I haven't had that problem with my titanum but my gigas (which is pretty similar to titanum) had all sorts of problems over the years. One season a tree branch fell on it and broke the petiole. Insects got in and ate out the inside of the petiole. The plant went into early dormancy, it had only been growing for a couple of months. Gigas grows for one year and then goes dormant for one year. But afterwards it came out of dormancy earlier than one year and grew okay. Another season I had put it into a more exposed position and it got badly sun burned. It went into early dormancy that year also. Last season it was broken by the wind. But I found it very soon after, tied it up and painted over the damaged area of the petiole with grafting paint. It kept going for the rest of the season without going into early dormancy. When I saw it damaged the first time I went into a state of shock thinking it was going to die. But now, after a few dramas, I don't worry so much and just do what's needed to keep it going. So hopefully there won't be any more problems but if there are I feel fairly confident of being able to successfully deal with them.

Mel-grower, Thanks for rephrasing the question, as it is a good one. While potatoes have eyes sporadically all over the potatoe, dahlias have eyes only on the collar. I have split the tuber as you suggest with a piece of the tuber, and a bit of the collar containing an eye. The problem that often occurs is that rot sets in, hence I try to minimize the cut on the tuber. That being said, I have had some success doing it the way you describe. Sometimes, I have found the tubers to be too huge, and have cut off the bottom part. When I cut, I always add some bulb dust/fungicide to help cure the cut, and prevent rot. I usually start them in the medium first, so that I can clearly see where the eyes are, and then make the cut. We all learn through experimentation. Try some, and let us know how it works for you. John

