General Dahlia Chat 2023

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:41:17+00:00

Continuing from https://cubits.org/Dahlias/thread/view/91587/?offset=560#end_of_thread

Teddahlia

Every year we take about 1,000 cuttings and I do have some observations:
(1) there is an ideal size for a tuber cutting and for us it is about 4 to 5 inches. Yes, we all have taken small cuttings as we have knocked them off of the tubers by accident. When that happens, I insert it into the same pot(no oasis wedges here) as the longer one and if it roots I will give it it's own pot later. Very small cuttings can take weeks longer to grow to the same size as the 4-5 inch ideal cuttings.
(2) fat cuttings often have hollow stems and do not root or take forever to root.
(3) I root cuttings in plastic bags under either fluorescent or LED lights. During the 12 or so days that I leave the cuttings in the bags , the ones that are grown with more light will actually grow a couple of inches taller in the 12 days. It seems that they are growing both leaves and roots and use the light to make energy to do so. My fluorescents are old and a bit dim but they do have enough light to get cuttings to root. The LEDs are putting out about 33% more light although I do need to check that guestimate .
(4) Leaf cuttings that for me are leaf node cuttings split into two pieces, are easy to root but take longer to grow. They need a couple of weeks more to catch up with tuber cuttings.
(5) Steve Lamb in his dahlia talk demo on Feb 28th explained how to take cuttings from plants grown to a large size and that was the method used by Kevin Larkin of Corralitos Gardens. If you want to make hundreds of cuttings of the same variety, it is the way to go and an advantage is that the plant when sliced and diced produces cuttings that are all of the same age and can be in the same flat. One of the more difficult things to control when shipping cuttings is putting together an order of several different varieties.
(6) I would like to trade some UNROOTED cutting with some of you growers. The success rate for them can be very high and the mailing cost very low. I will have extra cuttings to trade in a few weeks from now.

SteveM

Teddahlia (6) I would like to trade some UNROOTED cutting with some of you growers. The success rate for them can be very high and the mailing cost very low. I will have extra cuttings to trade in a few weeks from now.

This is the main way my father and I exchanged varieties. We would place several cuttings in a freezer bag, mist lightly, and seal, leaving some air in the bag for cushion. They would travel well for at least 3 days this way. I'm surprised no vendor has offered varieties using this method.

MissyWeitzel

Teddahlia I've noticed you don't often reply online to praise over your varieties, your knowledge and all the input you give into discussions here and in the dahlia forums on Facebook and I totally get that and I don't want to add to any weirdness. So let me just simply say thank you!
A friend told me she shipped unrooted cuttings with the base wrapped in damp paper towel and it worked great, even when going from the west to east coast. I saved a bunch of clamshells from fresh herbs for that very purpose. I can't wait to test it out myself. Guess I better start letting my sprouts get a little bigger. 😅

KitCMC

Teddahlia I would imagine it’s also much less stressful for the cutting to travel this way than once it’s rooted.

calico20hill

SteveM I can see where that would work well if the mail was trustworthy. A few years ago one could have counted on it. Now the mail delivery is so messed up in many areas one could not count on it getting through. I know my last community on the Island has had terrible mail service for months now, and it has to do not only with change in the system, but in situations affecting rural delivery and staffing. IF they don't have enough people working then the mail just can't be delivered in a timely fashion. We might need a pony express for deliveries of live materials....

MissyWeitzel

SteveM What a great idea! Did you do anything else special when shipping or just put them into a box?

SteveM

calico20hill Unrooted cuttings should last as long in transit as a rooted cuttings. Would have to run a test to see if wrapping the ends in moist towels, or similar, would extend the TTT (Time To Travel🙂)

SteveM

MissyWeitzel Just in a box that couldn't be easily crushed. It's been over 20 years so I don't remember if we wrapped the ends in wet towels or used plastic floral tubes or used nothing. I just remember using air-proof baggies with a very light misting. (no water sloshing around in the bag). It would be easy to experiment by packing unused cuttings in various ways and then place them in a dark box for several days tofind the best method. Also, this is something that we would do during the summer but for commercial use I would recommend only using cuttings taken from a clean environment. It is too easy to transmit mites, thrips, etc. when stock is taken from the field.

