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Rain and Dahlia bulbs

6 years ago

Hi everyone, yesterday I planted about 45 Dahlia bulbs in our field. Some had sprouted green shoots during their time in winter storage. The field was bone dry and it was very sunny when planted. Now, it has rained for the better part of the day today. I know too much moisture is bad for the dahlias, but will this rain cause them too rot?

How much water is too much for the bulbs?

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Comments (3)

kali_deere
6 years ago
I had pretty much the exact same thing happen to me.... I'll be interested to see what people have to say. I'm nervous mine won't come up now!
kikimentor
6 years ago
having the same problem, I'm in zone 10. It has been raining almost every single day. some of my Dahlias are sending up new shoots and some have I haven't noticed any growth at all. only one have dried out, and I can't understand why...also interested in what more experienced growers have to say, since this is my very first time and my zone isn't really recommended
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This evening I leave on vacation and am due back with the first frosts,(most likely). I am thinking about the beautiful dahlias I have had this year, what to get rid of, what to try for next year. I am thinking of moving my cut flower business more to a "Cut your own" with conditioned flowers for sale too, but putting fewer out at the roadside to die in the summer sun waiting for customers has been just too heart breaking! GReat a few days in the summer when they really sell, and sad on too many others when no one stops by. As I ponder changes in my garden for next year, I am wondering what other Northwest growers have particularly liked for cut flowers this year? Did you try any new ones that were terrific, or are you ready to toss any of the old ones because something better has come along? Poochella, of course I am mainly asking you this, but also welcome opinions from any others! Here are the changes I am thinking about...Move all those beautiful curvy cactus type ones to my personal garden...they are neither popular with my customers nor do they hold up well in the cutting business....However, they make wonderful mounds of summer long color in the garden! (These would include Star's Favorite, a peach and cream one, a coral and yellow, and a white with lavender brushing.) Increase the number of sturdy waterlily type flowers...Have particularly loved them this year. Need to add Bracken Ballerina and any other Bracken one's I can find that I do not have! I do have Wildwood Marie, Pam Howden, Bracken Loreli,September Morn, Angel Dust, Painted Desert , Chilson's Pride. Bracken Rose has yet to bloom for me this year so will probably miss it. Increase the Balls and Pom poms. Find some good B size Dahlias that will hold up well to picking.. I have some. I am also in love with. Get more of the Karma dahlias, though I find them harder to get going and growing into their potential. Wish I had a better source for small amounts of them! This year Bluebeard and Bergers Record (Red) were prolific cactus types for cutting. And then there are the old friends I greet every year....Brandon James, Ruby Red, Procyon, Cornell, James Albin, Gay Princess, Grandma June, Brookside Cooley, etc. Oh yes, My favorite "Trade" has been Tartan...Thanks to the nice guy who sent it to me! I would love any input on next years list! PS, POOCH, would you beleive I lost Mazama last year in moving plants? I miss her!
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Oh I'm sick over your beautiful dahlia picks!! I'm going to try growing them this year regardless living in Florida! I have one I bought in a pot had beautiful 5" flowers the second flush is now blooming and bc it's been in our fla heat the flowers went from 5" to 3" :( a total bummer but I should be thankful it's at least growing instead of rotting !! Lol
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Wrapping them in plastic is an entirely valid storage method, and rather than guaranteeing rot most growers see less than 10% losses. Combined with a fridge that can be kept in the 40-50F range I don't see why it would be any different than storing in a box in a cool area. Since your fridge is your only cooler temp option a big benefit is that tubers are divided before storage and will be easier to store and take up less room. Here's a link to the American Dahlia Society where the method is described. Dahlia plastic wrap instructions
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geez moony.. my last fer sure frost/freeeze date is second or third week of may ... so i couldnt even plant them before that ... so are you late ... heck no ... not by a month in my time ... get them out of any plastic ... keep them as cool as you can to forestall too much growth ... and figure out when they can go outside ... and mind you.. the corollary to starting late.. is that they will probably go down earlier in my MI .. than in your zone ... we dont want to plant in the heat of summer.. they need to settle in and grow some roots to deal with such.. but otherwise.. all late planting does.. or means.. is that your first bloom is just a little later ... and in the grand scheme of things .. who cares ... unless you had some national garden tour coming.. and your garden would incomplete within these on the given day .. and that isnt most of us ... ken
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cicivacation
6 years ago
" will this rain cause them to rot?"

Soggy soil that takes longer then a day to drain often causes dahlia tubers to rot. Dig down to the same level as your tubers (a foot away so you don't hurt their feeder roots), and see if water gathers in your hole. If so, you have a drainage problem.

The tubers have 'breathing holes' called lenticels along the sides, and when too wet for a prolonged period of time, often expand to spongy slits that can look quite alarming. Other then making it difficult to write on the tuber after dividing in the fall, the bumps are harmless. But they DO act as a warning sign, when caught early enough, that the soil is too wet for too long.

(technically, the lenticels "functions as a pore, providing a pathway for the direct exchange of
gases between the internal tissues and atmosphere" through the outer skin of the tuber)

Digging trenches around your beds can give the water somewhere to go, other then around the tubers. Raised beds are good, as well. In low areas of my garden, I do both, digging trenches and mounding the excess soil up 6 inches so the tubers can be planted at ground-level. Often I see water sitting in the trenches, and I haven't lost tubers to rotting since I've implemented that double technique. What would be better yet is if I had a place to drain that water farther away from the beds.

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