Posted by foodonastump (My Page) on Thu, Mar 8, 12 at 7:57 I tried out this Pork Lo Mein recipe in an effort to find a good base for the Lo Mein for ARgirl wanted. I don't think this is what she was looking for, but it was really good nonetheless. Serves 4. Published September 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated. Ingredients 3tablespoons soy sauce 2tablespoons oyster sauce 2tablespoons hoisin sauce (see note) 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1/4teaspoon five-spice powder 1pound boneless country-style pork ribs , trimmed of surface fat and excess gristle and sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch pieces 1/4teaspoon liquid smoke (optional) 1/2cup low-sodium chicken broth 1teaspoon cornstarch 2medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons) 2teaspoons grated fresh ginger 4 1/2teaspoons vegetable oil 4tablespoons Chinese rice cooking wine (Shao-Xing) or dry sherry 1/2pound shiitake mushrooms , stems trimmed, caps cut in halves or thirds (about 3 cups) 2bunches scallions , whites thinly sliced and greens cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups) 1small head Napa or Chinese cabbage , halved, cored, and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (about 4 cups) 12ounces Chinese egg noodles (fresh) or 8 ounces dried linguine 1tablespon Asian chile garlic sauce Instructions 1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. 2. Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and five-spice powder together in medium bowl. Place 3 tablespoons soy sauce mixture in large zipper-lock bag; add pork and liquid smoke, if using. Press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Whisk broth and cornstarch into remaining soy sauce mixture in medium bowl. In separate small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil; set aside. 3. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in 12-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of pork in single layer, breaking up clumps with wooden spoon. Cook, without stirring, 1 minute. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons wine to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced and pork is well coated, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer pork to medium bowl and repeat with remaining pork, 1 teaspoon oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons wine. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. 4. Return skillet to high heat, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, and heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add scallions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes longer; transfer vegetables to bowl with pork. 5. Add remaining teaspoon vegetable oil and cabbage to now-empty skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Clear center of skillet; add garlic-ginger mixture and cook, mashing mixture with spoon, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into cabbage; return pork-vegetable mixture and chicken broth-soy mixture to skillet; simmer until thickened and ingredients are well incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. 6. While cabbage is cooking, stir noodles into boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh Chinese noodles or 10 minutes for dried linguine. Drain noodles and transfer back to Dutch oven; add cooked stir-fry mixture and garlic-chili sauce, tossing noodles constantly, until sauce coats noodles. Serve immediately. o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jude31 (My Page) on Thu, Mar 8, 12 at 16:30 I tried this recipe, recently, from "Savoring Time in the Kitchen". It is so good and again I couldn't print the picture. I am so sorry, because it looked mouth-watering good. I just have to learn what I'm not doing or doing wrong. jude Pork Schnitzel with Lemon Caper Butter This is a very tasty recipe that I found in our local newspaper. It had achieved the recognition of being one of the top 25 recipes that the newspaper had tested and reviewed in 2011. It's an adaptation of a recipe from the Gourmet Today cookbook. Since pork tenderloin is our favorite cut of pork, I'm always looking for new ways to serve it. This was...delicious! The salty flavor of the capers pairs so well with the breaded schnitzel. It was also a fairly easy dinner to put together and the cooking time is quick. I served it with a simple salad on the side. Enjoy! Pork Schnitzel with Lemon Caper Butter Adapted from Gourmet Today Printable Recipe Note: I cut the recipe in half and only used 1 egg Makes 4 servings 1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, slice into 1-inch-thick rounds 6 tablespoons cup unsalted butter (divided in half) 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided) 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and patted dry 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 eggs 1 ½ cups fine dry bread crumbs 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (about) (divided) Garnish: 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Lemon wedges Line 1 baking sheet with waxed paper and another baking sheet with paper toweling. Pound pork tenderloin rounds between two sheets of plastic wrap to ¼-inch thickness. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in capers, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Remove from heat and cover loosely to keep warm. Pat pork rounds dry and season with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, beat eggs with ¼ teaspoon salt. Put bread crumbs in another pie plate or shallow bowl. Dip pork rounds in egg mixture, one at a time, allowing excess to drip off, then dredge in bread crumbs and place on wax-paper-lined baking sheet. In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Add 2 to 3 pieces of pork, without crowding meat, and cook, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Transfer cooked rounds to paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in preheated oven. Cook remaining pork pieces in the same way, adding 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter for each batch. Serve pork drizzled with caper butter and sprinkled with parsley and lemon wedges on the side. o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by chase (My Page) on Fri, Mar 9, 12 at 15:31 FOAS, Pork Lo Mein recipe reminded me of this one. It makes a great meat dish for a Chinese style meal. Serve with rice, steamed broccoli with almonds or vegetable Lo Mein. Sweet and Sour Pork 1/2 cup salad oil 1 clove garlic 2 green peppers, quartered 1 1/2 to 2 lbs pork tenderloin, cubed 2 eggs 3 TBSP flour 1 tsp salt pinch pepper 1 cup chicken broth 1 can pineapple chunks, drained 1 TBSP corn starch 3 tsp soya sauce 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 TBSP molasses Parboil peppers for 5 minutes. Saute garlic in oil. In separate bowl, beat flour, eggs and seasonings. Dip the pork in the mixture and brown in the oil. Pour off excess oil add broth, pineapple and peppers. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Blend remaining ingredients. Add to pork. Stir until thick. o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sat, Mar 10, 12 at 9:36 Here's one I forgot to post. You can brown sliced onions along with the pork if you want a lower sodium alternative but I like the flavor of the onion soup mix. CITY CHICKEN 1 1/2 lbs. pork cubes 1/2 cup flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. pepper 2 Tbs. butter 2 tbs. vegetable oil 1 envelope dried onion soup mix 2 cups chicken broth or water, or 1 cup of each Thread pork on small wooden skewers. Combine flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder; roll kabobs in flour mixture until coated. In large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Brown kabobs, turning frequently; drain excess oil. Sprinkle with soup mix. Add broth and/or water. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until tender. If desired, thicken pan juices. Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 13:01 Many good recipes on this thread with pork and they really show how versatile pork is. Ruthanna's City Chicken is calling my name...along with all the other recipes. I agree with Chase...pork is my favorite meat. I just drew a name..... your turn ****************** Annie1992 ******************* The next Cookalong subject is your choice. Just post it here and I will set up the next thread. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 17:18 Well, we now know the next Cookalong ingredient won't be Jell-O. LOL o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 17:38 Nope, and not olives either, or veal! (grin) I'm thinking, I'll get back to you as soon as I check the other cookalong threads and see which ingredients we've already used. Annie o I'm back..... clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 17:56 OK, I've decided. My ingredient is cheap, 19 cents a pound at the local grocery right now. It's readily available and I think terribly under utilized and I like it. So, my choice is cabbage! Cooked, raw, in cole slaw, with corned beef for St. Patrick's Day, baked, sauteed, cabbage soup, stuffed cabbage, you name it. Ready? Set? Discuss. Annie o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 18:10 Cabbage it is! Thanks to all who contributed to the pork Cookalong. Other pork recipes can be added to this thread.. Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #43 ----- CABBAGE! o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by foodonastump (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 18:26 Just coming back to give a thumbs up and thanks to Sharon for the Sweet and Sour Pork. We liked! o RE: Cookalong #42 ---------- PORK clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by chase (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 18:45 Glad you enjoyed FOAS.....good with shrimp too! Cabbage.....thud! Does sauerkraut count?

I have a grower friend in zone 5/6 that has left a clump in to let it rot, and it's come back twice to haunt him. It's in a fairly protected location at the lee of a hill under a tree. I heard about a grandma in a mid-northwestern state that apparently always cuts the stem to the ground, tarps and piles high over that. Her granddaughter told me that if you switch the layers, you invite rodents to nest in the mulch. There's one gentleman grower that might still be on here that was experimenting with a dahlia cloche, and had success burying his DUG tubers in one area and insulating well. I don't remember the specifics of it, or if it was successful enough for him to continue doing it. i have never had any abandoned uninsulated dahlias come back in zone 5, and as I have never wanted to have 'surprises' in the spring to mess up my new planting diagram in the rows, I haven't bothered insulating. Perhaps I should do that for a couple extras in the overflow garden. Maybe a black garbage bag with leave mulch on top. One thought about overwintering in the ground... There are some fickle varieties like Wynns Eeek, Jennie and Sellwood Glory that tend to not keep overwinter in the best of conditions, and then there are some like Carmen Fiesta, Chilstons Pride and Mingus Toni that have close to indestructable tubers. I'd ask some long-time growers about the varieties that didn't make it before condemning the experiment, as it might just be the fickle varieties that fail would have done so regardless of storage type. Please keep us abreast of your experimenting! I love hearing about such things!