Winter Dahlia Care- Part 1
I’ve gotten lots of questions about how to care for your dahlias over the winter. Here’s part 1 of a multi-part series to get you started:
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!
She's a Keeper!
I’ve got over a 100 new varieties this year and Yes- I know I went overboard. But it’s dahlias- can you blame me? Not every variety has been a winner. But I have identified a few that will definitely be getting a second year in my field.
Beatrice
Color is the first thing that draws me to a dahlia usually. Beatrice has a beautiful bronze center with a fade to a beige/peach. However, she’s also got nice strong stems, sturdy plant habit and holds up well in the vase.
Wine Eyed Jill
I would keep this one for the color alone- However it has amazing stems- so long and tall. They tower over the plant. I did think this variety would have more yellow but maybe as the weather cools.
Diana’s Memory
Why did I wait so long to try this one? Like most waterlilies, she has multiple blooms per stem and would benefit from some disbudding however I rarely have time for such things. So about 40% of the stems have thrown multiple blooms for me. Couple that with a vase life of 5-6 days and warm blushy color and you have a winner!
Caramel Antique
This beauty has been taking the cut flower growers world by storm this year. I think everyone is raving about it. But what’s not to love- vase life (avg 6 days), Long stems but without being a tall towering plant, and gorgeous dimensional color! I’ll be keeping this one and multiplying my stock for sure!
Polyventon Supreme
I’ve been looking for good yellows for years and it was right under my nose. I grew this 5 years ago but didn’t keep it b/c yellow wasn’t popular then. However, yellow is gaining ground (Hallelujah!) so she’s back to stay for awhile. Strong stems on this one, perfect size (3” ball), early bloomer too!
Meagan Dean
She’s a cool blush with a lilac undertone. Nice long stems and the perfect size for adding a delicate blushy touch to bouquets! Plant habit- not too tall, bushy though. She’s a definite must for the farmer florist!
So just a few of my favorites so far! I’m sure there will be many more. 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!