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Post by Cherry on Jan 18, 2014 21:25:22 GMT
In the 'How To' section, Esther has shown how to use Photobucket. I use Tinypic, but I am not very good at it.
Please persevere @snute, because we would love to see your pics. I hope someone will help you.
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Post by snute2008 on Jan 18, 2014 21:29:14 GMT
Thanks Cherry, I have signed up with Tinypic and uploading the pics now.
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Post by snute2008 on Jan 18, 2014 21:36:59 GMT
Well, here we go. Thanks to woodforddahlias6 I purchased some large black trays, taped the heated cables to the bottom. Then added 5cm of sand and placed a sheet of plastic on top. Added the themostat and boxed/trayed up the tubers. I have two trays on each side of the greenhouse. Just got to add the tubers to the other side and should be good to go.    Now I know what to do I can post more pictures throughout the season. Thanks for your help. |
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Post by Cherry on Jan 18, 2014 21:40:20 GMT
They look as if they are in an operating theatre. It is all pristine.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2014 10:05:42 GMT
Well, here we go. Thanks to woodforddahlias6 I purchased some large black trays, taped the heated cables to the bottom. Then added 5cm of sand and placed a sheet of plastic on top. Added the themostat and boxed/trayed up the tubers. I have two trays on each side of the greenhouse. Just got to add the tubers to the other side and should be good to go. Now I know what to do I can post more pictures throughout the season. Thanks for your help. Hi Simon, Looking good !! Just as a matter of note, your heat cables can be spaced about 10cm apart, this will ensure you dont overcook your tubers with too much bottom heat. Gentle heat is best and you should be aiming for a temperature of about 22 degrees measured from the bottom of your soil where your tubers sit in their trays.I use individual thermometers inserted in the soil, they are far more accurate than your theromastat and allow you to adjust the temperature setting either up or down until the desired temp is reached. The sand should be 'sharp' grade thoroughly soaked, wet sand conducts more heat and prevents your heat cables from overheating. Usually as a matter of course I resoak the sand beds every two weeks with a fine rose watering can, perhaps weekly during a warm period. Once the tubers are all throwing shoots you can turn the heat cables off as conventional room heating will surfice. Your heat bed when used to propagate cuttings should have the soil temp set to about 16 degrees again by inserting glass thermometers into the root cell will indicate whether you need to turn the bottom heat up or down. Damping off of cuttings is a sure sign of too much bottom heat so be careful. Mark |
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Post by snute2008 on Jan 19, 2014 10:12:09 GMT
Hi Mark Thanks for the info but just to clarify my heat cables are spaced 10cm apart. I do have thermometers in the trays already.
Yes the sand is well soaked.
Looking forward to seeing how they perform. I had good results last year without a heat bed so things should be better this year.
I have already taken cuttings from tubers started earlier and they have rooted well. I am using them as mother plants.
Just out of interest I have the thermostat set to 22 and a thermometer in the sand on the second tray reads 21. The temp of the compost in the trays is 18 so all seems good.
I have two more trays like this on the other side of the greenhouse which I am setting up today.
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Post by Tel on Jan 20, 2014 17:34:19 GMT
Because of the rising cost of electricity to heat the greenhouse to 10c 50f. I am going to keep the greenhouse at the 40f mark for now. I am going to cover the tubers with fleece on the heated bench. The heated bench is set at 66f, I will place a temperature thermometer under the fleece if the air temperature reaches 50 - 55f under there it will save a few bob in the mean time. the greenhouse heater is 3000 watts, the heated mat is 100 watts. Will see how it goes. After last night frost, checked the green house temperature, it stayed at 40f overnight. The temperature under the fleece on the heated bench, the air temperature was a minimum of 52f overnight. Quite pleased with that. |
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Post by steve2t on Jan 20, 2014 18:34:47 GMT
If your worried about over-heating tubers a "pulse proportional thermostat" may be of some use. This device has a temp probe that you can insert into the medium that the tubers are sat in, enabling the temp to be kept at a constant temp. And it's a simple plug in item! I use 1 in each propagator. There is no hysteresis with these thermostats due to not using a bi-metallic strip, e.g. which may switch on 17deg and switch off at 23deg giving a 6deg swing in temp. For use with soil heating cables upto 600W  only. www.eurorep.co.uk/heating/thermostats/habistat-pulse-prop-thermostat |
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Post by Tel on Jan 21, 2014 14:15:31 GMT
I wish Dahlia Nurseries, would print information in their catalogues, or web site, informing customers who buy show dahlia's from them, if the dahlia is a early, mid season or late variety and how many up, it needs to be grown to get it up or down to ring size. This information could save the purchaser, a whole season getting to know, how to grow that particular variety.
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Post by scrumpy on Jan 21, 2014 20:25:19 GMT
I wish Dahlia Nurseries, would print information in their catalogues, or web site, informing customers who buy show dahlia's from them, if the dahlia is a early, mid season or late variety and how many up, it needs to be grown to get it up or down to ring size. This information could save the purchaser, a whole season getting to know, how to grow that particular variety. Too many variables I think Tel to provide that sort of information, especially how many up to grow up. If I followed the recommended quantities for certain say "smalls" then i'd end up with miniatures As to blooms going oversize, I think in my soil if I grew pom poms 4up they'd still go through the rings I think it's best to learn as you go along as it's what happens in your garden that counts. |
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 22, 2014 22:29:17 GMT
Three of my tubers are growing
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Post by Moonlight on Jan 22, 2014 23:58:19 GMT
I wish Dahlia Nurseries, would print information in their catalogues, or web site, informing customers who buy show dahlia's from them, if the dahlia is a early, mid season or late variety and how many up, it needs to be grown to get it up or down to ring size. This information could save the purchaser, a whole season getting to know, how to grow that particular variety. Too many variables I think Tel to provide that sort of information, especially how many up to grow up. If I followed the recommended quantities for certain say "smalls" then i'd end up with miniatures As to blooms going oversize, I think in my soil if I grew pom poms 4up they'd still go through the rings I think it's best to learn as you go along as it's what happens in your garden that counts.
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Post by Tel on Jan 23, 2014 8:07:42 GMT
Too many variables I think Tel to provide that sort of information, especially how many up to grow up. If I followed the recommended quantities for certain say "smalls" then i'd end up with miniatures As to blooms going oversize, I think in my soil if I grew pom poms 4up they'd still go through the rings I think it's best to learn as you go along as it's what happens in your garden that counts.
Are you talking seeds here or plants? If seeds, send them to me, I will grow them for you, on the allotment. Any decent ones, I can send them back to you later. |
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richardr
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Linux Ubuntu User
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Post by richardr on Jan 23, 2014 12:55:56 GMT
"It would be helpful if the size of plant was a little more accurate tho. on Halls' site the heights of the dahlias were totally wrong.
Size is a difficult one as conditions do make a difference. We do give heights for all those we list but do say that this is the height that they make on our land in our conditions. For instance, Halls give Taratahi Ruby a height of 1.2m, ours grow to 1.5m. So, the height they give may be right for their nursery but not necessarily the same everywhere else.
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edwin
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Post by edwin on Jan 23, 2014 14:04:33 GMT
Removed
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only.