Teddahlia

Shipping unrooted cuttings: I will not place the cuttings into a box and will use a re-cycled bubble wrap envelope from Amazon. Steve Meggos wraps a small piece of damp paper towel around the bottom of the cutting and then wraps that end with aluminum foil. The leaf end of the cutting will be cushioned by a space cut into a styrofoam sheet . I expect weight will be 2 ounces and it will go by First Class Mail. Shipping will be about $4.00 plus or minus a bit for distance.

AKWindWatcher

Teddahlia I'd be interested in hearing how this goes for shipping longer distances. Like from you to the East Coast. Sounds like it would make things much easier!

Teddahlia

AKWindWatcher There is a "special" type of person who can root the cuttings and a beginner would not be a good prospect. Having said that, the cuttings are excess and what you get from the other person is a bonus. I think we underestimate the ease of doing this. Remember they ship live chicks. In the 1950s you could order tomato plants bare root and they had long white roots. Strawberry plants shipped bare root also. We bought coleus bare root cuttings and they shipped just fine.

AKWindWatcher

Teddahlia Very true! I get bare root plants regularly myself. Tried some African Blue Basil that came from Hawaii. It grew just fine but hated being in a greenhouse for the winter. I'm not sure why herbs really don't do well there. Lavender plants are always hit or miss too. I've just started treating them as annuals now.

Krista

Well, I've finally signed up for a membership with the ADS and my 2023 Classification and Handbook of Dahlias arrived today. Let my education begin! I'm looking forward to getting a better handle on the abbreviations for bloom forms and size and finessing the ability to determine specimens displaying excellent form per show quality. I have lots to learn about what "show quality" means, so any additional resources folks here can throw my way will be very appreciated!

JessieC

Krista I joined too! And the guidebook arrived last week. There isn’t a chapter in Virginia, from what I know. I think my closest local one might be closer to D.C. Either way, I look forward to learning more. I might even go to the Capital Region show in September. 🤗

blown_dry

AndreaB Glad to hear it. We formalized that into a new feature this morning.
https://www.dahliaaddict.com/supplier/open-date

Krista

JessieC Oh that sounds great, will you need to travel for the Capital Region show? And will you be entering blooms? I’m not sure my Seattle Dahlia Society is very active - I’ve sheepishly begun moonlighting at the PDS instead. I’m feeling the same way though, I just want to sit in and listen and learn and absorb everything I can right now. I have everything to learn and it’s very exciting!

JessieC

Krista Oh it’s a few hours away, and I’d just go to learn and meet people, not to show. Maybe someday!

Krista

JessieC Very cool!

edewitt

So far it looks like I lost about 80% of my tubers I had stored away. Our cold room stopped being cold since I checked it a week and a half ago. Just a ton of moisture in the containers so it looks like I'm never using cedar chips again despite using that method in past years. I probably would've been better off leaving them all in the ground since it was a milder winter than last year. It's all more than a bit disheartening but at least I have tubers I've ordered over the winter. I hate learning new lessons every year.

EDIT: It was the same method I used for storing last season and I didn't have any issues with it.

MissyWeitzel

edewitt oh no!! I'm sorry to hear that. 😔

Krista

edewitt Oh gut-punch, ugh-sorry. This is our collective nightmare, especially when operating business as usual with our tried and true storage methods. I’m very sorry. I’ll be happy to offer the extras I’ve ordered for the season but I have a sneaking sense you’ll end up with more standout varieties from other folks here.

AndreaB

edewitt That sucks, Eric. Sorry. Dahlias are such Divas.
And I agree, there isn’t a “right” way. It’s whatever works in your environment. Unfortunately, the supplies you use are another variable in the equation.
I used 2 storage methods this Winter. I always wrap in Saran, but wanted to try storing in vermiculite. It’s much simpler putting them in boxes and covering in vermiculite. I used coarse and medium grades. In my mid-winter checks, I noticed the ones stored in the coarse V were drying out (compared to the medium V). I had extra medium, so I wound up swapping it out. When I checked again (a month later), they were storing better, but there’s no comparison to the ones I wrapped.
The wrapped ones look as good today as they did in October. Wrapping and unwrapping is so
time-consuming, but that’s the method I have to use… at least until I can figure out a way to justify
a temp-controlled cooler!

KitCMC

edewitt I’m really sorry. Winter hasn’t been kind to you these last few seasons. I am also happy to share anything I have extras of if you’re feeling light on tubers this spring.

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