Dahlias for Beginners 2013 Season

[Lou78W]

Us girls are very good at growing dahlias...there's been a few of us on here right from the start ;D Its good to see more joining up

[mattolo]

Feb 10, 2013 21:12:04 GMT laurapucp said:

Hi Mattolo,

goog luck with your blog and the flowers....by the way i find your nickname Mattolo very funny

Thanks Laura,glad you like my new name!

[mattolo]

Assuming I go for three or four blooms on my giants,once they go over will there be time for another flush of blooms?I'm thinking if I have only one plant each of ten varieties,that could be a very brief (but possibly glorious )flowering period.

[scrumpy]

They will flower again and carry on till the frosts provided you stop them early enough.
When you disbud the main bloom, leave the laterals to develop. They will flower about a month later and give you the display you wanted of smaller flowers but lots of them.

This sort of shows what to do



remove 2 and 3 to get your main bloom.
Allow number 4 to develop for the next bloom about a month later.

For exhibition and to get the biggest size possible, all laterals are removed, but I always do as above to get a 2nd flush.

[dcdahlia]

Managed to get some garden turned over at last today.In the greenhouse only cherwell and oakwood goldcrest yet to show any signs of life.Other than that it has paid of setting them away 2 weeks earlier than I normally would.Never had as much cutting material this early before,most of the early cuttings will be used as mother plants.

[dcdahlia]

oops put that on the wrong place only had one glass of wine to ;D

[AJ]

OK, so the buns are in the oven ;D

orange nugget
sisa
my love
purple gem
arabian nights.

I know, pretty standard, but will do me fine for this year.

Slightly immersed in compost, some tubers burried some hugging the surface???

Looking for 15- 18 degrees???

Got four or 5 cuttings from the one tuber I bought last year so was happy about that and they all went on to flower nicely in tubs.

fingers crossed

[Moonlight]

My Downham Royal and Happy Halloween have arrived today. 3 tubers of each.

[Moonlight]

Feb 5, 2013 21:35:52 GMT Moonlight said:

This is going to be my 1st year growing dahlias. My greenhouse is ready, sort of. When I told my Dad about the greenhouse cleared right out I was all excited that it was clear and that we were going to put pea shingle down and Dad started talking about electric coil / wire (can't remember term exactly) and he was explaining how you put it in sand and than the soil goes on tray on top. It was all a bit woe) because he was talking about technical stuff and there was me happy with my shingle.

Then I realised he expects me to start my tubers off!
I was kinda expecting / hoping / relying on him doing it for me. I wanted to 'help' him in his greenhouse, so that he could show me what to do, so that I could learn for next year.

Obviously not, in at the deep end, sink or swim. It is all Dad's fault, he wanted me to order some dahlias from USA which got me looking which ended up with ordering some to and Downham Royal, then after that...............................

My Dad has offered to look after my tubers for me but I would like to keep some to look after myself. My greenhouse is unheated and been about 4 degrees, so I've got my tubers inside my house. Should I sit them on a bed of compost?

Advice please I'd like to look like I am at least having a go in the vague right direction before he gets here.

[Moonlight]

This is what they look like now, the chunky full looking ones are the Happy Halloween and the skinny looking ones are Downham Royal.


They were sitting on kitchen towel but that was mainly for the photos so I'll be taking that off.

[markb]

Yes, Moonlight, they will need to be bedded on compost. My method is to half fill a seed tray with compost, place the tubers in the tray - one variety per tray - then add a little more compost around the tubers to hold them in place. Don't cover the part where the tubers are joined to the stem as this is where the shoots should come from.

Hope this helps.

[Moonlight]

Thanks Mark, what about the wispy bits? Are they important? Or could I trim them down a bit without traumatising the rest of the tuber?

[sweetpea]

Trim them prior to setting up in compost M. Wont harm the tubers.

[Moonlight]

Sweetpea I gave 1 a trim

Mar 1, 2013 20:36:09 GMT markb said:

Yes, Moonlight, they will need to be bedded on compost. My method is to half fill a seed tray with compost, place the tubers in the tray - one variety per tray - then add a little more compost around the tubers to hold them in place. Don't cover the part where the tubers are joined to the stem as this is where the shoots should come from.

I've not yet demi tucked this tuber under it's duvet of compost as you can see by the photo. I know that in the USA some suppliers give you part of a tuber "We only ship dahlias with at least one viable eye ". Won't know what that actually means until they arrive but in my photo, I have the main tuber itself and then there is the lobe that was seperate when it arrived to the rest of the tuber. Is this 2nd piece a viable shoot provider or only off of the main stem itself. If it is a viable shoot provider and I need to make sure that the part where the shoots appear is not covered with soil which bit will that be? The top without the tail or the end with it?

This tuber is the largest of the Happy Halloween tubers which are in a much better condition to the Downham Royal ones which I will leave to my Father to inspect.

Sorry for not knowing the correct terminology.

[Lou78W]

The bit of tuber on its own is no good, chuck it!! and any others that come away....the important bit is that thick stem to the left of your pic....the base of that is where the shoot will come from. The tubers you get from the USA will, I suspect, look different they just cut a slice, with the all important "eye", and send that. I think they refer to them as "chicken legs"