No stake/no tie Dahia supports!

Maybe many of you already know about this already but I've never
seen this nifty no stake/no tie way to support Dahlias.
You could use this on other flowers (Peonies, Delphinums etc.)
that need support as well.
This method would be cheaper than other plant supports
which can be pricey sometimes.
http://www.dahlias.net/dahwebpg/Support/NoStake.htm

I could use that on a lot of my plants ;0)
Gloria

Ya thats what I thought too Gloria.

It took a long time to convince me that a tomato cage would support a tall dahlia, but they do work, and they work well. I don't think they're that cheap compared to a $2 stake and pennies for ties, but maybe I'm not a good shopper. The other drawback, if you have a lot of plants, is the space needed for storing the cages for the next season. There are pros and cons to everything, but for a moderate number of dahlias these are a good worry-free support system.

Go to rummage & garage sales. Always some tomato cages for sale, very cheap. I was on my way to Round Up in spring of 2008. Some little town in Iowa had city wide sales. I picked up about 20 cages at 2 sales, total under $5. Sometimes bend, but usable.

We go through lots of 5 gallon pails in our gardening. I picked up 100 of them one year at an auction sale for $15.

Bargains are out there!

Bernie

Dumb questions about the tomato cage idea:

Why can't they be used as they would be for tomatoes with the small end down?

Why are they used with the small end up?

Wouldn't big dahlias, 4 and 5' tall, still need rebar inside the cage?

Great finds Bernie, but you have a lot of giant greenhouses for storing said tomato cages out of the weather. I'd have a heap of rusty metal if I tried to leave them out in our rain/snow all winter and absolutely loathe wiry things that can't be stacked or stored easily in my limited space under cover. I don't mind stakes or the relatively small space they take to store.

Pirl, broader base side down provides more stabilization for the heavy plant. Sometimes, one has to tie, or wrangle in, a stray branch as they escape the confines of the upper, smaller rings of the cage, but they really do quite well.

It just sounds backwards to me, Annie. I'd think that as the plant grows and spreads it would be easier to have the widest part at top. I must be guilty of faulty thinking.

It seemed backwards to me too. I think it has to do with physics, which I stay as far away from as possible, especially in the garden. I don't want any science cluttering the enjoyment of gardening :) Everything I don't understand, I blame on a pleasant lack of training in physics.

I'll vote for that!

That was a great article. Thanks for sharing Cottage_Rose. I've seen people in my area giving away tomato cages under "free" on Craigslist. I wish I would have know about this modification, I would have gone and got them!! LOL

Small end on top makes sense to me because it keeps the plant from spreading out too far and might give better support for top heavy plants with big blossoms.
I've never had tomato cages rust on me but I simply stack them up and store them in my potting shed.

Due to full sun space restrictions I'm still keen on Pooches 2 to a rebar theory and the cages would make it difficult to prune out cross stalks for air circulation. hmmmmmm.

Dnut, even with hideous winds and heavy rain I've only had two leaners, no tipper-overs using that system. I haven't dug any of those yet to see how the tubers fared though. Be sure, I'll let you know.

Thanks Pooch. I will nag if you forget to share ^_^