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Post by Rosefriend on Oct 9, 2015 17:14:45 GMT
Guys do i still need to carry on giving my dahlias food? And what happens when the winter comes, I know loys of you take them out of the garden and store in a dark place I think, but im thinking it may be OK to leave mine in the soil? have they died right back when you remove the tuber. My 'Nuit D'Ete' is doing great lots of flowers but the other one only has one, not sure why. Nope - stop the food, they need to stop growing wendya . The first frost will finish them off (very technical explanation!!) and as far as leaving them in the ground, I am passing you onto others - I definitely can't.... Amber, Tig, Ladygardener, Jilly
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Post by Tig on Oct 9, 2015 18:49:51 GMT
Yours may be OK left in over winter in the city. I leave mine in now and they take their chances, but I do mulch them with some extra compost & cover them with fir tree branches to keep the worst of the frosts off them (or snow if we get any).
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Post by Ladygardener on Oct 10, 2015 6:17:25 GMT
I've had good success lifting and storing mine and then bringing them on early spring or late winter. Some I have left in the ground do come back but are much later than the ones I've lifted and brought on. I'm seriously thinking that I'm going to lift mine from now on, if we get a wet or cool summer like we did this year, then they don't really catch up if I leave them in the ground. I do have the space to overwinter them after I lift them and the temp out back does'nt go below 10 most days and 5 at the very lowest so they're usually ok. The one thing I would say is make sure they are well dried off before you wrap them in newspaper and check throughout the winter to make sure thy're not rotting. Where you live I'd say you'd be lucky enough to leave them in the ground. Do beware of slugs and snails when they start to grow 'tho as they can decimate young foliage, even in pots.
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Post by wendya on Oct 10, 2015 10:34:12 GMT
Thank you guys, I must admit the one from last year came up very late and is only starting to flower now, I am in 2 minds now, as not really got anywhere to store, so what do you actually do when you dig up the tuber, sorry i have no idea. At this point im presuming there are no leaves when you lift them? I am not sure what you mean Ladygardener, by storing and bringing them on?
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Post by Jilly on Oct 10, 2015 11:10:42 GMT
All I can tell you wendya, is what I do, I'm on the south coast so can certainly leave them in the ground temperature wise, but like Ladygardener, find that the ones that I do get going a lot slower in the Spring. Some I do leave in the ground, well raised beds like yours, I have to as after a couple of years the tubers get so huge it would be physically impossible to store them indoors & I find that these are fine, I just cut them back & put an upturned pot over them to keep off the worst of the wet. The younger, smaller tubers that I have in pots I either lift & replant in old compost and keep them in an unheated growhouse, or the porch, or lift them, dry them off then wrap in newspaper & store in a cool dark place indoors. I haven't got central heating though, which is probably why I get away with that. I would say though that bringing them in & storing them is a lot of faff (which I'm trying to eliminate from my life ) and to be quite honest I was ill this time last year & they all got left in the ground or where shoved very unceremoniously into spare pots and bunged anywhere undercover that I could think of & they were all absolutely fine. And if you do lose any, new dahlia tubers are quite cheap to buy in the Spring and if we didn't lose any, we'd never have any room to get different ones
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Post by Ladygardener on Oct 10, 2015 16:08:53 GMT
wendya, I agree with Jilly about getting new ones in springtime Last year I did something similar to Jilly and theinsidegardener did as well with the ones I had in pots. I just left them to dry out, I cut back all the leaves and stalks and just left about 4cm or so sticking out. Then I set them under one of the shelves in the gh outside and sprinkled a few slug pellets around the ground. I did'nt loose any at all although we did'nt have a cold winter. It's possible to loose some when digging them up, I've dug right through them before now. About february time I take mine out of storage, repot them and the ones I store in pots and start watering them. I have an outside yard space with my boiler in it and it's covered with perspex so stays above 5c or 10c.
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Post by wendya on Oct 11, 2015 11:31:09 GMT
Thanks both I think i will leave where they are then and chance it, as really no space to store, and do think they will be ok here as they are in a sheltered spot
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Post by wendya on Nov 26, 2015 11:37:14 GMT
Is it not good to chop the dahlia down, it looks a complete mess now scraggy and hanging
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Post by Rosefriend on Nov 26, 2015 12:16:12 GMT
Is it not good to chop the dahlia down, it looks a complete mess now scraggy and hanging Dahlia's always get chopped back each year wendya - if they survive you will have new growth next year..
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Post by andy on Nov 26, 2015 12:23:18 GMT
Yeah cut them back to about 4" from the ground then, if you're going to leave them in, give them a good mulch with dry leaves, compost etc....around 6" deep. I mulch my semi hardy stuff such as Agastache with a good 6-8" of dry, newly fallen Beech leaves.
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Post by wendya on Nov 26, 2015 13:11:33 GMT
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Post by Dutchy on Dec 1, 2015 9:18:09 GMT
Depending on how warm your winter is you may decide to dig them up but if you get hardly any frost you might succeed leaving them in. I would put a thick layer of mulch on though. Whether it is straw one normally puts in a rabbit pen or a heap of fallen leaves does not really matter. As long as it is over a hand depth.
