Well Part Deux is up to 90 posts so I figured maybe we could move to a new thread showing our progress.
Now the foliage on this dahlia caught my eye as soon as it started slowly spreading after popping out of the soil. I bought it on ebay and the seller was unsure of the name simply naming it "Purple Crayon". She believes it may be "Hulin's Carnival" but wasn't positive. The picture provided on the ebay auction page made me skeptical it was that but we shall once it starts blooming.
My Carmen Lotus tuber finally sprouted but the color of the sprouts is a bit disconcerting for me since they are practically lemon yellow. Think they'll be alright or is there anything I should do for them? I'd really hate to lose this one because the blooms look so spectacular.
http://dahliasuppliers.com/accent/gallery/images/Carmen%20Lotus%20%281%29.jpg
Here's how all of the dahlias are progressing so far. I'm waiting on about 9 or so more to sprout. I have my doubts on a few of them, but it's only a matter of time for the rest of them.
Nice dahlia army! I had one with foliage like your first photo-very dainty (would that be considered lacy?), not like the usual 3 point leaf. It was Pasadoble, which is Anenome type, if that helps?
Is it possible your Carmen Lotus hasn't gotten enough sun in it's brief spouthood? The few times I had this happen, they greened up after a day in full sun.
Are you having much issue with rot? I am losing so many of my newest tubers lately and I'm not watering them and it's not raining. Not sure what's going on there.
Wow! The phrase "Dahlia Army" comes to mind! :) As to the yellow plants, not sure - more sun? More iron? Check the tubers for rot?
Ha! That's funny we both though Dahlia Army, he edited it to say.
This message was edited Jun 1, 2010 10:39 PM
No rot as of yet that I know of. I took the soil from my own yard (a bit of sand and clay-ish soil mixed together and mixed it with some bags of potting soil when I put the tubers in nursery pots. I let em get pretty dry and then soak them just a little bit more than I think I should and for some reason they all seem to be taking that method the best because once I implemented the "use a lot more water than you think you should" method they seemed to be a lot more active with the growth. My soil is well draining in the pots so maybe it dries quite quickly. I've been storing them in my garage with a heater keeping the garage around 75 degrees and that's helped quite a bit. I'm not recommending anyone else use this method because sometimes I scare myself doing this.
The Carmen Lotus is newly sprouted so maybe I'm getting a bit anxious over something that isn't too big of a deal yet.
My initial thought about the color of the sprouts is that it is yellowish because you are storing them in the garage. Do you have greenhouse lights on them? I agree with todgor - more sun. I would think that once you have them outside, with the sunlight, they should green right up.
How many plants you got there? It is quite an army. I thought that I had a lot at 23 this year. I usually only have 2-3 of any one types of plants due to limited space, so an additional 23 dahlias is above and beyond the norm for me.
Well the one tuber I was about 98% sure that wasn't going to sprout actually did sprout. Wynn's Eeekk!!! decided to pop it's head out when I was almost positive I snapped the eye portion off the neck planting it back in March. Alfred Grille & my variegated canna lily also decided to join us as well. It's gloomy as ever over here, we had a couple of days of sporadic sunshine but it never stays long. I really am envious of last year's weather now that I've lost about a month of Sunshine and 75 degree weather comparatively between this and last year so far.
It was high time that I transplanted these dahlia tubers. My new dahlia bed was not ready yet, so I placed these tubers temporarily in a shallow tray with potting mix - supposedly for a few weeks in mid-April - but ended up leaving them there for over a month. Some of the sprouts were about a foot tall.
This message was edited Jun 4, 2010 8:03 PM
Finally got about 9 in the ground last weekend. I planted a few near some fading Amaryllis belladonna that harbored a lot of snails - it is a good thing that I baited that area when I planted because there was about 8 big dead snails around the new transplants the next morning. This is my new dahlia bed and I have 6 of them here so far. Thanks a lot, Poochella!!!
Soilsandup-looking good. Don't blink, they'll be 3' tall before you know it. You show those snails who's boss! Thank god for whoever invented snail bait.
Need some advice Think these will be fine planted this far apart from each other? They're a little over a foot and a half apart. It'll be the only way I can get a majority of my dahlias planted out front.
