Planting in a Heat Wave

Transplanting in the heat is tough and far from ideal but when you farm in a hot climate, you have to learn how to make it work. I’m a huge fan of working with the weather- makes everything easier but sometimes the weather conspires against you. But over the years, I’ve learned a few things.

If it’s a short heat wave, just wait. If the heat will pass within a week- it’s better to wait. Most seedlings won’t become rootbound in a week, unless you are already behind and in that case—

Follow these tips for transplanting in the heat successfully:
1. Make sure your seedlings are well watered. I like to soak my trays/pots in a tub filled with water and a weak dilution of fish emulsion. Well watered and fertilized seedlings are going to adjust better once planted.

2. Harden off your seedlings well. I spend a week minimum hardening off seedlings in the heat. Begin by placing your seedlings in a shady area, then after a day or two move them to a sunnier position. If your seedlings have been grown outside, just make sure they spend a few days in an environment similar to their final home before you plant them. Don’t skip the hardening off process— It’s pretty much the most crucial step to avoiding transplant shock.

3. Soak the area where you will be planting. This will cool down the soil and also helps the first transplants to go in to adjust— this is pretty crucial if you are planting a long row. On long rows, stop and water in your seedlings half way through.
4. Water in seedlings after planting. Even if your row is soaked and the seedlings went in well watered— Water them in so you settle the soil around the roots.
5. If possible, transplant on a cloudy day or in early evening. This timing/weather gives the plants more time to acclimate before the fireball of death hits them.
6. Water, water, water— You will probably need to water them again on the same day you planted them unless it was early evening. Then water first thing in the morning. They may need twice a day watering for a few days. If you can plant before a rainstorm, even better. Hand water even if you have irrigation laid because the irrigation may not be enough when the plant roots haven’t stretched out much yet. A sprinkler on a timer can also help keep the plants cool as well as watered.
7. Adjust your expectations. You will loose some plants. It’s hot and less than ideal conditions. Take notes on how many plants you loose. Make notes for the next time to grow more plants so that you can save some and fill in holes a week or two later. Shade can be helpful if you have an easy way to provide it. But a well hardened off plant will adjust quickly, especially if you keep it watered.

Transplanting in the heat is not a plant it and forget it time. Use technology to remind you to water. I’m constantly making notes on my phone or setting timers/alarms so I don’t forget. It’s a shame when you spend several weeks growing out a plant and then kill it within a few days of planting it. But these tips should help. (Grow some back up plants too!)

Soon you’ll have beautiful bouquets- right in your backyard!

Harvesting Tutorial

A few weeks ago, one of our subscribers requested a harvesting tutorial so I recorded a short video showing you how I cut dahlias.

Dahlia Trials- Year 2 (2020 test varieties revisted)

Last year I trialed a small selection of dahlias and posted about my results here. I’d recommend jumping back and reading that before you continue. I wanted to post an update on the varieties that I decided to give a second year.

First up- the varieties I didn’t keep: Lucky, Sunkissed, Silver Years, Foxy Lady, Karma Naomi, Crazy Legs, Mirella, Mr Jimmy, Baron Katie. For the most part, I think the reasons I chose not to keep them is listed in the original post.

Next - who I kept: Mary Jo, Moonstruck, Gabrielle Marie, Andrew Charles, Karamel Korn, Tapioca, Innocence, Chilson’s Pride, Mingus Toni. Out of these, Innocence rotted during the pre-sprout phase and all but one of my Moonstuck rotted after planting. I do plan to reacquire Innocence because other than the tuber issue— it was one of my top 2 choices last year.

Thoughts on the others: unfortunately I haven’t seen Karamel Korn yet this year. I have a bad feeling it has rotted. I’ll need to check up on it. My one remaining Moonstruck has ceased to wow me. Poor growth, tiny blooms, won’t be keeping for a third year.

Mary Jo is growing and blooming well. But there is still the issue of the heavy head/weak stem. Need to find a replacement.

Mary Jo

Gabrielle Marie just threw it’s first bloom this week- that’s kinda late. Also with all the other peachy/yellow dahlias I’ve tried this year- it’s probably getting the boot. There are other earlier and more productive varieties.
Tapioca and Andrew Charles are both doing well. Tapioca is proving to be a good basic dahlia. I’ll admit, it’s not really the most special but it’s a good size, neutral color and decent producer. Andrew Charles shines a bit more as the weather cools and the color is very fallish so it will probably stay another year.

Tapioca

Chilson’s Pride- I really want to like this one. It’s blush, has lascinated petals (which I love) but the growth habit is weak and the stems seem to be floppy. If you grow this one and love it— convince me I should keep it.

