Life after Lack of Water

I'm still too sad to deal with all my dried out dahlias other than to cut them back to the soil surface in the pots but I did drag them out of the greenhouse to get some rain rather than their tap water diet. I moved them back into the green house tonight because too much rain and......
are you ready.......
THREE HAVE SENT UP NEW SPROUTS !!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Just had to share ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
ps. I rooted through all the dried up tubers last night at a garden centre and got some new ones including one of my fav borders, 'Berliner Kleene' but now I feel like a traitor (blush). shhhhhhhhhhh I won't tell if you don't.
pss Can you tell that I'm feeling much better about the whole disaster ^_^

congrats! So good to hear your babies are starting to do well. I start planting mine today & they look so good, it's kinda scary to put them in the ground. I "hate" to lose any of my babies. Cool!

It certainly was a luvly surprise davis. Also some of the local DG members have given me tubers that they've started too!!! I'm so touched that they would do that as some are tubers they've purchased this year and haven't had before. What a wonderfully generous group we have here! I'm holding off planting out yet cuz nightime temps still predicted between 35 and 40. Brrrrrrrr!

Yay! A rags to riches dahlia tale. We should start a sticky about our tales of terror and triumph. This is a triumph for sure. Way to go Canadian DGers!

2 more dahlias have sprouted YIPPEE!! One has two sprouts (wow twins- I'm poofing with pride) Only cut off dead stalks to the soil surface on those two. No water except to soak them when I got back (May 17th). I have removed everything down to the tuber on some where the tuber has shrivelled (sob) but still have healthy roots. I left the dead foliage on some that had green stalks cuz I didn't want to hurt the join and it looks like new foliage is sprouting where the old foliage joined the stalk on those!!!!

So...dahlianut...when is "Dahlia Day"?

I'm guessing not for a few days, given all this darn rain. But when do you usually put your dahlias in the ground? I haven't yet, but I'm sure itching to...

I've been mucking about out there Jo-South and in my full sun beds the soil is now warm enough to plant so once the monsoon stops "Dahlia Days" will commence ^_^ By the time I finish the full sun beds the part sun beds should have warmed up enough I hope. I find if you plant out before the soil is warm they stop growing for awhile here (maybe they think its time to go dormant?) As for any you're putting in containers any time my friend. One of my border survivers in a big container has a BIG bud already. I'M WTE!!!!

Thanks ma'am. Monsoon may never end it seems. Rain/showers forecast for the next 7 days.

(P.S.: Grow_Jo = Jo-North (by your convention, missy). ;-)

LMAO. I KNEW that, just typed wrong. Note to others: 2 Jo's in our Fooly Grown Garden Group and both DGers, both live in south Calgary but one is north of me and one is south so I call them Jo North and Jo South.

So much going on in Calgary. Jo-s to the north and Jo-s to the south! What, pray tell, is the "Fooly Grown Garden Group?" It sounds adventurous and fun!

Pooch this a great group that spun out of our Horticultural Society Forum. We're all a little nutsy about something so we get together and bond on a regular basis and share our nutsyness - garden visits, seed and seedling exchanges, hands on projects (this month-making a succulent ball), DG parties where we entice other innocent Canadian DGers into our web. Actually we plot to have garden parties all the thyme ^_^

This message was edited Jun 3, 2008 8:39 PM

Oh so fun! If I got the chance to visit Canada, I'd head straight for Calgary and join you. How wonderful that you have enough DGers to gather together! We had a good turnout of PNWers at recent local plant swaps as well; really a great group! I am trying to convert them to grow dahlias....

Pooch that would be GREAT if you came! I'm planning to head down to Montana to smooze with the RMers who are participating in the "Dahlias in the Rockies" thread so the addiction is spreading. AND I just mapped you. My parents are in White Rock and I'm a Mariners fan so I will DEFINITELY be by your way!! Maybe we could hook up in the Seattle for the big garden show next year!

Re Conversions: To think I started with a few car stopper/door bell ringer dinnerplates and before I knew it I had a dahlia op, and then a greenhouse dahlia op and was giving tubers away and doing workshops and turning the town into dahlia nuts!! Dahlias LUV our mountain clime and a big WOW factor so although we have a few challenges I'm sure they will become our city flower....our provincial flower... and our national emblem.... (ok I'm stuck in a monsoon so I'm getting a TAD punchy and carried away blush)

I'm due to attend the NW Flower and Garden show next year- stay in touch! You are probably the biggest Mariners' fan this year, and it's a pity that you aren't even a citizen LOL! They've had better years.... I have to google White Rock, never heard of it, but I am but a few paltry miles from the city.

