Dahlias - Summer's End/Storage 2014 Part 2

Ok thanks. I tore off that tube and I'll put it in it's own bag.

These are part of Lynch Creek's blog about dividing dahlias and hope it helps us all (especially me) understand more about the chunk of stem needed for each tuber with an eye.

You can see in the first photo, the area I marked with white X marks corresponds to the removed tuber with X marks.

Have I made that foggy enough?

I copied to my desktop and it was larger. I saw the X mark. A good shot. I wish all the cuttings were so obvious. Seems like some have little neck but you can still see eyes so I take as much the eye portion and neck as looks reasonable and leaves some for other tubers in the clump. I even save some that are pretty iffy. Sometimes you get lucky. thanks Arlene.

Does this foliage look dead enough that I can go ahead and dig the tubers? lol I just finished digging and washing about 16 more. The temp is waaaaaay up to mid-30's. So I put on a Gore-tex rain outfit and braved the elements. I ran warm water through the hose. The tubers cleaned up really well and should be much easier to divide than the first 40 dirty ones. Those were my worst work ever. Hard to see where to cut with all the dirt caked on. Forget about locating eyes. I'll dig more tomorrow if we don't get more "snow showers." Heavy snow is forecast for Tuesday. It'll probably end up being sunny.

My Snowbound finnaly gave up the ghost, looks droopy from the low tempeture, but will leave it on for a few weeks. Anyone would like some tubers from it, I be glad to send some in the Spring when I get them to sprout. Also my clematis is still blooming, it just won't give up, Daniel Deronda and Ruutel, they try to compete. The newest plant is my Camelia Yuletide is ready to get her full blooming stage, few more week.

I love your clematis. They are beautiful.

Pirl, should I start a new thread. Was waiting til end of December so I could entitle it something like "Dahlias: Looking forward to Spring Part 1" What do you think? You said your machine starts dragging when the threads get longer.

My hard drive bit the dust and I was going to have Best Buy put in a new one. Was going to cost $250 plus the hard drive. But my son got a hard drive for $87, solid state and very very fast and installed it with all the software plus a movie and serious of books I want to read. He is the best.

Dan - all summer and fall we compliment each other on our beauties but yours are now longing to be cut down, washed, drained, and put to sleep! Mine look the same - must have had the first frost last night so we got a few more days than last year.

We're due for all day rain tomorrow and today was no bargain so my dahlias will have to be patient until Thursday.

Thanks for the kind offer, Etelka, but any white ones here just get earwigs. I have many buds on both Omoshiro and Ville de Lyon and if we get a few sunny days they just might open. It's nice to have clematises blooming in November and December and I've had Henryi blooming while it was snowing so the cold won't hurt them in autumn. In spring it's a different story: cold sets them back. Post photos when Yuletide blooms, please.

Mary - we need the thread now. Just got a new modem today and still the loading took too much time. Hurray for sons who know this good stuff!

Wow, Etelka! I've always been impressed by those who can build a computer!

He vas also inspecting the electronics on new airplaines, which cost $30,000,000 each. Only thing is when he plants something in the garden, he has a ruler end the plants have to be the same distance and in straight line. he thinks I have a jungle in my garden, no rime and reasan. I love caos, that is my whole life. Where I sit at my window, I am looking at my back garden and dreaming about my Spring garden, I guarantee it wont be in straight line. Etelka

No straight lines or perfect rows for me either, Etelka. To my way of thinking it just goes against nature. I've been to enough professional owned nurseries to know others think as we do.

Attached is a photo I took on one of our many visits to Eartheart Gardens, in Maine, where the owner/hybridizer Sharon Whitney, also doesn't believe in straight lines! If it works for her, it can work for anyone.

Etelka, you have a very nice looking son. Very professional. Sounds like mine in that they have this math, all things in a straight line. lol. He has a great sense of humor though.

New thread coming up.

We have migrated to here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1381046/
Dahlias: Looking forward to spring - Part I