Mingus Toni has convinced me- this is actually a third year test. I wouldn’t ever grow loads of a flecked dahlia. To me, a little goes a long way with these types but I just smile every time I see her. Combine that with decent productivity and great growth habit and yeah— I’ll keep it.

So why do I test multiple years? Because I’ve learned that it often takes 3 years to learn a varieties intricacies. And often I variety can do poorly it’s first year but have a particular aspect that makes it worth giving a second or third try. However, sometimes I will axe a variety on the first year b/c I know there are similar varieties out there and that I have a high likelihood of finding a better replacement. One of the benefits of growing dahlias is that there are 1000’s of varieties so usually more than one good variety of a particular color and bloom type.

Check back in November for the results of this year’s trials.

If you’ve enjoyed reading about these, sign up for our Dahlia Lovers Newsletter here. You’ll be the first to know of all things Dahlia when they happen around here!

What's Eating My Blooms?

How many times have you walked up to a bloom to admire it’s beauty and then turned it around to find the petals chewed up?

In my case, quite a few times! A few weeks ago, Valerie sent me these pictures of her dahlias wondering what to do.

Petals chewed to bits and black mounds left behind.

I knew instantly what was wrong because unfortunately I’ve seen it all too often: Grasshoppers! Definitely one of the top nemesis when growing dahlias. The black mounds (grasshopper poop) are the tell-tale sign. Grasshoppers love them some dahlia petals.

So what’s a grower to do? You have a couple options. The most organic way is to cover the bloom with an organza bag- commonly known as dahlia pops!

If you put the bag on the bloom at the green bud stage (once the bud is sturdy enough to hold itself up on the stem without flopping but before it’s showing any color), the bag will keep pretty much any muncher out. The organza bag system is a great one for production growers dealing with lots of blooms.

Perfect stage for bagging

A bit late but better late than never

However if you grow dahlias to enjoy their beauty in your garden, you probably don’t want to look at bags. So your next option is to spray or find something that eats grasshoppers. If you keep chickens, they love them and can keep your population at a controllable level. Other birds will help too. Having a source of water in your yard encourages birds to come. Then they stay and eat your bugs!

Spraying will help but grasshoppers are so thick skinned that it’s hard to find an organic spray to deal with them. Most organic pesticides aren’t strong enough.

Creating a thriving ecosystem in your yard yields better results. Also I’ve found that the more dahlias I grow, the more perfect blooms I get. I mean, they can’t eat them all! And I’m good with any excuse to grow more dahlias!

How to Achieve the Best Vase Life Out of Your Dahlias

Why is it that some of the most beloved flowers don’t last very long? Is that why we love them? Their ethereal beauty? Dahlias definitely fit into this category!

Before we begin, let’s set some expectations. Dahlias are a shorter vase life flower. There’s no way around it- it’s not gonna last 2 weeks. On average dahlias last from 3-7 days. Rarely do I find a variety that goes longer than 7 days.

However there are some basic tips to get the longest life possible out of your blooms. (And don’t you dare skip this part b/c everyone thinks they know this but almost everyone doesn’t do at least one of these!)

3 Basic Tips for Harvesting Cut Flowers:

1. Clean Vase, Bucket, Vessel — whatever your flowers are going into. Yeah, yeah, yeah— We know this. But do you really? More often than not, when people come to pick up flowers, they grab a random bucket and it’s always dirty. Florist and retail customers alike. I rarely see nice clean buckets. Now I know some people go clean their bucket when they get home or to their shop but at that point, the bacteria has already been introduced to the flowers. You want the bucket to be so clean you would let your kids drink out of it! Bacteria is the worse cause of shortened vase life.

2. Clean and Sharpen Your Clippers- Make sure you are cleaning your clippers regularly. Like at least once a week. You can scrub them, use an alcohol dip, or a special cleaner. Doesn’t really matter how, just make sure you are cleaning them. Also make sure they are sharp and make sure you are using actual clippers— kitchen and crafting scissors aren’t really made for harvesting flowers. There are some specialty floral scissors out there that can work if you prefer to cut with scissors instead of clippers. ARS is my favorite brand; I like the light duty fruit pruner to harvest.

3. Harvest in the Early Morning or Evening- Never cut in the middle of the day if you live in a hot climate. Every summer I’m jealous of Northern farmers who can harvest all day. Sugars in the plants are highest in the morning so it’s a good time to cut. The plants will re-hydrate faster. However, the evening will work too if you aren’t a morning person.

These 3 tips work with all cut flowers but now let’s talk about dahlias specifically. I had a conversation about vase life with a fellow grower last week and we were sharing our processes. And as has happened many times in the past, every grower I talk to does it a little differently. So I’m going to share my process- your mileage may vary!

