|
|
Post by snute2008 on Dec 8, 2013 10:29:54 GMT
Hi could you give me some advice please. Although I have my tubers drying they are not drying very well and some aee getting white mildew on them. I have some vitax green sulphur but not much left. The local garden centre sells vitax yellow sulphur would this be ok to use?
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tel on Dec 8, 2013 10:47:38 GMT
I have used green and yellow, Using yellow at the moment. I may be wrong but I think they are the same except for the colour.
|
|
|
|
Post by daitheplant on Dec 8, 2013 18:18:24 GMT
I think, for some reason unfathomable, green sulphur has been banned so we are left with yellow.This will do the same job of dealing with the mildew. Or you can get flowers of sulphur from the local chemist, which will also do the job.
|
|
|
|
Post by snute2008 on Dec 9, 2013 15:12:45 GMT
Great, thanks for the help guys. I have read that in the states they dip in 10% solution of bleach to skin the mould spores so thought I would try that aswell.
I also read that some growers actually box up the tubers into compost once they are dry rather than pack them away. What are your thoughts on this? Have to be honest have lost most of my stock two years running and will not be able to afford to start again for a third time so trying lots of methods to see which works best.
|
|
|
|
Post by daitheplant on Dec 9, 2013 19:33:21 GMT
Great, thanks for the help guys. I have read that in the states they dip in 10% solution of bleach to skin the mould spores so thought I would try that aswell. I also read that some growers actually box up the tubers into compost once they are dry rather than pack them away. What are your thoughts on this? Have to be honest have lost most of my stock two years running and will not be able to afford to start again for a third time so trying lots of methods to see which works best. I wouldn`t reccommend using the bleach option, sulphur dust is the best way to go. You can store the tubers in compost BUT the compost must be totally dry, any moisture in it will start the tubers into growth. What I would do is store them upside down in a dry, frost-free place. Then mid January/February put them in trays of compost and start them into growth to produce cuttings material. |
|
|
|
Post by Moonlight on Dec 9, 2013 21:55:39 GMT
Great, thanks for the help guys. I have read that in the states they dip in 10% solution of bleach to skin the mould spores so thought I would try that aswell. I also read that some growers actually box up the tubers into compost once they are dry rather than pack them away. What are your thoughts on this? Have to be honest have lost most of my stock two years running and will not be able to afford to start again for a third time so trying lots of methods to see which works best.
Trying different things to see what works, makes sense to me. Different things work for different people, don't know if geographical factors effect the level of success or weather conditions make a difference.
My Dad doesn't bother to try and dry them off or wash all the soil off. I've tried to do what he has done. I only turned a couple upside down but that was because when I cut the stem the water pored out like a hosepipe. I was very shocked.
Haven't used anything else including sulphur powder in any form, just left them alone. Only time will tell how they get on and if they all curl up and die then I will have to try something else but don't listen to me, I'm a total beginner. :)Lots of people know what they are talking about through years of growing.
|
|
|
|
Post by daitheplant on Dec 9, 2013 21:59:33 GMT
Moonlight, the water running out is WHY you store them upside down.
|
|
|
|
Post by Moonlight on Dec 9, 2013 22:38:31 GMT
Moonlight, the water running out is WHY you store them upside down.  |
|
|
|
Post by snute2008 on Dec 10, 2013 11:53:41 GMT
Thanks for the tips. I have about 300 tubers to store so I want to do the best thing. I had already sulphured some but they have white mould on them already. The ones I bleached are fine so looking like that was a good tip from the states.
|
|
richardr
Full Member
Linux Ubuntu User
Posts: 149
|
Post by richardr on Dec 10, 2013 17:24:55 GMT
My two penn'eth for what it's worth. Many gardening writers say that storing dahlia tubers is easy; I don't believe that to be the case as I think it is quite difficult to keep them over wintered until later in Spring before they are planted out again. For those of us that raise cuttings it is not so bad as they are down on a bench and growing again pretty quickly.
To keep them not only must the conditions not be too cold (touch of frost and the tubers end up mush) or too hot (tubers dry out and end up all wrinkled) but humidity must be kept down otherwise mildew and rot occurs. Then they need to be inspected every 3-4 weeks and any deteriorated matter cut away and treated.
Advice already given about using sulphur bang on.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2013 18:52:31 GMT
Hi Simon,
I'm one who stores in dry peat and all bar the odd one I dont have any trouble with mildew.
I lift the 3rd week of october, each tuber is washed, trimmed and allowed to dry for approx 2 weeks. I only keep tubers that have a good bit of meat on the roots. Any dodgy ones are binned as they will most likely either rot or fail to produce anything come spring time.
They are then set up in large trays of peat and burried with only the top crown stalk showing which is given a good dust with yellow sulphur.The peat must be either dry or just a touch of moisture.
All my tubers are kept in a cold greenhouse with no direct light.I keep a close eye on the temp, too warm and they will start to shoot, too cold/damp and this will cause mildew or rot. About 5 degrees is ideal.
I think trying to store 300 tubers sounds a little like too many. I only keep 6 of each variety with the exception of the Goldcrests which sometimes struggle to either get started or produce too fewer shoots.
I too in my early growing days used to keep everything irrespective of quality or how good the flower or tuber condition was. Now I am a little more selective.
Come late January / early February the peat is replaced with a good quality compost which in turn helps retain moisture better than peat on its own.
|
|
|
|
Post by snute2008 on Dec 12, 2013 22:37:04 GMT
Thanks Woodforddahlias6 for your take - it sounds good advice. unfortunately we had quite a lot of rain in the weeks before I dug my tubers up and therefore they were quite damp. I dont think I gave them long enough to dry out. I have cut away the damaged bits and used some more sulphur and others I have put back up in the greenhouse to dry out some more.
300 might sound a lot but I have only about 3 of each and only kept the best flower form varieties. I grow with two mates and I am the only one with the room for storage and propagation. I only need to keep them going for a few more weeks and it will be time to box them up on put on heat to start all over again.
|
|
