Dahlia Disaster and Dilemma

14 years ago

A freak windstorm this past weekend wiped out a "hedge" of dahlias that I had around one of my gardens. Huge thick stems snapped off at and even below ground level (very loose soil). So, any advice as to what to do now? I'm concerned about water getting into the tubers where the hollow stalks broke off and rotting the tubers if I leave them in the ground. Can I dig them this early? If I leave them in the ground and they resprout, will it exhaust the tubers to put out all that new growth this late in the season and then get dug in a month or two? Would appreciate any advice on the best way to salvage them. Thanks...

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

jroot
14 years ago
I will have to dig up my "dahlia hedge" in a few weeks, as I will be away for a while. I know what you mean. We went through horrific wind storms last month, and several of mine were knocked over.

Yes, you can dig them, if necessary.

you can also bend the plant over so it continues to feed the tuber, but there won't be an exposed hollow stem.

You can also trim really close to a leave node where the stem does not appear to be so hollow.

.... My two cents worth.
Poochella
14 years ago
Sorry about your storm- so heartbreaking! We've just come out of 4" of rain and heavy breezes but I only lost one to toppling and uprighted it, pretending nothing ever happened :) We'll see how the plant 'pretends' in the next couple days. So far, so good.

Several years ago, I had one break off below ground and just mulched it well until digging time. Don't recall any re-sprouting, but the tubers kept well and I'm still growing progeny from that very plant today. There was some pink discoloration in the broken underground stalk parts, but nothing that went into the tubers at all. If I recall, that break happened sometime in late September and they easily kept a few weeks until October/Novembering digging. One tip: mark where the stalk WAS so you know about where to start digging, if you dig the tubers up.

You can also cover broken, gaping stalks with aluminum foil to prevent water from entering. The leaf node cut is another great suggestion, Jroot, as they are often natural barriers to water falling from sky entering deeply into the plant.

I would let your tubers mature as long as possible underground and then dig up as usual, or leave/protect as usual.
Related Discussions
Winter Storage Disaster
Q
Comments (10)
If you are up to playing with them a little more, how about giving them a nice long (say a couple hours) bath in cool water to make sure they are nice and hydrated. Then let them dry off (again, probably a couple hours) so they are no longer "wet" and you have a couple choices... You could possibly put them into storage again. I am not sure how much you have, but if you get some fresh storing medium, like a bag of wood shavings (I used pine with good results) from a petstore, or vermiculite, you could basically box up the tubers with it (or even put them in large ziplock bags) and put into the fridge for a few weeks until you are ready to grow them on. Or, you could start now. It is a little early yet, but you could start the growing process. I made the call mid January that my tubers because they where in such rough shape prior to being stored would not do well if kept in storage much longer. they are in a sunny south facing window. A little leggy, but very much alive. I keep pinching them back right now. within a month I hope to move them out to a cold frame...
...See More
Dahlia Garden a Complete Failure!
Q
Comments (12)
I believe you might have powdery mildew on your plants. If you had looked at your plants early in the season, you would have probably seen leaves with what appears to be a powdery dusting over the leaves. As the disease develops and gets worse, the leaves wilt and brown, starting from the bottom. Hot, humid weather means the leaves never get cleaned, and neither are they dried thoroughly. Increasing air flow by pruning and planting plants farther apart, occasionally rinsing leaves with strong sprays of water to remove inoculum (do this on a morning of a dry day to give the leaves a chance to dry throughly before evening), immediate removal of dying leaves, thorough cleanup this fall to reduce as much inoculum as possible, and optimism that the weather will be less conducive to development of this disease next year may help. Their are fungicides that can be used, but they must be used early BEFORE symptoms: they prevent, they do not cure. Better cultural conditions are usually sufficient.
...See More
Dahlia Dilemma
Q
Comments (5)
Batch # 1 sound like good candidates for Saran wrap to maintain whatever moisture remains in the tubers. Sometimes those rubbery ones can still rebound come Spring. Storing in peat would be the kiss of death. Google "No Fuss Dahlias" and the saran wrap article will come up first. If you're not inclined to try that, I'd store in vermiculite and keep watch on the moisture level of the medium over the winter months. Mist periodically if needed. Batch #2 If you ordered dinnerplate dahlias in spring that were 8 inches tall and didn't bloom, get a full refund or replacements from Vessey's. They sound like they didn't have a chance from the start and certainly didn't grow as they should have. Not your fault at all. here's a cut and paste of a recent review of Vesey's dahlias On October 9, 2008, mallika_1 toronto (Canada) wrote: Ordered for the first time, but will NOT order ever again because: - tiger lilies were all white, not the multi colour indicated in the catalogue - the 'dinner plate dahlia' flowers were no where close to a dinner plate - was a mere1.5 inches across -the calla lilies - have never given me a single bloom, and the plant has stayed an 8 inch tall bunch of green leaves - the tube rose bulb - did not sprout at all - am thoroughly disappointed since I have a great garden and do take real good care of all my plants - but this order from Vesey's is very very disappointing - on a positive note, the customer service is very friendly, and I got a refund on the a portion of my order - I rather shop at a local nursery for great plants for a fraction of Vesey's price
...See More
Support 4 Soapstone Overhang: Will Less Lead to Disaster?
Q
Comments (9)
I agree with my esteemed Industry Colleague and Brother Joshua - This should not be a problem at all - your tops are still relatively "green" (as in not having been set long enough to "cure" and harden up the bond) so "popping them off should be an easy task - especially if your Fabricator's Install crew used acrylic caulk to do the "stick"... if they used silicone, it will be a bit more difficult to detach, but at this point in the life of the installation - it should still be do-able.... Plus you are using what looks to be 3CM material, so there should not be a problem.... Joshua is right too - the "L" brackets would work fine (and do a splendid job for you too!!!) just my .02 cents worth kevin PS - Hey Josh!!! Hope you're doin OK My Brutha!!!!
...See More
harleylady
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you both for your suggestions. Poochella, hope your pretender does well. I've had them break up higher before but this is the first time they've broken below ground. I'll cover them and leave them for now. Some are in an area of heavy wet clay and I always dig those, the other end of the planting is in good soil that is bermed up and I may leave those in the ground. I have a lot of one particular dahlia so not a disaster if I lose some some of those, but I also have a few "onesies" that haven't multiplied as much as I'd like and those will be pampered a little more.
Poochella
14 years ago
"Pretender" has some of the curliest stems I've seen! Even a day or two horizontal will get those stems aiming skyward. Plant is doing okay though and new stems are straight again.

I hope your tubers keep for your.

Dahlia Disaster and Dilemma

Comments (4)

jroot

Poochella

Related Discussions

harleylady
Original Author

Poochella

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Dahlia Disaster and Dilemma

Comments (4)

jroot

Poochella

Related Discussions

harleyladyOriginal Author

Poochella

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

harleylady
Original Author