Fertlizer

We are getting ready to put out last years tubers, and the spot for them is not very nutritious. What fertilizer do you suggest I work into the ground before planting the tubers? The ground may be slightly acidic as it is at the end of a tree line. Thank you. Karen aka liebran

hhhmmm..is it fast draining or does it hold water? Dahlias don't like thier feet wet, but they don't like too dry either...I suppose without seeing your soil, I would guess anorganic amendment would be helpful...tilit in loosen it up...a soil optimizer like 'John and Bob's Soil Optimizer' really works wonders...apply it twice a year...personally I like all purpose organic fertilizer like Whitney Farms 5-5-5...it has worked very well for me...If your soil isn't the best, you could try 'GroPower Plus' which has a soil conditioner in it...good soil = good blooms..good luck!

It has a good bit of clay in it, but we try to break that up when we are digging to plant the tubers. It seems to hold water for a short while and then drains pretty well.
I'll see if the garden store has the GroPower Plus tomorrow and start from there. Thanks. Karen

I think I'm trying 8 different kinds of fertilizer this year LOL. 14-14-14, 0-20-20, 5-20-18, Tomato spikes with unrecalled make up, 0-26-26, hut hut hut. Can't remember them all and will probably buy more to try too. There's a Peter's bloom product I'm using too.

Any bulb fertilizer will generally serve the purpose, just avoid high nitrogen late in the season. I'm with Sudhira: good soil gives you the best shot at good plants. Amend, amend, amend.

What do you think of this stuff? I ordered the 25 lb pail:

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/marine-cuisine.html

I like Fox Farm products, and it is a good fertilzer for starting your dahlias, but I wouldn't use it much after the first application as it is high in nitrogen, nitrogen make bih healthy green leaves and lots of growth...you want the middle number higher than the first ( NPK ) for buds/blooms...I use an organic balanced ( number all the same ) so that the plant take whatever it needs to produce...You can use their Big Bloom product if you like to help set buds and blooms...just my 2 cents...

Yes, sudhira, this is for the initial application. For later, I was looking at the Big Bloom, or I could use Alaskan MorBloom again, I had good results with that last year. My huge mistake last year was feeding them 0-10-10 fertilizer from the start! I had gotten some organic Bonsai fertilizer off Ebay actually.

Where is best place to get GroPower Plus? Who makes it. Thanks, Karen

www.gropower.com

It seems it's only available in CA! That's odd. Is there a mail-order source?

This might work:

http://www.quality-gardens.com/gardencenter.asp

This place is in Valencia PA...I looked at their site ,they have "Espoma Brand" It is an organic fertilizer...there are 2 you might use, "Flower-Tone" and "Rose-Tone"...You can begin with the 'Rose-Tone' as it's nitrogen is higher and will boost growth of the plant , then you can switch to 'Flower-Tone'...less nitrogen, higher phosphorus to encourage buds...

Find some humic acid and mix that into your soil, along with worm casting, over time your soil will improve!

Geeze. My mailing address is VAlencia, PA. According to their directions they should be about 6-7 miles from my house. Will have to check it out. Thanks, Karen

On that same note, I got an e-mail from Planet Natural that my Fox Farm Marine Cuisine fertilizer was out of stock, so I thought, what am I gonna use? So I go to the Fox Farm web site, and they have a page that tells you where to buy the products. And sure enough, one of the three dealers in all of New Jersey is in my town, 2 miles away. Went over and picked up a bunch. Seems like hyroponics shops are really good for organice fertilizer.

On the subject of Fox Farm, check out Beastie Bloom - 0-50-30!! For super flower production.

http://www.sea-of-green.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=430

If nothing else, I love the names Sea- of- Green give their products. Open Sesame, Cha Ching, Beastie Blooms. Very clever.

LOL...very cute idea!

Thank you, sudhira, for that Rose Tone-Flower Tone combination. I'll try it as it's locally available and gives me the chance to go to a nursery, as though I need more plants.

Pirl, that is a great rex begonia! Which is it?

I FINALLY get to use the bamboo hosta marker you made for me. Hosta "Remember Me" just arrived!!! It's GORGEOUS!!!

I hope that fertilizer works well for you...sometimes I just make my own concoction with mixing the 2 together, as I transition the numbers...I like gradual..just my way..and one could ALWAYS use new plants?? hahahaha

It's New York Swirl and I love it. Finally got it potted up with some playmates.

The Rex 'New York Swirl' is wonderful! So are the maroon petunias! I WSd some Dolchimissima (or somehting close) Flambe (somehting close) from Park Seed and they are the most God-awful color I have ever seen! Nothing like the picture in the catalog which was quite fetching! Love your maroon, tho. They would look good with some of my new Dark Blend Dahlias!

