Topic: Dahlias

[caroline7758]

I have grown dahlias from seed for the first time this year, and I'm quite pleased with the results, except that they seem to have produced a lot of foliage compared to flowers- any suggestions for improving on this next year?

[valmarg]

The only suggestion I can make, is that you did not pick the flowers, or deadhead the plants,  Dahlias are like sweet peas, the more you pick, the more flowers you get.  If you just left the dead heads on the plants, then they would have stopped flowering.  Being an annual, the plant would have decided, job done, seeds set, no need to throw up any more flowers!

Although you have grown them from seed, they will produce tubers.  If there are any of the plants that you particularly like, you can dig them up and dry them, to use agan next year.

Hope this helps.

[angle shades]

Hi, Caroline, I never dig my dahlias up,(last year I couldn't as the ground was frozen!!!)and still the little beauties grow and flower :)

I grew some from seed 3 years ago in a pot and they flower every year too/shades x

[caroline7758]

Thanks, I'll get out & get deadheading, and I'm glad to hear I don't have to dig them up!

[triffid]

Sorry guys, I'm going to disagree with almost everything said so far  :D

I think you just need to give them time. Like you I've grown a few from seed this year (more as an experiment than anything). They've produced a handful of flowers, but certainly nothing spectacular. I'll wait till the end of next season before I say whether it's worth the time & effort.

Dahlias aren't annuals, valmarg... they're perennials (if the tubers don't get eaten over winter ... >:()

And angle shades is obviously like about half the dahlia-growing plotholders on my site, in that leaving the tubers in the ground works fine for them. But last winter when I tried that game (in west London, so not exactly the frozen Arctic wastes!) all but one got munched by slugs. That's one survivor out of eight which I grew from tubers. So you takes your chances, Caroline! I'd say certainly lift the tubers if your ground gets soggy.

... Put it this way: I'm certainly storing this year's tubers in biscuit tins of sand so they're out of the way of wet, cold, slugs and mice  ;D

[valmarg]

Fair enough, triffid, dahlias are not annuals, but they are very very tender perennials.  Most people, growing dahlias from seed treat the plants as annuals, as the catalogues recommend.

And yes triffid, in a more congenial climate, you could grow them from year to year, but not necessarily in the british climate.

By all means leave the plants in the ground, but you will lose more than you gain.  Last year I planted some wonderful yellow flowered cactus-type dahlias.  Left them in the ground in a very sheltered part of the garden, and this year - nothing!!

Believe me, I am not an amateur when it comes to growing plants, but when it comes to leaving dahlias to overwinter, you will lose more than you gain

[caroline7758]

Sounds like time for some experimenting! Trouble is, knowing me, I'd forget about them if I dug them up & stored the tubers! I bought some tubers this year & forgot to plant them until it was too late! How about digging them up & potting them & leaving in the greenhouse? Or does that not work for dahlias?

[Lazy Daisy]

'Did Dahlias for the first time this year from both tubers and cuttings I took. They are an absolute riot of colour with more buds than I care to count. I am sure they will be in full flower when the first frost arrives. They  could be better staked because some are 5' tall and the same across but you live and learn.

[triffid]

Valmarg, I don't think I can have been expressing myself very clearly -- we are in perfect agreement about lifting dahlias!

I did say that (following advice from fellow plotholders!) I had left mine in last winter and lost seven out of eight... and that I wouldn't be doing the same again!

... Put it this way: I'm certainly storing this year's tubers in biscuit tins of sand so they're out of the way of wet, cold, slugs and mice

[teresa]

I love my dahlias, such a burst of colour yes you do need to deadhead but at this time of year you can leave some on to collect the seeds its a bit of fun plants for free.
I wait untill the frost has blackened the stems then cut them 6-8 inch from tuber alow them to dry out on the ground ( sunny day is best) then in the greenhouse on their sides to alow the moisture to drain out of the stems.
when dried out check tubers any damaged ones cut off and alow wounds to dry and clean any soil remaining off. Pack in dry peat in cardboard boxes and store frost free and dry no heat required untill spring.
When they come out plant out in deep trays of fresh peat and wait for growth to show, when shooting I pot them up and grow on. This means biger plants to plant out and slugs and snails dont bother them too much no young shoots to nibble. Still put some pellets around and stake them.
Some one told me to grow as a potato lots of muck in the soil as they are big feeders.
Going to grow pompoms next year from seed bought tubers this year not impressed but may be they grow better next year?

[valmarg]

Ooops, sorry triffid.  My concentration might have been a bit lax at the time I posted my reply.

I tend to grow dahlias from seed, mainly Diabolo and Stargazer, and treat them as annuals.  I sometimes get some growing from the previous year, but they are few and far between!!

No offence intended - sorry pardon.

valmarg

[triffid]

 ;D Valmarg, so pleased you dropped by again: I hadn't taken offence at all but was just a bit worried I'd posted tactlessly!

And as you realise, I'm no dahlia expert and what experience I have boils down to the mistakes I've survived to learn from...
 :D

[wahaj]

I'm assuming your dahlias having lots of foliage is more to do with 2 things. As said before yo should dead head them more often...and also what nutrients they are gettings.

What I found with a lot of my flowers this year....is that when i fed them with tomatoe feed during the summer....they flowered all through it....with reasonable amount of foliage. as the autumn came i stopped feeding them....and even though they look as healthy as ever...and are being dead headed regularly....they are producing a lot of foliage.

Have you got very rich....or clay soil? It's probably that they are very happy where they are and feel no need to produce flowers. I'm sure you know that plants only produce flowers when they're in a stressful state (some plants need more stress than others to flower). It takes a lot of energy for a plant to flower....so if it's happy where it is....it feels no need to flower.