Why is it not “one size fits all?” Because dahlias more than other flowers are very susceptible to changes in water (City or well, minerals in the water, etc), how hydrated the plants are in the field, current weather conditions, etc. Time of year plays a big part too- During the summer, I usually see a reduction of 1-2 days in vase life from the cooler days of Fall.

I’m going to talk about this from 3 points of view:

For the Home Gardener:

First- make sure you are following the above 3 steps. Second, go online right now and order a container of flower food. Chrysal and Floralife are the two most well known brands- either will work. I’ve never noticed one better than the other. You are looking for a powdered substance- not Quick Dip or Holding solution. Make sure you get flower food for cut flowers— not growing plants. ;)

Place the flower food in your water as you are harvesting. Let the blooms sit in the bucket in a cool, darkish place for at least 2 hours before using them. They need to cool off and really drink before you arrange them. Then make sure you put flower food in your vase as you are arranging. Read the directions on your particular brand and use accordingly.

So why did I tell you to go get flower food instead of the popular- “Just put a few drops of bleach in it” method. Well because dahlias need sugar— Flower Food not only has a bactericide which keeps your water clean but also has a sugar component which feeds your dahlias. Not every flower needs this but dahlias definitely do! Vase life usually increases by 2 days when you start using flower food.

Recut your stems at least every other day and change the water/flower food. You can do it daily if you really want but I’ll be honest, I don’t have time for that. (I actually do my vase life trials where I treat the blooms as rough as possible to see how long they can really make it!)

For the Commercial Flower Grower:

So obviously follow the 3 basic steps above. After I’ve cleaned my buckets, sharpened shears, I squirt holding solution into my water. Holding solution is a product that hydrates your flowers but also keeps them from opening. This is perfect for dahlias because you want a solution that slows down the natural process. After I have finished harvesting, I remove the organza bags and then I recut my stems into a fresh bucket of water with holding solution. (If you don’t use organza bags you may can skip this step b/c you aren’t taking the stems out of water to remove the bags— but check your water, sometimes it can become nasty while harvesting. You want it clean before it goes into the cooler).

The next step is to place your dahlias (make sure they are dry) inside the flower cooler. Now, I’m gonna step on my soapbox for a minute- If you are growing dahlias commercially, you need a flower cooler. Doesn’t matter if you are growing 10 plants or 10,000, you need a cooler to properly condition your flowers. The flower cooler gets the field heat out quickly which is imperative for good vase life. A cooling period of at least 12-16 hours “sets” the bloom- really this is the period the flower needs to hydrate properly. Then the dahlias can be held for up to 3 days before sale. I don’t hold any longer than that because after that vase life starts to drop dramatically. I try to cut my dahlias as close to their sale date as possible. The flower cooler is crucial to getting a high quality stem. Having a cooler means you can cut the flower at it’s peak point and not cut everything the night before you need them— this results in blooms being past their prime and not lasting very long. A cooler is one of the first investments you should make as a commercial flower grower. Ok- Off my soapbox now.

For the Florist:

If you are growing your own dahlias, follow the steps for a home gardener or if you have a flower cooler, then follow the steps for a commercial grower.

But let’s talk about processing dahlias when you receive them from the grower. First off, get to know your grower. Ask them if they have a flower cooler- if not, I’d hesitate before buying from them. If you can get your stems the day before your event, they’ll be fine. But if not, go with a grower who has invested in a cooler and has put time into learning how to condition their flowers. The stories I hear from florists about dahlias crashing on the wedding day are usually from growers who aren’t putting in the time to learn how to condition their flowers.

Now that you have vetted your grower, recut the stems into cool water with flower food. Once the stems come out of the cooler (from your grower or your own), they should go into flower food. You’ll also want to put flower food into your container water when designing with dahlias. Honestly flower food is a good idea anytime you are mixing flowers. There’s bound to be a dirty stem type of flower in your mix.

If you have a flower cooler, store your dahlias or arrangements with dahlias in there until your event day. If using large blooms such as cafes, I’d recommend adding those onsite as they can snap their heads easily during transport. If you are using dahlias in retail arrangements/bouquets, I’d recommend sticking to ball types or smaller decoratives. Those usually have a longer vase life. It would also be a good idea to question your grower as to what varieties last the longest in the vase. Also, when using dahlias for retail, it’s best to sell them within 3 days of receipt. Any longer than this and the end consumer won’t have much vase life. I always appreciate when a florist lets me know how they plan to use their dahlias- then I can give them the freshest bloom possible for their intended use.

To summarize- Clean Vessel Always, Sharp Clean Clippers, Cool Temperature Harvest, and Flower Food give you the longest vase life!