Suzy

It worked out well with the petunias.

Now you have me concerned because one of the Park's Seeds we have growing is 'Flambe' something. I hate when they aren't as they're pictured.

Pirl--I was going to comment on the Rex as well! Mine is a houseplant currently and looks so pathetic. I plan to bring it outside...how much sun, fertilizer and water does it need?


Jax--Remember Me is my favorite hosta! The coloring is gorgeous!

Tamara

"Remember Me" was 'dissed' on one of the big hosta seller's sites for being TOO DIFFICULT! C'mon!!! I only grow fool-proof plants! Then I read that they're trying to grow a hosta in VA. Hostas are better suited to a cooler climate- I can't stop them from growing! I have wimpy slugs, too!

"Remember Me" is a lovely name for any plant. I hope a dahlia hybridizer is reading this. Part of the wholesale profits of the "Remember Me" hosta goes to fighting breast cancer- The Susan B. Komin Foundation. It would be great if all popular garden plants had similar hybrids. Hybridizers are quick to name plants after famous people, but they could be used to raise money/awareness of worthy causes, too. I mean, I'm going to buy the plant/tuber/bulb anyway!

zone5girl - this is my first attempt at trying the Rex outside. I have no idea of what it wants but just fell in love with it.

Jax - I agree. I'm sick of names of their cousins or best friends, etc. So much better if the name supported a cause.

I'd do a little reading and maybe re-consider the combo. The rex can't take all the sun that the petunia will need to thrive. You might be constantly moving the pot from sun to shade.

Looks nice now however.

Thanks. It's in dappled sun/shade now so I think I'll leave it there until one of the plants gives me a sign it wants to be moved. By the time the helichrysum fills out the petunias can be deleted anyhow.

That's a nice combo in that pot Pirl, and on the table. And the brick pattern is intriguing as well.

I picked up some Whitney Farms Soil conditioner for no particular reason last week. It looks and smells suspiciously like my shredded leaves and compost combined, but has added kelp and bat guano. I've added that conditioner to about 50 dahlia plantings instead of compost and will just have to wait and see how it does.

Thanks. That's the edging of the brick as well as the pattern. Looks confusing but it's nice. I think it was Park's who sent some free kelp meal but since two are in bloom under lights I'll wait to give the dahlias the kelp meal until they're at home in the garden. I know I read, somewhere, that dahlias shouldn't get compost. Maybe it keeps them too wet?

That 'no compost whatsoever' line was Swan Island's steadfast advice for years. This year, I noticed they changed their tune slightly in their care manual to something like "if you must add compost, use a minimal amount....." Their concern seems to be based on the mystique about high nitrogen being bad for tubers. They haven't seen my rocky, clay soil. There was nothing hospitable for a dahlia tuber there years ago. I have had to add compost and topsoil just to get some worthwhile growing medium. It isn't high in nitrogen, but not lacking either.

So I got our dahlia society newsletter today: "Water young plants with nitrogen rich fertilizer weekly. Our favorite is liquid fish fertilizer. Nitrogen helps dahlias get established when moving environments ( such as from a 4 inch pot into the ground."

Who should one believe? Are there any studies about nitrogen and tuber storage or plant performance or is it just groundless 'knowledge' passed on year after year? I always wonder who has an agenda: a tuber seller who would benefit from your failure, or dedicated dahlia growers supposedly aligned to promote the plant and knowledge about growing it which also sells tubers as a fundraiser? Could go either way. The best thing is probably to experiment and see what works for you in your particular area. But don't blindly believe everything you read.

Thank you for the excellent post. I'll go with including nitrogen until mid June and then 0-20-20 unless someone has an experience to share or a better idea.

Remember if you keep it organic, you most likely will not burn the plant...high NPK numbers usually indicate chemicals...and chemical will kill the aerobic bacteria and beneficial fungi in your soil...google "soil food web" for more information...

Keeping it organic will ultimately improve not only the plant, but the soil as well over time...AND it will help encourage beneficial insects to come to your garden...cuts your need for ore work...

Thanks.

I use the Epsoma bulb stuff. I also add in composted manure before planting. I have some Alaskan organic fish stuff to try too(walmart).

Has anyone tried "Cock-a-doodle-doo" chicken manure?

Here's one scoop on poop Jax. Chicken manure is hot. I'm bartering plants and flowers for horse and chicken doo from my neighbor, but will compost them for next year. I love her: she recently got ducks too to help eat slugs!
http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm

Bagged and dried chicken poo sounds easier than looking for fresh to me! I've got to mix up some compost to fill my dahlia holes, so I may buy a bag and work some in- maybe 1/2 strength. It seems to me that the bagged chicken manure would have fewer weed seeds that other manures, but I may be wrong (and I'm not wrong very often :0) !!!)