How wonderful that you are spreading the dahlia enthusiasm word in Alberta! Guess the City Flower since 1913?
http://www.seattle.gov/CityArchives/Facts/symbols.htm

White Rock is right at the border. Go to the Peace Arch, blow a kiss at the border guard and your're there. Re Mariners: don't care how they do. Born and raised Toronto girl-Blue Jays fan. Just great to catch some MLB.

edit: That's in my workshop. 'National flower of Mexico, City flower of Seattle'. Are you a WA native? Maybe dahliaholicism is genetic LOL?

This message was edited Jun 3, 2008 9:58 PM

If I blew the border guard a kiss, they'd search my car for sure.... not that they'd find anything of interest. I would love to get back to Vancouver too, there are some large dahlia growers thereabouts.

There are dahlias galore in Skagit County WA not far from Canada. Such great soil, it makes me cry. We'll work on a plan for Feb 09 or August- dahlia time- if we miss the NW Flower and Garden Show.

LOL pooch just don't bring any dahlias with you. I'll be in touch about 09 plans.

Okay you're on! Maybe I can convince Daisyruffles to get to at least Seattle or even Bellingham and surrounding area. Anyone else? Lenjo? Mendy? Cocoajuno?

The NW Flower and Garden Show hosts at least 3 dahlia vendors.....Connell's, Swan Island and Sea Tac Gardens (with whom Todgor just had a bad tuber experience, but never mind that right now.)

You guys are having way too much fun here! Other than our county's garden club, (where you have to be a hundred & own a sugar plantation to be invited to join), I never knew folks got together to pay homage to the beauty of the dahlias, or any other flower in particular. I can't wait to see where all this leads those of you who can meet together. Make sure to keep posting! One final ?, how much longer till Dahlia DAYS? :)

davis you are already having Dahlia Day in your zone I believe lucky, lucky you!! The weather is looking up here, temporary respite from the monsoon so Dahlia Day(s) might just commence this weekend for me ^_^ I have to rearrange a spot for a dahlia hospital this year and it might be too mucky for that but all the rest will be introduced into their spots. New dahlia bed on hold now til next year cuz too many are hurt (sob).

That sounds interesting, Annie.
I do go to Bellingham every so often to see my mom, but I have been flying this past year instead of driving! I really want to come see you! So I will try to drive one of these times this summer. Mom needs to see Button again! Besides he would love to play with all your pooches too.
But if you all plan a deal, I will try to see if I can come up.
Carol

Yay Carol! My dogs would trample poor Button, but bring him anyway. We'll get protective gear for him. The neighbor came up with a mis-delivered box the other day and informed me that our new lab- 90 lbs, 3 ft tall greeted them in a garbage strewn kitchen at 7 a.m. having bellied down through their mere Brittany Spaniel's doggie door one a.m.! I was mortified, until I remembered how many times I picked up their garbage on our property while they were building their house. Eat fast food and drop wrappers on the ground was their motto. Clean up wrappers and take home was my dog's motto. Still, I was a bit mortified at the home invasion.

No Dahlianut, born and raised in the Midwest US until 1980, drove out to Seattle on Canada Hwy 1 right through Calgary- a beautiful trip! Turns out dahlias are rampant here and caught my attention in 1994. I did learn my grandpa grew quite a few in his gardens in MN, so perhaps a genetic link, but more likely dahlia lust after I grew a few.

Way cool Pooch! Great to know you're already an honourary member of "Fooly Grown" cuz driving through Calgary counts ^_^ I have 4th generation peony poppies in my garden passed down to me from my gram. I love heritage plants and family history that carries on our passon. Thanks for sharing Pooch.

So it's confirmed, I'm an honorary Fool? Yippee! I bow my head in humility.

I think it was either in Calgary or Edmonton that hubby had an unfortunate car accident with our little U haul hauling all earthly possesions. Only the vehicles took a mild beating, but the authorities got involved. We were but young foreigners in a foreign land.... Those Mounties are so impressive! I wanted to take photos of them, but decided against it :)

How are the formerly dehydrated tubers and sprouts doing dahlianut?

