Greenwich: This is my first time with the decorative dahlias, too. Last year I grew the smaller types, started from seed, very successfully --it's really easy! So, this year I got brave and decided to try the tubers. Today I bought 3 packages (2 in each): 'Classic Elise', 'Pennylane', and 'Bishop of Llandaff'. I'm also going to try the tomato ladders, because of their sturdiness. The colors on the packages look stupendous -- Scarlett, Yellow, and Scarlet with white tips. Hope they do well. Any suggestions re planting, etc., is much appreciated! Linda

Hey Alyrics! Nice to see you. I use the baggie thing mostly to verify there's a viable eye, assuring a chance at a plant in your future. You can leave the tuber in the baggie- they will root up and grow nicely if they have an eye, but it can be a little tricky getting them out. If you get growth, you can transplant to a milk carton, a flat, a pot or whatever or cut the baggie open when ready to plant and set it in its nice dahlia nest in the garden or pot. Keep the bag tops open and monitor the moisture. I've lost some to too much and too little moisture in the baggies (which sounds like poor rocky Otto's Thrill there) What is it with you and poor Otto's!??? You could change your name to Otto Slayer, Otto Resuscitator, Otto Dehydrator. LOL I really miss that flower all of a sudden! Deer have never ever taken so much as a leaf off my dahlias and they are unprotected by fences or Scarecrows etc. Moles dig holes, voles and mice follow, as Plantlady taught me, and they turn your tubers into nibbling fastfood, but they have never killed any plant for me. Coyotes are creepy aren't they? They don't hurt dahlias but are creepy. Gophers I don't know about. Stakes: wood, green metal flanged fence posts, rebar, inverted tomato cages or other. I guess for longevity, I'd go with metal. Wood stakes are cheap and have lasted in our wet climate many years, but they do rot and break, sometimes at inconvenient times. Rebar is sturdy but dangerous unless tall and I'm remembering that helpful hint about kids'play balls to put atop them. Thanks poster who said that :) Fence posts are extra sturdy and work really well. I put them a bit further away from the tubers to allow for new tubers to grow close to the flanges that hold the post in the ground. Just a few inches will do. I have since learned: dig first, pull flanged fencepost later. Worked like a charm. Here is an eyeless tuber. It will never produce a plant. There is no eye, I could wait until December for one to form: it's simply not there. Wait til you see the roots. Here are the roots, straight out of the baggie: no eye, no plant. But plenty of wonderful roots going nowhere. I can't help you with planting out in Ohio but the link might lead you to something. Don't be a stranger Alyrics. We'll need a status report on Otto's Thrill as time goes by! Annie Here is a link that might be useful: Ohio Dahlia info

Okay Linda, here starts the debate. I do happen to mist mine and I keep a loose sheet of plastic on top just to keep the moisure in so I don't have to be around every day. The theory is that as homes have heat, home air is drying (as it is drying to our skin) and a little dampness for your tubers, as long as they have ventilation, is 'a good thing'. Everyone says to get your tubers eyed up by putting them halfway in a tray of barely damp potting soil. If you can get your potting soil 'barely damp' I would say this is also 'a good thing'. However, I do not find it necessary. Last year I stuck two tubers into an EMPTY bag of Miracle Gro, loosely closed the top, dumped it on a shelf in the laundry room and three weeks later I had 8" sprouts. I have also used dry potting medium in a tray with success and lastly, I threw one really stubborn tuber buck naked into an emptly cooler (closed the top) and that too finally sprouted. IMHO it's all about the heat of the room (and damp soil in a cool room doesn't always work that well).

"I just read somewhere that dahlias need some shade from the hottest of climates and our summers get over 100 routinely and being in raised beds I am sure the soil will dry out more rapidly." Last summer we had lots of 100F days -and very low humidity-and mine grew beautifully in FULL sun, getting that scorching afternoon heat and all. On the worst days, I'd just water them late afternoon and that has always been plenty. I had the most beautiful dinnerplate dahlias till frost. :) "What about fertilizer? I have some 10, 15, 20 and gave them a half dose about a week ago? Should I continue with that?" I don't add fertilizer to mine. Just a nice layer of compost seems to do the trick.