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Post by Ladygardener on Jan 15, 2016 18:22:51 GMT
So here we are again,thinking about and maybe even starting to buy, our Dahlia for 2016. I've bought 2 recently in Dobbies but will check those wrapped in newspaper out back and in their pots in the gh. I'm not intending to buy many this year, only those I simply can't resist. We have to pass a good GC outside Dublin tomorrow and may pop in and see if they have any on sale yet.
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Post by Dutchy on Jan 23, 2016 10:21:04 GMT
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Post by Ladygardener on Jan 24, 2016 7:48:12 GMT
Oh dear, did I ever Dutchy. Jenny and I have both added about 14 or so more to our collection. We just could'nt help ourselves and you know, a good few of the ones I'd wrapped up in newspaper to overwinter were quite small tubers so likely won't make it. Well that's just one of my excuses.
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Post by Dutchy on Jan 24, 2016 9:59:05 GMT
Why any excuses at all? You are going to give some lovely Dahlia a nice home and so is Jenny. No excuses needed at all I have two that appear small but usually they set off like no time when they get a chance to grow and this year the Dahlia will be in full sun again so they should romp. I have one still in the ground as an experiment. It has been soaked ( november december ) I has been frozen maybe ( january ) but sits under a thick layer of mulch. But when it makes it I might well adapt a new Dahlia stategy and mulch like mad on a bed that sits higher and leave them in.... Mind you when we do get normal february temps of minus 20*C it is bye bye. Ah well
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Post by Ladygardener on Jan 25, 2016 7:26:25 GMT
I like your thinking Dutchy. I know frost is a killer for them but with lots of mulch and a bit of a raised bed they should stand a good chance. Part of the reason I don't leave them all in the ground is that 1. it's the wet that rots them over here and 2. They won't start into growth early enough for me in springtime. I like to see them start into flower a bit earlier than September or October!
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Post by Dutchy on Jan 25, 2016 8:41:26 GMT
I did think about that Ladygardener and decided to cover with clear plastic somewhere in April. Then after some days get the mulch away but keep either a cloche or the clear plastic on the plant and see if the added warmth will get it going faster.
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Post by Ladygardener on Jan 25, 2016 13:23:03 GMT
Good idea Dutchy. Amber have you started any of your Dahlia off yet? I've set a few out back in seed trays as I usually do. I'll do more each week.
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Post by Amber on Jan 29, 2016 20:10:08 GMT
That's a good idea Ladygardener, I've not set mine up yet....am waiting to get some mpc...soon !! as I',m not showing now there'snot too much of a rush
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Post by Ladygardener on Jan 30, 2016 8:09:03 GMT
A few more Dahlia arrived this week, Jenny had ordered them from an offer on GW. Plenty of time then Amber if you're not showing.
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Post by andy on Feb 4, 2016 12:39:32 GMT
Anyone grown "Bishops children" from seed ? Bought a packet and wondered if they're any good
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Post by Rosefriend on Feb 4, 2016 18:51:14 GMT
Anyone grown "Bishops children" from seed ? Bought a packet and wondered if they're any good Yes I have andy, and I think Ladygardener did as well - sure there was someone else... They are great - some are really worth overwintering - the rest, bin or give away !!
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Post by Ladygardener on Feb 5, 2016 7:56:29 GMT
Yes andy, I've grown them, I've never gotten the variation seen on the packets and all of mine are an orange/red colour but they're good plants.
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Post by Barbara on Jun 4, 2016 9:31:51 GMT
Rosefriend, Tig, Ladygardener, wendya, Jilly, andy, Dutchy, Amber, (Tagged by RF) I planted mine a couple of weeks ago, nothing is showing so I dug a couple up, they have grown white roots but no top growth at all, any ideas what's wrong there, I've put a couple in pots to see if they will start.
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Post by Tig on Jun 4, 2016 13:37:20 GMT
No sign that s & s brigade have eaten the new shoots off is there Barbara? I found three that were left in had sprouted, then they were decimated by the slimey pests. Some of mine are only just starting to put on top growth.
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Post by Barbara on Jun 4, 2016 14:03:12 GMT
I can't see any sign of damage Tig, it's more like they haven't started.all 5 are the same.
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Post by Tig on Jun 4, 2016 23:04:40 GMT
Are they tubers you lifted last year Barbara? There can be a problem if you remove the old stems right back to the tubers, it makes them 'blind' and struggle to shoot. I'm no expert though, mine just take pot luck.
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Post by Ladygardener on Jun 5, 2016 6:23:24 GMT
Barbara, A few new ones I bought this year did'nt sprout at all and were real duds although I have a couple with just a few shoots on them while I have others with buds. If you're sure it's not S&S then it could be they need more time or they may well be duds.
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Post by Amber on Jun 5, 2016 7:00:49 GMT
If you have tubers that haven't started sprouting, check round the base of the stem, you may see/feel little bumps, if so spray with tepid water to encourage them to shoot. If you feel really brave.....pour boiling water over them, Ive heard that this should shock them into growth. I've not tried this personally though. I find putting the tuber in a bag of barely moist compost for a week or so (in the dark) will start them off......
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