Panic Attack - My tubers arrived fro Christy Park!

Gulp! I feel like it's Final Exam time, but I'm not ready! My 18 tubers arrived and now I suppose I am to put into practice all that I've learned from this forum.

They have little 1/4"-1/3 sprouts! The tubers are so dry. Not dried out by any means, just dry, beautifully dry. I wonder how they do that?

I can't put them outside for about 3 weeks. I have a heat mat, but limited space under lights. I have 5 tubers of plants that are supposed to be 36" high that I wanted in pots.

Fopr the other 13 that go into the garden, do I bench them to try to make more, or bench them to get a head start, or pot them in 4" pots to try to get an early start, or hold them on the kitchen counter until May 1 or what?

I got 3 gratis tubers, one of which is called 'Camano Phantom' -- looks pretty in the pictures online, but does anybody know how tall it gets? Choices are 36, 48, 60 inches. Any taller & I'm going to toss it. Mone, you have grown this, do you remember the height?

Thanks!
Suzy

You are in exactly the situation I am in, only I'm panicked to the tune of 150+ tubers. I've benched 8 flats, and cuttings are sprouting faster than I can cut!!! My tubers are dry, too; they seem to be drying faster than when packed up. I've unpacked everything and moved them into dim light.

Someone help us!!!

Dry doesn't mean dead, eye means alive.

I would either start them up in the small pots or put them back in storage with small eyes until it's time to plant.

Suzy, I would ziplock bag them up with slightly moist soil myself. Put them in a slightly warm place in a flat. I don't like to pot up tubers but that is me.
If you don't want the tall ones, I will take them, LOL They are great for the back of the row.
As for 'Cameo Phantom', I just love that one!!! I got that one from Pit./Mone here and it is one of my favorite. I can't say really on the height because it was behind the overwintered dahlias so it took awhile to get going. But my plant was like 4' tall.
Carol

Ah, good. A nice concensus. LOL! Now I need a tie breaker vote on whether to pot, store or put in a baggie with some moist mix (or is that last choice the storage method?).

Al, they aren't dead and dry, just not moist like the ones I have stored here. I guess I haven't got the hang of storage yet.

Another panic is I don't have any stakes yet! I don't even have an idea on them except trying to find pre cut rebar from my unhelpful Lowe's. I don't even know where there is a real lumber yard here. I am not sawing them in a parking lot, and neither is Mr. Clean (believe me!) This weather has set me back emotionally. I've been a wreck because I have already planted out so many plants (when I shouldn't have) and they're all going to freeze to death. 22° is very, very cold!

My list from Christy Parks is

Alfred Grille
Blended Beauty
Bumble Rumble
Diamond Rebel --Tall
Giggles
Comet
Robert Too --Tall
Hootenany
Jomanda --Tall
Mary's Jomanda
Red Velvet
Umpqua Magic
Hannah Baker --Tall
Normandy Wild Willie
GW's Babe -- not sure why I bought this one, there are several above that have the same colors.
and the gratis tubers are
Woodland's Naomi --Tall
Valley Porcupine
Camano Phantom

I thought it looked like a fabulous list, but you can tell I'm not a real dahlia person because so many of them are bicolors....a sure sign of a garden grower.

Suzy

Suzy, I posted on a WS roundup thread over a week ago asking whether you would be able to join and swap wartime stories & plants. I would have tubers for you. Guess you didn't see it.

Anyhow, Camano Phantom grew 7 ft for me the first year, nearly 6 ft last year. I didn't have a lot of blooms last year, though.

Carol, Al and everyone, is it a good idea to chop off half of a large tuber to encourage blooms? The dahlias planted with large single tubers didn't seem to give me as many blooms as before, whereas those with iffy looking tubers bloomed their heart out.

Oooh, that's tall. That's taller than any stakes I *will* have. Yup, that's too tall. Hiya, Mone, You're right, I didn't see the post. I was just there and could have picked them up, but I over ordered instead. I just lIke to do my part to help out with the small business ecomony. ROLF!

You won't believe this, but I have no idea what a WS round up is...Wisconsin? Wintersowing? I'll go toddle over to the round up forum and see if I can't figger it out on my own. In any case, I will have tubers to send off myself because I over ordered by 20-30. Or if anything lives from the fridge, by 70-80. I think I am like Tod -- treat them as annuals and buy new every spring. Of course if my tubers live, I might be singing a different tune :) We'll see.


Thanks for both the offer and the info on Camano Phantom.

