+- Punaweb Forum (http://punaweb.org/forum)
+-- Forum: Punaweb Forums (http://punaweb.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Forum: Farming and Gardening in Puna (http://punaweb.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=13)
+--- Thread: Dahlias? (/showthread.php?tid=6857)
Dahlias? - csgray - 02-10-2010
Has anybody grown dahlias in Puna? At one time I had a huge collection and most of my most spectacular varieties had tropical origins, so I was wondering if they would grow here. I also wondered if the bare clean tubers could be legally shipped in without special permits.
Mahalo,
Carol
RE: Dahlias? - missydog1 - 02-10-2010
One problem with dahlias that I assume you know because you grew them, is the tubers are subject to rot, and the leaves to fungus. Earwigs and slugs love them. OTOH, we do have great drainage here. I found some dahlia tips relating to growing them in frost free conditions.
http://www.dahliabarn.com/care.phtml
__________________
Digging Dahlias
It's important to wait for a frost in fall before digging your dahlias. Wait at least one week after a frost before digging your dahlias. During this time, the dahlia is 'ripening' and preparing itself for winter. Dahlias dug too early will not store over winter. If you live in an area that does not freeze, withhold water from your dahlias in fall to force them into dormancy in the fall. Cut down the dahlias stems to a height of 6"-8" and use a pitchfork to gently loosen the soil around the dahlia and lift the dahlias out of the soil.
Do I really need to dig up my dahlias?
Digging and dividing will keep your dahlias returning year after year when they are dug and stored properly. Dahlias left in the ground will create a massive tuber clump underground that will send up many weak, unproductive stalks that have small blooms. Eventually, if left undug year after year, they won't come back at all. You can treat your dahlias as annuals and purchase new tuber stock each year.
If you live in an area that does not have harsh, freezing winters, your dahlias may survive winter without digging. In the fall, wait at least 1 week after a freeze and after your dahlia stalks have died back completely. Then cut the stalks down to the ground and place a 10"-12" layer of mulch such as grass clippings, leaves, straw or compost. This will protect your dahlias over winter. In March, remove the layer of mulch so that the soil can begin to warm up. Dig up the tubers, divide, let dry for 3-5 days, and replant them.
Although, we do recommend digging, dividing and storing in the fall, you should have success with this method as well.
RE: Dahlias? - csgray - 02-13-2010
Dahlias originated with the Aztecs across a pretty varied swath of Mexico so I think they should grow here. I grew many varieties for years in Oregon, so I am pretty familiar with how to cultivate them. Slugs were a real issue there as was mold and powdery mildew if we had a late wet summer.
Like most people in HPP I have a pretty thin layer of soil over cinders and rock so I just wondered if anyone on Punaweb, who had actual experience with growing them here, had any advice about how much and what kind of organic matter I need to be using for the beds.
Carol
RE: Dahlias? - missydog1 - 02-22-2010
yeah, I answered because I love dahlias too and have grown them on the mainland, but have never seen them growing here, so I wondered if it was the over-wintering that was an issue. And so far no one has spoken up that has the actual experience. I'd like to know too. Did they originate in the drier part of Mexico or did they do well in the jungle? I just wonder if rot would be a problem here.
I saw the most gorgeous dahlia garden in a botanical garden started by a Scotsman on Lago di Maggiore. And Golden Gate Park has an absolutely incredible display that is tended to by the Dahlia Society there. I just loved to go see them. Those are both temperate climates though.
RE: Dahlias? - csgray - 02-23-2010
At one point I saw old photos of Dahlias being grown in either Wood Valley or somewhere else in Ka'u, but I can't remember where. I think I will just order some from one of the certified shippers and try. They start shipping in March so I need to get a move on it soon. I will post how it worked.
Carol
RE: Dahlias? - missydog1 - 02-23-2010
Cool. Will you plant them in a raised bed?
RE: Dahlias? - emorata - 02-24-2010
i tried growing them in a pot and when it was rainy it would sulk and it eventually died...now that we haven't received that much rain maybe it will be better...i do recall when i live in the mainland, they did soo much better in drier/sunnier environments, will try again when i eventually move to a drier area.
Noel Morata
Check out my blog about living aloha in East Hawaii http://noelmorata.blogspot.com/
RE: Dahlias? - Carey - 02-24-2010
Decades ago I had a midwest home on a sandy lot. Dahlias (and just about anything) grew like crazy. You did need to pull them for the winter there. (I actually thought I had a green thumb for the years I lived in that house! I then moved to a house with clay...& learned I had no such gift!)
I did have dahlias on the clay, but it was much more work, and the poor things often got rotten. I learned to place a loose sandy soil into a clay pot. I watered the plant by dunking the pot (on larger pots I would soak the pot with the hose, then sprinkle the topsoil). These potted plants were under the lanai plants only. I did have a couple of neighbors who would plant out dahlias just for a season & then turn them under (the tubers would get too full of critters....) but my pot method seemed to keep the critters to a minimum (of course, I did need to take the tubers out of the pots during the winter).
Haven't tried them here... but my first inclination would be to make sure they are in very well drained soil, rotate out the tubers to dry them to keep the tuber critters to a minimum, and probably place them in an area that you can control the watering...
RE: Dahlias? - Sean - 03-01-2010
Ask me next year. My wife bought dahlias, iris', cannas, freesias and a couple other types of bulbs a couple weeks ago at Lowes. We've planted them and it looks like the dahlias are competing with the onions to see who will be the tallest first. That being said, this is 100% trial and error for us.