When do they come up?

I left my dahlias in the ground over the winter. Someone told me that if I covered them with a plastic tarp, they wouldn't rot, so I tried that! I'm wondering when I can expect them to come up.

I planted from cuttings last year. I've been doing that for a few years with great success. I did dig down and there are tubers down there, so I know they didn't rot over the winter.

Just wondering when I can expect to see them start to come up.

I just noticed some little shoots last weekend - I've been putting out slug bait for a couple of weeks to prepare for this.

I'm in Zone 8, so I might be a little ahead of you, but put your slug bait now or those little buggers will eat the shoots before you even know they are coming up.

anne

I have already lost a couple of sprouts (on the ones that I have temporarily growing in pots) to those critters. Yes - baiting is a must.

I dug up a plant yesterday to divide for a friend, and boy, did it have a ton of little spouts coming up! I hope I didn't hurt it.....I ended up removing a lot of mushy sections... I wonder if the mushy parts would have hurt the plant if I had not removed them. I don't dig up the tubers every year, and have wondered if I should.....

Soilsandup, how long can you keep them in pots? I now have lots of extra tubers I don't know what to do with and I don't have a place to plant them right now.

thanks

anne

anne

Anne - this is only my second year with growing dahlias in any quantity (like 15?) - unlike many of the people in this forum who have a lot of experience. The few dahlias that I have in the past, I have left them in the ground since they will overwinter here for me. I have noticed that they declined in vigor through the years, so I should have lifted them periodically and divided them. But, since I received that box of tubers from Todd and then later from Poochella (thanks again to both!) and I have been following some of the threads in this forum, I know a little more about dealing with dahlias. I am thinking that I can get away with dividing every third year since I am a lazy gardener.

I am hoping to get my plants into the ground in about a month or so. I am waiting for some of my Amaryllis belladonna leaves to die back so that I can see where I have bare ground to plant some of the tubers. I supposed you can keep them in the pot for quite a while since it will be similar to buying them as full grown blooming plants in pots from the nursery???

There will soon be a thread starting on keeping the tubers in the pots, and sinking the whole pot (plastic) in the ground. I am very interested to hear what people's experiences with that is.

Dianne

Gwen, My dahlias are just showing their faces now. You are colder up there so it may be a bit yet for you to have any shoots coming thru the ground. Have patience! They should be coming soon once we get some heat/sun!
As for covering with plastic, that isn't going to stop them from rotting. If you have the tubers in good soil, they should be fine. But if clay soil...............who knows..................
Carol

So good to see you Carol! You Oregonians are far ahead of us. It's cold and gray and misting heavily outside. Blah- after such a great winter, March and April have made up for the lack of winter rainfall. Last year was the nicest April I remember in 20 years here. This year I won't be planting outdoors til way into May I bet.

Hi Annie, good to hear from you too.

Yes, the weather this year sure isn't like last year. It was wonderful as a spring!

Things here are still slow tho due to the cool weather and rain. So I can imagine you would be planting late this year.

I went out to look at my dahlia tree and I don't see 1 shoot/stalk coming up at all. Wonder if I have lost it due the cold? I had it covered very well with fiberglass all around it and had the dahlia tree stalks inside of the fiberglass covering the ground up to like 2'. So hope I haven't lost that beautiful tree!

The big reason I need them to come up is I need to know which ones aren't going to come back so I can buy new to fill them in. The guy I buy from is out of the country at the moment but when he gets back in early May, he'll sell out quickly, so I need to get my order in! :)

I have these in good soil and a bit raised off the ground (in mounds), so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Gwendalou my Mom's in 7b in WhiteRock BC and her's usually show up the first week of May. She doesn't cover her's though so loses alot to rot.

Guess what!?! When I went home at lunch and glanced at my plot as I drove in, I think I saw little green things coming up!!!! I'll have to look more closely when I get home tonight. VERY exciting.

It will be so great if the plastic covering thing works. Plus it means I'll have 2-yo tubers at the end of this season and can divide for even MORE dahlias!!!!

Bad news. Those little bits of green were WEEDS. LOL What a disappointment that was! Guess we all know what I'm doing this weekend...

Bummer! I noticed last night I have some spectacular dandyia lionus specimens already.

My dandelion crop is doing gloriously. Oh, wait, that's supposed to be my veggie garden, it 's been overrun!

My soil is pretty good, but I still find some mushy tubers when I dig them up to share. I always have plenty to put back in the ground, but I am wondering if the mushy parts would affect the rest of the plant if I DIDN'T remove them.....

with over 60 varieties now, I just can't imagine pulling them all up every fall! (yes, I am obsessed. Swan island loves me) I've heard mixed reviews on covering with plastic in the fall..... anyone had luck with that method?

I guess this is the wrong thread for these questions and comments.

anne

I guess I can let you know if I had any luck with the plastic in a month or so after they come up/don't come up. From digging down to the tubers, I am very hopefuly that I had great luck!

I'd be happy to dig mine up every year, but I worry that they will do worse in my damp garage than they will do in the ground where they belong normally.