Suzy

Hi Suzy,

Some comments on your purchase from Christy
Jomanda I would not consider tall in my part of the country its about 4.5 feet
Mary's Jomanda is a sport of Jomanda and grows the same except for its color.
GW's Babe is outstanding show and garden dahlia.
Hannah Baker is my origination (named for my granddaughter) picture attached. This grows about 5 feet and sometimes lower. A show dahlia that won Best Lc in show for me at the 2006 National show.
Valley Porcupine ---A true garden/show dahlia. I grow it in my front yard about 3.5 feet and I support it with an upside down tomato cage which can't be seen after the middle of July. ( I will attach a picture of my winning entry at 2006 National shop. This is a very easy dahlia to grow and very prolific with blooms all season long.
It's much too early to plant out in your area. I would keep them in a dark cool location ---store in a paper bag with a little moist potting soil.
Picture: HANNAH BAKER Best 3 Bloom BB Lc in National Show 2006
Steve_D

Here is a picture of Valley Porcupine Best 3 Novelty Closed in 2006 National show.

I chopped off part of at least 20 tubers to fit them into 8" pots (half filled or less) A little sulfur dust on the cut and bingo___in they went. My starting medium is half peat moss and potting mix, until I ran out of potting mix___then straight peat. They've been planted about 7 to 14 days; many in almost dry peat. Dug up a couple who were really dormant and 1/8" eyes starting.

Know how in stores in dry peatmoss you find them coming? Hang in there and don't overwater. Warmth, light and time will do it's thing. A combination of too much heat and warmth may start rot in very damp starting medium. They are dying to take off and you soon will find shoots coming.

Well, there ya go, Steve. I can take all my prize winning dahlias and head up to Bristol for the show. I would probabaly get them all mad at me for taking home all the best ribbons! hahaha!

Hannah Baker is wonderful. I think she and Blown Dry are the two I am most looking forward to seeing this summer.

Thaks for the help. I put the tubers in a box and put the box in the cool dark closet. A couple of the eyes appeared to have grown about 1/2 inch from yesterday until today. YIKES! Those puppies are ready to go!

Suzy

Here you go, Suzy:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/wtrsow/msg0323521226033.html

Okay, I'll run on over. BTW, thank you so much for thinking of me but I don't need any tubers at all. I already know I do not have room for the ones I bought, much less the ones I got from Tod and had myself that are in the refrigerator.

Didn't you post that they were sprouting sometime this winter? How did that work out? I thought you were nearly on the verge of losing them all by the tone of the posts?

Suzy

Yes, they sprouted. I had no choice but ignored them. I just trimmed the sprouts and laid them in trays right now. I lost several, but still have more than enough to plant this year.

I had mine on the cold cement basement floor in damp peat and when I checked, last week, some had foot long sprouts. Now they're under lights and I'll be pinching and cutting again today.

Though I know from reading these threads that the stakes should go in the ground when the dahlias are planted, if anyone is in need of stakes but wants to plant them outside (when soil temperature is 70) you can use golf tees to show you where it's safe to put a stake, until you get to buy them.

Pirl, that's a great idea! I flinch at the thought of all those poles protruding to 4' w/no foliage. DH will comment. Someone used the term "scout hole"- would it be OK to put a 2 foot bamboo stake with the tuber at planting out time? That way I can remove the bamboo and drive the metal stake when the plant gets larger.

Pitimpinai, did you lose the tubers or the sprouts? I'm cutting and the tubers are sprouting- almost as fast as I can cut! I lost some cuttings due to me not giving them enough water, but the same tubers that produced the sprouts just produce more and more, while some others take their time. I wonder if this is a characteristic of the individual tuber or the cultivar?

I think I will have to pot up those sprout super-producers.

Scout holes sounds like an excellent idea and I see no reason why the bamboo stakes wouldn't work.

Which are your super sprouters?

From what Steve said, on some dahlia thread, some cultivars really are slower to get moving.

My #1 champion sprouter is Seduction. I already have 2 sets of cuttings from a pencil-thin tuber and it is making more with unbelievable speed. It's impressive b/c it is benched next to 6 other cultivars that are just breaking the eye stage- they've been sitting there the same length of time.
The rest of my over-achievers are:
Bonaventure (taken 1 cutting)
Blue Beard (2 huge sprouts grew @ same time- cut both)
Lovely Lana (1 cutting)
Kenora Frills (1 cutting)
the rest I can cut any day now:
Trelawny
Honka
Eldon Wilson
Again, these are all sitting next to other tubers who are barely eyeing up, or just sprouting!

can you still plant them after they have sprouted?

....uhhh, sorry to "bud" in. If anyone can answer, it would be much appreciated! I have some from Costco in a cool space but they have quite large buds. I was planning to plant them when it gets warmer. thanks, Eileen

This message was edited Apr 12, 2007 12:46 PM

thanks pirl!

This message was edited Apr 12, 2007 12:48 PM

Maybe the slow pokes need some caffeine?

Yes, Eileen.

Eileen, you're not "budding" in, we don't "leaf" anyone out!

When you say your tubers have buds, do you mean eyes, or actual sprouts coming up from the eyes? Some of mine just have red eyes just sitting there, most just have brown bumps that may or may not be eyes.

I can't wait to see what comes of all this hand-wringing! I am actually staring at my front stoop as I type b/c it's cold and my Swan Island order is on it's way! Gulp!!!
(Why do my plant orders always arrive 15 min. b/f DH walks into the house??? I get a big "What's all this mess??!!!")

