Dahlia Planting Dates for Hot Climates

A few months back I asked for a bit of help from the growers of the Warm Climate Dahlia Growers Group on Facebook. I asked them to share their growing zone, general geographic location and planting dates. I’ve compiled them into a spreadsheet that gives an overview of planting dates for Zones 6b-10b.

You can view the chart below. As always, consider your unique climate and also your last frost dates. If you’d like to contribute to the data, please send me an email via our Contact page.

Thoughts on Stress, Burn Out......

Recently I’ve heard (and had) many conversations about burn out. Burn out physically, mentally, emotionally.

And the strange thing is that we all seem surprised… like this shouldn’t be a thing. But let’s stop for a minute— We as a collective human race have been through almost 3 years of a pandemic, tumultuous political circumstances in our country, and very extreme weather situations this summer. So why do we act like we are super heroes who can just charge through and come out unscathed?

It’s time we cut ourselves some slack!

I’ve come to accept something recently that I’ve known for a long time but have been resisting for many years. The level of productivity that I expect of myself is not reasonable or most importantly sustainable.

This realization began back in spring of 2018. A few things happened: the honeymoon period of farming wore off. The honeymoon period is where you make the excuse of “I love this work so it’s okay that I put in 14 hour days.”

My extended family (mine and my husbands) began incurring some life altering health issues. There were multiple times that spring that I seriously considered going back to my old life of being a graphic design freelancer.

I began searching for the elusive “balance.” It took me a little while to figure out that it doesn’t exist. Balance would mean that we are able to place equal attention on multiple things at once. Ask anyone who has ever tried to multi-task how well that works.

Priority is a much better word. At a specific moment in time, where do you place your priority? What activities do you value enough to give them your precious time and attention?

It’s a continuous lesson I think. Especially if you are an optimistic type like me- we always over-estimate what we can accomplish. I remember working a 14 hour day many years ago- I was building raised beds and hauling compost for a new field on the farm. I didn’t quite finish the project but started right up again the next day. I didn’t last 5 hours!

And after I recovered, it occurred to me that I’d be much more productive if I worked the same number of hours but split it between 2 days— I spent as much time recovering as I did working because of the one day of overwork. This led me to begin examining my work habits, hours, and how I was spending my time on the farm.

I set a goal to work no more than 9 hours a day during the busy season and only 6-8 during the winter. And let me tell you—- it’s taken a long time to get there! It’s downright hard to convince yourself that you can run a farm on a 40 hour week.

Can you do it by yourself? No, not unless it’s a very small farm. But setting goals like this caused me to evaluate every single task on the farm. I had to prioritize the things that would contribute to the bottom line of the farm. I also realized I would need to hire help (which has been so amazing!).

I also set a goal to take a day and a half off on the farm. This was hard— I had to physically leave my farm at first to take the time off. I knew if I stayed on the farm, I would end up working. But overtime, I began to look forward to that day off- to the fun I was going to have. I began to see how much more productive I was when I rested my body and my mind.

Now it’s become a habit to not work on the weekends. I can sit on my back porch and read a book and stare at my field and not feel guilty or like I should be working. I allow plants and seedlings to be watered but that’s it. I do have an employee who does the weekend harvest for me. There are some flowers that have to be harvested daily/every other day. Having an entire weekend has allowed me time to rest, have fun and feel excited when Monday morning rolls around.

If you work a 9-5/M-F type of job, you may think this sounds crazy but this is the life of a farmer and a lot of self-employed people. We have an insane drive and this causes us to overwork. But it’s not sustainable. And at some point you burn out.

Any you know what? Even when you are taking regular breaks and days off- you can still burn out or get stressed out. Because our bodies aren’t machines. There is no magic formula that we can honor to run at peak efficiency all the time.

Realizing that my body is going to ebb and flow in it’s energy levels has been a game changer. And it’s not always related to the amount of sleep or time off. Being aware of your stress triggers and the symptoms that your body manifests is sooo important.

This awareness is how we can catch ourselves before we reach burn out. But in all honesty, trying to make sure we take care of ourselves can cause stress too. Eating right, exercising enough, sleeping well, getting enough social interaction— it could be a full time job just to manage that in your life.

