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Post by binnylou on Dec 19, 2020 21:54:37 GMT -5
Mother Nature is starting early. When cleaning in the laundry room a few days ago, I noticed a foil baking pan on the grow rack. It was on a shelf above my head, so I handled with care since it was kinda heavy. It was mostly full of dried potting mix. On the surface was a dahlia tuber about the size of my thumb, all dried and shriveled, and sprouting. It was one from last spring that didn't get planted to the flower bed. I had lost its name tag, so I wasn't concerned about losing it to neglect.
So, I stuck it in a pot of growing mix, gave it a small drink, and put it under the lights with the rose cuttings. Mother Nature seems to have her own calendar.
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Post by Mumsey on Dec 20, 2020 4:44:23 GMT -5
I saved the tubers from the one pot of Dahlias I had this summer. Haven't checked on them since storing them. A first attempt for me!
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Post by binnylou on May 22, 2021 22:16:35 GMT -5
armjr...take a spin through some of the photos in this thread.
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Post by gardendmpls on May 22, 2021 22:55:18 GMT -5
some of the photos in this thread Pictures start on page 4.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Dec 17, 2021 11:18:58 GMT -5
I have been lacksidasical about my flowers but I am a little angry about my dahlias> It has happened for the last 3 times I have purchased them from Swan Island. Each year I get one that does not grow. This year it was 2. Thinking of going elsewhere., I haven't contacted the company because I don't usually realize that growth hasn't happened for nearly a month and what am I going to do about it then? Too late to replant here in the Northeast.
I usually a pattern of 5 -7 tubers as I usually get 2 or 3 different colors to blend for a certain look. but something always goes wrong. I think I might try American Meadows.
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Post by binnylou on Dec 17, 2021 12:33:20 GMT -5
lilolpeapicker , contact Swan Island, even if you think too much time has passed. I had two tubers that did not perform. They have “report by” dates in their guarantee, but I know that I was beyond that date. In mid October, I received notification from them that replacement tubers would be shipped April 15th. They give good service and honor their guarantee. Which colors/varieties are you trying to grow?
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Dec 17, 2021 17:02:59 GMT -5
Which colors/varieties are you trying to grow? I don't remember right now Maybe I can find the sales receipt. But this seems to happen each year....
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Post by binnylou on Dec 17, 2021 17:06:04 GMT -5
If you don’t find your receipt, search through old emails. Sometimes I find info that I’ve deleted.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Dec 18, 2021 18:01:48 GMT -5
Cannot find the receipt which I probably zapped... I am terrible with paperwork... Sent an email to Swan Island. See what happens.
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Post by binnylou on May 24, 2023 3:38:43 GMT -5
Yesterday was the day…dahlia tubers have been waiting to be split, and I found someone who was interested in my extra tubers. Some varieties were grown in gallon nursery pots. Others were planted in the raised bed, but packed in to pots of soil/cedar pet bedding mix for winter storage in the garage.
I set up shop near the garden shed, complete with a chair for sitting. Viable tubers were well sprouted. The find of the day was a variety called “Honeymoon “…a beautiful soft gold. I’m not sure if it bloomed last year, but after splitting, I ended up with seven possible tubers to share/plant.
Last year I planted some that were labeled by me as “?”. By the end of the growing season, I still couldn’t identify them because of no bloom. I’m stubborn…I’ll try again this year. One or two of those “?” might be a variety that I think I’ve lost.
Once the splitting was complete, I gave them a dusting of cinnamon. That supposedly helps control fungus. Tomorrow, those fresh cuts should be starting to heal and I can decide what I can share. I hope the young lady hasn’t changed her mind.
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Post by binnylou on Jul 24, 2023 20:32:20 GMT -5
Dahlia tubers did not get planted in ground this year. Instead, they are growing in 5 gallon pots. My main goad this year is just to maintain my tuber stock. Flowers would be great, but if they don’t bloom, that’s okay. I’ve had dahlias produce new tubers without flowering.
Some are identified with confidence that they are correct. Some are just “?”, hoping that if I get bloom, I’ll remember a name.
Good plan…until some critter pulled some of the id tags and left them on the ground. This happened a few years ago, and I blamed the fox. I haven’t heard a fox for a long time. The guessing game grows.
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Post by binnylou on Aug 11, 2023 12:23:45 GMT -5
FYI…thread title has been edited to include “cuttings”.
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Post by binnylou on Sept 15, 2023 21:45:46 GMT -5
One Dahlia is about to bloom. The bud is just starting to open, showing shades of yellow/orange. It’s one of those with no name tag, so I’m hoping to positively id this plant. Growing Dahlias is not for sissies. I keep telling myself that if I’d convert totally to Zinnias, I’d get more bloom and color and save a bunch of $$$.
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Post by binnylou on Nov 13, 2023 11:22:12 GMT -5
Curiosity got the best of me. Dahlias were pot grown this year, and I didn’t plan to do anything other than park them in the garage for winter storage. I kept wondering about one variety called Sterling Silver…a beautiful white dahlia. What I planted was a single tuber, very small in size. When I dumped the pot yesterday, I found the original tuber and 8 new tubers. I cleaned it with the garden hose so I could examine for eyes. I can never find them, so I’m going to pack it up, probably in the soil that it grew in. And now I’m curious about what’s in the other dahlia pots. I know this is going to get in the way of my final round of window washing.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 7, 2024 22:03:03 GMT -5
I checked my stored Dahlias today. They were in the garage until that really cold spell, then moved them to the small room beneath the foyer. No heat in there, but the water heater shares the area. They are now in an unheated bedroom.
When checking individual ziplock bags, I found the tubers as firm as a freshly dug potato. Tubers were stored in a mix of shaved cedar pet bedding and soil from the pots they grew in during the summer. Thinking about starting to wake up a few of them, then attempting cuttings.
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