Dahlias 2012 season

[Geranium]

As you know, I only grow a few Dahlias amongst the other plants.

Lou kindly sent me some cuttings, which are growing well in the greenhouse , but I'm really pleased that some of last year's tubers survived in the ground. I know one of them is 'Roxy' but I'm waiting to see which varieties the others are.

[Tel]

It looks like it is a good year for dahlia survival, i found a few on the allotment that had survived the winter.

[Lou78W]

I found a Twinings After eight that I hadn't lifted ...except its popped up right next to a plant I had transplanted, that doesn't like being moved

[snute2008]

Thanks Scrumpy those pictures and info are really helpful. I stopped my plants about end of May and they are probably about half the size of yours at present.

I am also very interested in the debate between how to stake the plants. I was orginally going to use bamboo but the growers down here all use posts at intervals along the row and then pig netting or pea netting spread over the top.

I have gone for that method as it seemed to be what everyone else did but since looking at the forum and you tube it seems everyone uses bamboo.

I just thought that bamboo would not last many seasons and are not that cheap. Do you use 4' canes?

[dcdahlia]

Still have'nt stopped all mine yet scrumpy was still taking cuttings 1st week in may,still have jomanda,marys jomanda (grown for small balls),ruskin michelle and hillcrest candy to stop yet.Those that are getting double stopped will be stopped 1st week in july.My first show is not until the 1st of september,and will hopefully be showing until 1st week in october.I stopped ruskin michelle last year on the 24th june and all 30 plants flowered within the 2nd and 3rd week of september and I showed 12 vases.

[scrumpy]

Jun 20, 2012 7:47:44 GMT snute2008 said:

Thanks Scrumpy those pictures and info are really helpful. I stopped my plants about end of May and they are probably about half the size of yours at present.

I am also very interested in the debate between how to stake the plants. I was orginally going to use bamboo but the growers down here all use posts at intervals along the row and then pig netting or pea netting spread over the top.

I have gone for that method as it seemed to be what everyone else did but since looking at the forum and you tube it seems everyone uses bamboo.

I just thought that bamboo would not last many seasons and are not that cheap. Do you use 4' canes?

I'm pretty sure the nursery growers and people growing many 100's of plants use wire netting to support the blooms. I don't know about spread over the top though, i thought it started off a bit lower and as the plants grew you raised it up. Otherwise, I'd have thought strong winds would get the plants before they reached the wire.
Good quality bamboo canes will last a good few years....I've always got mine from LBS Horticulture and buy them in packs of 250. Not too expensive that way.

[snute2008]

Jun 20, 2012 18:02:13 GMT scrumpy said:

Jun 20, 2012 7:47:44 GMT snute2008 said:

Thanks Scrumpy those pictures and info are really helpful. I stopped my plants about end of May and they are probably about half the size of yours at present.

I am also very interested in the debate between how to stake the plants. I was orginally going to use bamboo but the growers down here all use posts at intervals along the row and then pig netting or pea netting spread over the top.

I have gone for that method as it seemed to be what everyone else did but since looking at the forum and you tube it seems everyone uses bamboo.

I just thought that bamboo would not last many seasons and are not that cheap. Do you use 4' canes?

I'm pretty sure the nursery growers and people growing many 100's of plants use wire netting to support the blooms. I don't know about spread over the top though, i thought it started off a bit lower and as the plants grew you raised it up. Otherwise, I'd have thought strong winds would get the plants before they reached the wire.
Good quality bamboo canes will last a good few years....I've always got mine from LBS Horticulture and buy them in packs of 250. Not too expensive that way.

Sorry DC, I meant to say that it starts off on the ground almost and is raised as the plants grow. I will look at LBS Horticulture website.

Do you use 4 foot canes? and 3 per plant?

Do you treat them in the winter, I dont mean to a holiday or meal out !! but do you stand in cerosote etc?

Thanks.

[scrumpy]

Yes, 4 foot, 3 to a plant.
They are left in the soil usually, or thrown up against the fence.
If I was going to look after them properly i'd soak them in armillatox....I thought about it this year, but soon forgot about it.
I buy a new pack of 250 about every 5 years.

[dcdahlia]

Need a dry spell with some sunshine dahlias are not showing a great deal of movement

[Lou78W]

You can say that again!!

[snute2008]

And again !! I should have flowers by October at this rate.

[scrumpy]

quite a few of mine would have been in flower in 3 weeks time if i'd let them

[candyblue]

It's so odd this year the plants in the ground aren't growing at all. I fed them the other day in a hope to see something but it's quite difficult when you are on a hose pipe ban to feed them properly as I normally use the miracle gro attachment with my feed in. Still with the amount if rain we had again last night they may need to learn to swim soon lol

[snute2008]

I have the same issue CandyBlue. The dahlias that I planted out have not grown at all. Those still in 5" pots awaiting to go out are growing really well.

[Tel]

They will be ok once they get their roots down into the soil.
I find that dahlias that are started off in peat compost, seem reluctant to root into soil to start with. Well mine are anyway. ;D