Because having the awareness of what I need to avoid burnout is a bit of a double edged sword, I’ve begun focusing on one thing at a time until it become habit. It comes back to those priorities again. We want our lives to feel balanced but we have to realize that we do constantly make choices based on our priorities.

Hopefully you aren’t feeling more overwhelmed at this point. If so, try starting a list of what makes you happy— what things in your life make it worth getting up everyday. What activities, forms of exercise, or groups of people do you want to give more time to?

Choose One.

Just one- and work on it until it become a habit. Something that is so ingrained in your life that you would feel the gaping hole if it ceased to be. Then you move on to the next thing and overtime, you take your life back from the unrealistic expectation of productivity that is etched into our minds.

So what one thing are you going to choose?

What's Eating My Dahlias- Part 2

Dahlias are gorgeous! Unfortunately all the bugs think so too. Let’s talk about how to deal with some of the most common pests: grasshoppers, thrips, tarnished plant bug (TPB), cucumber beetles, and leafhoppers. These methods work well for the home gardener and small scale grower. I use organic pest control methods. There are plenty of other options out there but I choose organic on our farm so that’s what you’ll find covered here.

Let’s start with the most full proof pest control method: Prevent the pest from even touching your dahlia. This is accomplished by the use of organza bags— you know the kind they use for wedding favors.

These work extremely well for a cut flower operation or cut flower specific garden. They block everything from getting your blooms. However if you are enjoying your dahlias in a backyard garden style setting, you may not want to look at “dahlia lollipops” all the time. Kinda’ diminishes the joy of it.

Grasshoppers are the hardest to control in my opinion. There aren’t many organic sprays that will touch a hard bodied insect. The best control for a grasshopper that I’ve found is attracting birds to your garden. Birds love to eat grasshoppers. Adding a water source, even a small one, is a great way to attract birds.

If you have chickens, even better- they will devour them. Just make sure your plants are big enough to take a little chicken abuse. Usually grasshoppers don’t become a menace until the plants are blooming so at that point, allowing chickens into your dahlia patch can work. I used to use this method a lot until a fox got all our chickens.

Botanigarde Maxx is the only spray I’ve ever encountered that will kill a grasshopper and even it’s hit or miss— Grasshoppers move quickly so it’s hard to get the spray on them. If grasshoppers are a serious issue for you, consideration of the organza bag will have to be done. It’s the most effective method for grasshopper control.

Thrips are an annoying nemesis when it comes to dahlias. Timing is one of the best methods I’ve found for dealing with them. In my climate, thrips are a bad issue from mid- May to mid summer. Then they die back and aren’t found in high infestation level numbers. Thrips are probably the number one reason I don’t grow early season dahlias. Organza bags are reasonably effective against them but thrips are so small that they can get inside the bags sometimes. Various sprays will work on them and keep the populations under control but having perfect light colored dahlias is a challenge during thrip season. If you need dahlias during thrip season, stick with brighter colors- thrips are more attracted to whites/light colors.

A pyrethrin spray or a spinosad spray is a pretty effective tool against thrips. I highly recommend alternating what you spray. Also one round of spraying won’t cut it, it’s something you have to do regularly during the pest’s season.

Tarnished Plant Bugs and Leafhoppers - these 2 can be controlled by the same method. The yellow sticky trap is my best friend. Now— don’t freak out. I know, I know- small animals (birds, lizards, etc) can get caught on these and die. However, I’ve learned you can still use them but you gotta get crafty in how you hang them.

A yellow sticky trap is a card coated with a sticky substance that attracts particular pests. It’s great at catching small flying insects. You want to keep the card size to no larger than 3x5. I punch a hole in mine and hang them below my netting so that they are in the main plant canopy. Keeping it down in the plant canopy is key so that it’s less likely to be in a bird’s flight path. Also, I’ve learned you want to make sure the card can swing. This keeps lizards off of them. If you fasten it tightly so it’s immobile, baby lizards will crawl on it and not be able to get off.

Leafhoppers are important to control and they are often overlooked because they don’t show physical damage to your plant quickly. They do chew on the plant but it’s not super noticeable. However, they are vector insects- meaning they can take a virus from one plant to another. And in this day and age, when dahlia viruses are becoming more common, controlling leafhoppers will help protect your dahlia plant stock.

