he does it ALL himself! |
RE: out of season query
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| holy cow, that's a huge amount of dahlias!! bet your gardens are gorgeous. thanks for the info -- just what i needed. happy diggin to Walt - hope he's resting up for it! |
RE: out of season query
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| Restiog up? Walt? Doesn't know the meaning! He's busy taking care of said aprox. 7,000 dahlias- tieing, fertilizing, getting the irrigation lines finished-- oh, yeah & then there's the hoe-- 1 1/2 acres of dahlias grow many weeds & they're NOT allowed in our garden! The heck of it is- they're not allowed in my part of the beds either so I have to thrash about frequently hoe in hand, too >:) |
RE: out of season query
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| i cannot imagine that amount of work! and i know what you mean about the weeds -- it's been a very good year for them in my gardens, too, unfortunately. =) |
RE: out of season query
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| I wish Walt would come over here. I just moved a dahlia. It doesn't like it. Should I have left it alone? Some are just not getting near the height that they are supposed to be so they are getting blocked out by taller plants. |
RE: out of season query
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| PD, Give the moved dahlia several days to adjust and get over the transplant stress. I've moved them as tall as 3 ft and they reacclimate fine. Just water well and watch. I used an umbrella a couple days to protect that 3 footer from sun for a couple days too. It did fine. I have several to move this evening myself. The others should catch up in height soon enough, but I know what you mean about taller plants blocking them. There are always perennials that should have been moved last year that I remember this year. And next year, I'll probably remember to forget moving them again! |
RE: out of season query
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| You are right poochella, it rained and it has perked up. I have to remember not to plant in one of my gardens as this happens every year. If the dahlias had behaved and gotten taller on time, it wouldn't have happened. |
RE: out of season query
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| pdshop, that's why I made myself "Dahlia" beds, so they wouldn't have to compete with anything else. They look a bit stark right now, but I figure in another month they'll look amazing. Cheers,
Russ |
RE: out of season query
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You're right, roxanna-- the plantlady & Walt's gardens are wonderful-- & not just dahlias either. Last month when I was there there was over 150 rhodies & azaleas in bloom, dogwoods & Vibernum, can't think what else & now the rose garden is doing it's thing. The hydrangeas are getting ready-- there's color everywhere! It's a wonderful garden & well worth a visit if you're ever up in far northwest Washington. I get up there frequently first of all because we've been friends for many years & secondly, I have a grand daughter at Western Wa University to visit.
Ellie |
RE: out of season query
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| Thanks, Ellie. It's always good to see you, too & if you can brag up our gardens, I'll brag up your grand-daughter who you failed to mention is majoring in Constitutional Law & is BRILLIANT!!! Looking forward to seeing you again next month. |
RE: out of season query
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| Plantlady2008 ~ what do you fertilize with ? Seems that a couple who can manage that huge amount of Dahlias has so much knowlege. Any reading material you would recomend ? Or just tips to help us ametuers handle our Dahlias better ? Thanks so much ~ |
RE: out of season query
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Gina- When Walt plants he mixes about 1/2 cup of good old 10-20-20 farm fertilizer in the bottom of the hole- (the same stuff we've always used on the row crops of corn, beans or berries-- we have 62 acres with raspberries & blueberries on about 40 of them). Then he puts in a shovelfull of nice black riverbottom peat soil from down at the back of the farm & mixes that well. Then he puts in the tuber & covers with about 1" of soil. As the plant grows he fills in the hole & hills it up. Then he lays down the T-tape drip irrigation & covers that with soil & hills up some more. About the middle of July he side-dresses with 10-20-20 so the plants put out great blooms for the shows. That's it for the fertilizer for the year.
As for reading-- there's a great deal of info on the Colorado Dahlia Society site. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado Dahlia Society Site
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