General Dahlia Chat 2024

Krista · 2024-01-05T01:50:48+00:00

When do we grow up and stop ordering more tubers than we can possibly fit into the space we have, for the next season? Is that something I can look forward t...

calico20hill

I have my dahlias all planted but the extra ones that will go into last years grow bags. Today I cleaned out another bed that had chrysanthemums in it, and will now become my zinnia bed. I bought a package of seeds from Floret this year so I want to try her "Unicorn Mix". I will let you know if I come out some morning and find a beautiful white unicorn sleeping in my zinnia bed! I will also be growing some of the lime green mix ones. This bed had the dirt really low in it so it needs at least 8 wheelbarrow loads more added. Hubby says 2 loads a day is his limit now. I found one seedling sweet pea from last years English beauties! I saved it and gave it a stick to climb until we can arrange a better support. (Poor little lonely sweet pea! I never got around to purposefully planting the seed I had saved). I do beleive we could fit in one more raised bed...maybe next year after hubby has had both knees replaced. He does build nice garden beds!

KitCMC

A rabbit destroyed the plants in my raised bed, but when I was surveying the damage, I noticed these eggs. Can anyone confirm these are/aren’t lacewing eggs?

Bessie

KitCMC they look so familiar...
Check out this website that seems to confirm they are lacewing eggs.
https://extension.umn.edu/beneficial-insects/lacewing

Juliarugula

KitCMC really cool!!

Krista

KitCMC I’m so sorry to hear about the rabbits. Hoping your tubers resprout, and on the double!

Veryzer

KitCMC That stinks. I feel about bunnies the way Ted feels about goats, only moreso. They're an absolute pestilence in my neighborhood and are willing to chew through the thorniest rose canes with no regard to liquid fence applications. Naturally, dahlia sprouts stand no chance. I finally resigned myself to dealing with chicken wire since I don't have the heart or resolve to go full Carl Spackler on them.

KitCMC

Bessie very cool! Thank you 😊

BackyardBouquets_17

Finally got everything in the ground. I start my seeds in soil blocks and this is definitely not the size I planned to plant them out ( I was planning on a smaller size and less roots to disturb) but things came up that put the last of the planting on hold for a couple wks and you can’t stop a plant from continuing to grow 😀

BackyardBouquets_17

Came across serveral with dark edged leaves. I like that look so it will be interesting to see those what kind of bloom those give.

Teddahlia

Portland Dahlia club meeting last night. Not all the 467 members came to the meeting but I bet there were well over 60 people there and it was on Zoom also.
Drum Roll: What was main topic of the meeting? Fertilizer.
Fertilizer is the most commonly discussed subject and the only thing that comes close is how to divide dahlia clumps although taking dahlia cuttings is gaining in popularity.
I will not bore you experts with the fertilizer recommendations but it was based on the presenter's soil test and 35 years of experience. Hint: it involves the generous use of nitrogen.

calico20hill

It is interesting how much wrong information on fertilizing circulates on the net. If I didn't know better I would be out there planting all my dahlias carefully with bone meal. A few years ago it was epson salts that everyone was adding without testing. We've still got a distance to go to persuade folks to test their soil at least once so they have an idea of what they are starting with.

Teddahlia

Another topic at the meeting was a long time show grower talking about
(1) Pinching plants
(2) stopping plants
(3) British method of stopping plants
(3)Not stopping plants
(4) mowing down plants with mower
Which do you prefer? All were discussed.
I am a "sometimes stopper" and most frequently just let them grow and then what happens then was discussed.
There is lot of chatter on the internet about the "necessity "of stopping plants and very little on not stopping plants.

SteveM

Teddahlia Years ago my pet goat got into my dahlia field when the plants were about a foot tall. She went down every row and ate the top 2-4" off of every plant (with great consistency). It was the best job of pinching/stopping/topping I have ever done.

AKWindWatcher

SteveM Aren't goats great? One day I'll have a pet goat or two myself. 😁

calico20hill

I am pretty sure I planted the last dahlia tubers, plants or seedlings for this year. I found 3 pots of germinated "Rivers Cherry Bomb" seedlings and tucked them into the only possible spots left, And notice I did not say the most maximum spots for their abilty to show off....I already have produced a lot of red seedlings I like so I may have the reddest garden around.

Krista

calico20hill I may have the reddest garden around.

That counts spectacular, Noni! I hope we get photos of those beautiful, brilliant blooms!

calico20hill

It is not that I love red dahlias that much, but the red ones seem to be enthusiastic seed makers! I'd love to get seedlings from some of the other River's dahlias. Let's hope for a good seedling year this time around!

MissyWeitzel

Hello! Two questions maybe one of you can answer. I couldn't find a way to contact Ferncliff Gardens on their website other than a snail mail address or I would have taken my question straight to the source.
Are Dahlias with the 'Mission' prefix hybridized by the same person as 'Ferncliff' Dahlias - D. Jack?
Are the 'Mission' Dahlias their garden line or cut flower line or do you know of another significance as to why they're not also named Ferncliff?
Thanks!

blown_dry

MissyWeitzel It looks like D. Jack is the hybridizer for both names, but that's all I've got. 🙂

MissyWeitzel

blown_dry Thanks so much!
Teddahlia Have you grown Hy Scent? A friend just got one for this season and I am hoping she has me over to sniff it!

Teddahlia

Ferncliff: They used to also release new ones from Wayne Holland of Hy dahlias when he was still breeding. Margaret and I visited their farm 20 or more years go and we were impressed. They are at higher latitude than us and get more sunlight and the plants responded by being taller than ours.

Bessie

Teddahlia Ferncliff Gardens sold this new Hy release this year. I needed to get some good "form" genetics into my hybridizing so I was lucky enough to purchase this beauty. https://ferncliffgardens.com/products/hy-beacon

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