Cucumber beetles- other than grasshoppers, these are probably the most destructive of dahlia pests. They can chew a bloom incredibly fast. If you begin to see them in your field/garden, you want to act quickly because this is a pest you don’t want getting out of hand.

Once again, organza bags are the most effective method. But a spinosad or pyrethrin spray will work too.

One of the best things I did several years ago was to stop growing plants in the amaranth and squash plant families near my dahlias. Amaranth is a magnet for cucumber beetles. So much so that I’ve completely cut it from my crop list. If you can’t do that, move it as far from your dahlias as possible. I do still grow small quantities of squash and cucumbers in my veggie garden, but I have it as far from the flower field as I can go (and still be on my property).

So to sum it up- if you want a flawless dahlia, put an organza bag on it before the bud begins to open (in the green stage as shown in the picture above). If that option doesn’t appeal to you, then sprays and strategic plant placement are your best options. Also employ the sticky trap. Not only does the trap catch a lot of pests, but it’s pretty non-harming to you and others.

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!

Is Something Eating Your Dahlias? Let's figure out what it is!

It’s that time of year. You’ve been watching with great anticipation as your dahlia bud begins to show color. It opens so slowly— or so it feels because it’s the first one and you’ve been waiting months to see a dahlia again (or maybe for the first time! Eeek!!) Then one morning you walk out and you see a hole in your leaf or the corner has been chewed!

How Dare They?? How dare some little creature enjoy breakfast from your dahlia petal!

Image by Valerie Miros- Grasshopper Damage

Don’t worry— there’s hope! The bugs are not going to decimate your entire garden (despite how it may feel!).

So what do we do? First, don’t panic! Seriously, in the grand scheme of things, a nibbled petal is not really a big deal. You may roll your eyes and say I know— But you wouldn’t believe how upset I see some people get over a chewed petal.

Second, you gotta’ figure out what’s eating it? Inspect your plant, turn over the leaves, look carefully between all the layers and see if you can find the culprit. Also notice what might be flying around the plant . Often times, the culprits will fly up when you ruffle the leaves.

Take pictures of the damage. I find that if I need to Google to figure out the culprit that a picture is better than my memory.

No sign of anything? Then there are a few culprits who you don’t see but they love a tasty petal or leaf. Slugs are a big one, especially on new growth or the sprouts just as the dahlias are peaking out of the ground.

Grasshoppers— if you see petal damage where it looks like something just took a dull knife to several petals at once and chopped them off- probably grasshoppers.

Are your dahlias turning brown especially where the petals meet the center? Most likely thrips. Thrips are very small brown bugs which are hard to see but cause loads of damage- they really like white/pastel colored dahlias. If you think you might have thrips, but aren’t sure- shake your flower over a white piece of paper. The thrips will fall out and be brown specks.

Cucumber beetles are another common pest. A lot of people grow vegetable gardens near their dahlias. Cucumber beetles love dahlias and anything in the squash family. The squash family (cucurbits) attract the beetle and then it finds its way over to your dahlias and has dessert from your pretty cafe au lait petals! Cucumber beetles can be very devasting to a dahlia field. So much so that I’ve stopped growing anything in the cucurbit family within 100 yds of my dahlia field. This practice has significantly reduced the number of cucumber beetles that I see each year.

These are a lot of the common pests that do visible damage to dahlias. However there are some that don’t appear to be hurting anything because they don’t chew but can be very detrimental to your plants.

Leafhoppers are one. They are small green bugs that hop from plant to plant. They do suck sap out of your plant. Leaf hoppers are a vector insect- which means that if a dahlia has a disease/virus etc. they can carry it to another plant. So while you may not see much visible damage from leafhoppers, they can be very detrimental, especially if you are growing a high number of plants.

We’ve identified a lot of the common pests that plague our dahlias- so what do we do about them?

The answer to that is coming up in our next article because this is too much for one post!

If you are having issues with a pest that we didn’t name here, see if you can get a picture of the pest or the damage and send it our way! You can submit it here.