They'll be fine at 18" apart (mine WISH they had that much room). You can always cut back any greenery that's crowding each other. Welcome to the My Eyes Are Bigger Than My Yard Space club.
Heh, thanks. Now my only concerns lay on the fact I still need to finish this flowerbed I've been working on digging up and the fact that Lady Liberty, Platinum Blonde, and Shinkyoku all have visible eyes with tiny sprouts but do not want to do anything and haven't for the past few months.
This is the first year I potted my dahlias instead of just sticking them in the dirt and I have been real happy with them. The weather was really warm for Michigan the last two weeks of May so I planted them and I have buds on one! I also have many more than usual (about 150), so they have been taking up a lot of time, stakes, seven dust for bugs, weeding, etc. I think they'll be worth it. When I get my first flower, I WILL post it.
I also potted my small dahlias; think they're called "Border Dahlias", that you can buy in flats. Haven't heard of anyone what digs and stores theirs, they just treat them as an annual. I've got those little guys all over the place and lots of them have buds.
Due to my laziness in finishing a flower bed and getting all these potted dahlias in the ground and the decision to water the dahlias this afternoon after work the sun today scorched a few of my dahlias and wilted a majority of them and I'm so mad right now and can't do anything about it. I watered the heck out of them, some have bounced back already, some have not. I bit off more than I can chew with this project.
ohhh.....so sorry to hear that. Hope they all bounce back for you. I
We got our first over 100 degree day yesterday - 102, and had about the same today. Most of mine are in the ground except for about 6 more. Pinched the tip of most of them over the last week.
Ed - they will grow taller and those damaged leaves can be removed, or might just fall off by themselves. It's angst now but you will get blossoms.
Ed-I second what pirl said. Mine get black all the time (it rains mid-day, the returns back to scorching sun right after). They still bloom and carry on.
Well it looks as if all but "Candlelight" bounced back from the lack of water. It wasn't looking good beforehand either though so I think I may have just overwatered it when it was already doing bad. Crap.
Glad to hear some good news, Ed.
I had two that kept me waiting for the sight of leaves until this week. I never gave up hope and finally they are springing into life. Here's Fantasie du Cap:
Here are my first blooms of the year. The flower in front has been identified as possible Brookside Cheri. The background shows Ms. Kennedy, and Golden Spectacle
Beautiful, Kays. Mines are still only about a foot tall after the initial pinching.
Those ARE beautiful kays-bravo. They look very happy and healthy. What's your zone up there? And do you start indoors?
Very nice, Kays.
We're zone 5 but this year has been especially warm and I was able to plant in the garden the middle of May instead of the normal first of June. That has certainly made a difference. Yes, I potted indoors this year for the first time and have been very happy with it. I had thought it would be way too much work but I really enjoyed fussing with them.
Here is Arabian Nights
I love that one. I have it and it never fails to make me smile.
Gorgeous plants and blooms! The indoor potting sure works wonders for extending the season.
My High Plains Majesty, Bee Happy, and Rae Ann's teacher look as if I might be getting some blooms from them in the near future. Hopefully before I head out of town this weekend I can post a picture or two of them.
Well Peppy and Peppermint (the skunks) have dug up all my dahlias every night and I have replanted them the next day. Hoping that the tubers haven't dried out too much. Some foliage has dried up but they are making new and there are buds on some. Peppy and Peppermint have been gently convinced to move on so hopin, hopin, hopin that all will be well. Don't have many dahlias this year as I lost so many in the flash freeze last October before tuber time :( Mignons don't seem to care ^_^
How nice to see you again, D'nut! Sorry about the skunks. I do hope they've moved out for good.
Yesterday I got my first blooms. Except for the fact that they're so colorful I'd have missed them.
Purty purty purty!!! Carrie likey!!!
Dnut-super cheery; pirl-prettily elegant, who is it?
Arabian Night if my notes (and memory) are right.
Wow. Love how purpley they are.
I don't think either of the dahlias I got from Tod are gonna make it. For some reason the Variegated Akita and Jewel Huston are very very wilty and not bouncing back. Candlelight, Edna C, and Citron De Cap are doing alright. Carmen Lotus looks pretty bad off but isn't wilty anymore.