GGAAAHHH! My lazy mailman tied my SI order to the mailbox!!! That dummy! It's freezing rain and hail out!
The tubers look good; hope they weren't frozen.

Quick question. How does SI package their dahlias at the retail level? I know how they package in bulk; however, I was just curious about retail. In wood shavings? Do you see what happens to the mind when going days and days with no sun and record amounts of snow? Experiencing snow in mid-April completely fails to meet my wonder threshold.

Somewhere out there in all the freezing rain, snow, and dark cloudiness is a beautiful day waiting to be discovered. I am patiently waiting.........................

This message was edited Apr 14, 2007 7:05 AM

DF, I am having a HUGE case of the "April Crazies" (I just made that up) myself!!! I am staring out the window, looking at mud and hail... all I can do is fuss over tubers!!! I even cataloged the gladioli I ordered!!!

I have two orders in with Swan. This was a small Priority box; the tubers are in damp potting soil. There is a neon green label attached saying the names of the cultivar is stamped on the tuber itself. It is also noted how many tubers and which names are in the bag. The tubers are tubers, not clumps, and they are eyed up and in perfect shape. So, they save money on packing to spend it on beautiful catalogs. They included a "Spring Catalog". It's basically the same as the big one, with fewer pages. I still am staring at it, though... I can't believe flowers grow on this entire planet after today. And they're shouting about a Nor'Easter! Our TV weather forecasters are all worked up about it. That scares me!

My second order is much bigger; it's my b-day order. DH gave me a GC, so I got two new introductions, Peaches and Dreams and Jordan Nicole. I'll be benching those puppies. I wonder if my mailman is going to tie that box onto my mailbox? I hope he has rope! The problem is that I can't see out to the street from my house- large lot, plenty of trees.

Leave him a BIG note to ring your bell or your chimes, as you prefer.

Hi Jax, thanks for your response! It certainly looks like a bud... and pretty big. (see picture - I felt safer keeping it in the bag). Is it safe, do you think? Spring seems like months away....

Jax,

The Postman Always Rings Twice.................

Eileen, that's not a bud, it's a full-fledged sprout! It will have leaves very soon if you put it in the light! I guess we're not in the same lexicon; I think a bud is a flower bud, a sprout/shoot is the stem of a potential plant, and an eye is what the sprout/shoot will grow from.

I got my complete SI order this AM, and also my small order from High Desert! HD does an amazing job of packing. They put COLOR PICTURES on bags holding their tubers!!! How handy is that???

The mailman had the sense to drop the packages on my bottom step outdoors (still could have been chilled) and then left the rest of my mail in the box!!!! I miss my old mail man who retired. He'd drive everything right to my door if he saw my truck. He'd stop to chat, and always had biscuits for the dog.

I'd open that bag, Eileen, and make sure the tuber has some moisture, then give it light.

May-be I should go back to gardening 101 before I try planting these Dahlias :( ! Well, thanks for your patience Jax, and in the meantime could you suggest what I do with them? My sunroom is quite full (low growing Dahlias, impatient cuttings, begonia cuttings, cannas in pots, peony's in pots...not to mention my regular houseplants....). Since the growing season is so short here I wanted a headstart... but I was planning to plant the other 2 bags of dahlia tubers when safe (generally late May). Will it be too late then? Eileen

I'm in the same boat. The tubers that were sent to me in Feb. (plus a few that I wintered over) I benched and am now taking cuttings. I assumed I could pot or bench all my tubers... um, not gonna happen! My cellar light area is about full. Then I panicked and asked everyone here what to do! I did as pirl said: put each clump or tuber in a plastic bag with a bit of peat/potting soil and a name tag, then put them on tables where they get some of the light (I now have 2 banquet folding tables full!) Every day I go through with one of those 1.32 gallon wand misters and give 'em a drink if they need it. I leave the top of the bags open. I used the store-brand non-ziplock gallon bags that were about $1; they stay open better than the zip-lock type.

Some of these tubers are practically crawling out of the bags, some look as dead as door-nails! It looks like we're going to have a rainy spell, which will give me the chance to play. I want to go through all the clumps and tubers and see if I can divide them. I'll have to remember to make an extra tag.

Late May is our plant-out date in 6a; let's hope winter is over by then :-) We're getting the January we didn't have. Like paying back taxes!

Wow... your garden must be amazing! I guess I have some more work cut out for me... but hopefully it will be worth it! ps: you must be brave to start playing & dividing... or perhaps you have had years of experience???

I have a 2-acre lot of pine woods and swamp. I've been hacking away at it every year for 15 years, trying to get something besides moss and lichen to grow. I got in over my head w/dahlias b/c I had some trees removed that has opened up the South bank of my pond!!! Tomorrow I'm going to burn the brush. If we ever get a clear spell again, I'm breaking ground on a new bed. My goal tomorrow is not to burn the house down.

I don't really have nice gardens, mostly just experiment after experiment until I am satisfied!