Well Pooch good, confusing and bad news. Let's do bad first - some are totally done like dinner -shrivelled no roots- finally hauled them out for disposal (sob). Confusing are some that are 1) rooting like crazy but no shoots-go figure. 2) Multiple new sprouts coming up from the original spourt. Acting like a perennial not a tuber. NO idea what to do??? Thoughts??? Great roots (yupper I'm checking down),. Good news: yes they have resprouted and are gonna be late bloomers but do I care NOT. Just happy to have them back. Note again: I have been gifted with dahlias from loving friends who enable me in my passion so this will still be a wonderful dahlia year for me. I might even say the BEST because of the support I've gotten over what happened. HAPPY ENDING no matter how my survivors fair IMHO. I will post final results re: survivors.

LOL Annie, I would be so embarrassed too but.................that is a dog for you LOL
Oh, Button plays with a Great Dane/black lab/German Shepard mix pooch and they get along great. It is so so funny to see them play, very big and very small LOL

Dahlianut, I would just plant the tubers and see what you might get. You may be surprised. I have just thrown tubers in my compost pile and they have grown there very nicely LOL It is amazing their will to live! I have also had tubers that didn't grow the first year come up the following year just fine.

Carol

Thanks Carol, just muddling through my disaster as best as I can. Hope we meet in 09!!

Dahlianut, sounds like the 'rooting, no shoot' ones have no eyes. I've kept them for weeks and weeks watching the beautiful roots form, but never a dahlia emerged. Can't hurt to keep them for a while yet in case they're just slow to show eyes.

The multiple shoots are common if the initial sprout died or gets cut off (as in taking a cutting) or broken off (as in "what a klutz!) I'd do as Carol/Daisyruffles says and plant those. You can always break off extra stalks as they emerge from ground level; or let them all grow. After a few times of breaking off, the extra shoots will give up, usually.

Carol, I love those ignored tubers cast away or forgotten in a corner or compost pile somewhere and then months later you find a plant trying its best to grow! They can be durable. Glad Button is accustomed to large friends. He is also a survivor!

I reiterate what wonderful dahlia friends you have up there. Three cheers for them and their generosity!

pooch everything I planted had an eye. I throw away tubers that don't no matter if they're rooting or not in the spring (I have guilt about it though). I think these just pooped out. I will put them in the dahlia hospital though just in case and restore my favs if healthy in the fall just in case.

Sounds like a good idea. No trouble in trying, they take up so little space. Dahlia hospital stat for the pooper-outers.

Had to show "my" Dahlia Days shots. It's so cool to watch the growth on these gems! I've tried to capture a portion of what I'm calling "Dahlia Road" (like the old song "tobacco road...row, row, row, row" or some such thing). lol.

thanks to all you guys I'm having such fun (and work too, lol) with my dahlias. I'm being optomistic but I bet (lucky me) that I'll be successful with my first season. hehe
Dahlianut , I'm gonna do a mini dahlia hospital myself, for the few I have left to get going. I'm counting on wisdom from the pros here to walk me thru it. Thanks guys & have a great day.

davis I think yours are going to show really well against the woods backdrop and they're off to a great start too. LUV the birdhourse!

Looks good davis! The woods is an excellent background and windbreak as well.

Heh, davis, isn't "Dahlia Hospital" on ABC? :)

Now THAT I would watch ^_^

Tod, I bet we could create our own "Dahlia Hospital", heck we could have our own little "MASH" unit right here. Hmmm...tod, you'd be perfect for Hawkeye. From what I've read, Al may fit well as Col. Potter. I'm thinking pooch for Hot Lips. Now we need a Radar, padre', oh yeah & Major Winchester. Hmmm....
LOL

MASH? I'm just picturing Winchester - "I grow one dahlia at a time, I grow it very well, and then I move on!"

Well WHO KNEW!!! Most of my luvly little pooped out, dried out buddies came back. I only lost 2 of my very favs. So now I have dahlias to share! Took some to the mini roundup last night and after planting out, planting out, planting out and planting out (YIPPEE!!! DAHLIA DAYS!!!!) realized I have a few more to give. I think there is a guardian angel of dahlias for sure or maybe the salt from my tears spurred them on ^_^ Anyhoo it took a month. I barely watered and there was no sun (Joon Monsoon). I only cut the dead plants down to soil surface for the most part and..... just in case it ever happens to someone else..... I sang to them every day (blush). yupper I sing to plants. Don't even ask about my attempt to grow trilliums here with campfire songs.

Good for you dahlianut!! Isn't it a great feeling to have what looked like a complete trash case come back so strong!! And now they are in the ground. Great.