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Author Topic: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!  (Read 6482 times)

Offline Cindi

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Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« on: October 18, 2008, 11:11:14 am »
Sharon, the dahlias have now been cut and dug out.  But I have taken pictures for you to see.  I have used photobucket (I finally figured out to use it, I hope), so here is the experiment for you to look at. I would love for you to tell me how many different ones I have, I think there are many.  My preference now, since growing them, by all means is the open faced ones.  Thank you again, Sharon, for taking that time to send me all the seed. I have gathered the flowers from my particular ones that I like and will be saving seed from them.  I like that pink one that you see that is the full picture of the plant up against the corner of my house, I think that one is extremely pretty, and there was also a magenta coloured one that blew my socks off!!!  Enjoy my pictures and have that most wonderful and awesome day, Cindi

http://s357.photobucket.com/albums/oo19/CindiQ/

Hmmm....I think I put in the wrong file, I had many, many other pictures of other colours, gonna have to revamp things here.  Just wait, I know there are more.  C.

Hmm....modifying a post twice, what is wrong with me.  No..that is all the pictures.  I just didn't go into the second page of the pictures, I only looked at the first page.

I don't like how the little windows with the URL's etc showed up, if they weren't showing then the pictures could be seen more easily as a group, without all the text below each picture, I will figure that out one day too.  Enjoy Sharon!!!  These are especially grown with you in every seed that I sowed  ;) :) :) :)
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2008, 11:50:55 am »
WOWIE! Well done, what glorious looking dahlias!  You all have a green thumb that is for sure!  You have some wonderful collarettes as well as some formal decorative types.  A few of those singles look to be show quality!

I can't believe how huge the one in the first photo is!

Thanks so much for sharing the pics with me!

Offline annette

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2008, 12:34:24 am »
I simply cannot believe how  beautiful your dahlias came out. I just love these flowers and find them so amazing to behold. Each one is different. My friend who planted the dahlias in his garden (remember my bees are on his property) just loves them and wants to plant more next year.  I do not know anything about how to care for them for the winter. Can you both share with me what we are supposed to do and when to do it??

Thanks and I hope to plant more next year.I still have many more seeds that we did not plant.

Take care
Annette

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2008, 01:21:32 am »
 Hey you guys!!
 I just took a picture of one of Sharons Dahlias this afternoon!!!
 I thought they all died from the heat, but this one is hardly in the pot! I meant to take more pics at sundown but I forgot. MIne is dark red sort of with a yellow middle!
I'll post a pic tomorrow!!!
 Thanks Sharon!!! I guess the flower came around as its been cooling off the last week!
 Also, tomorrow, I'll get some air potatoes ready for you!

your friend,
john

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2008, 02:19:01 am »
Dahlia babies from me to you all...how fun, thank you all so much *~*~*~*~

Hugs & Love

Offline Cindi

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2008, 11:19:20 am »
Sharon, a couple of questions, Annette, I will respond to you in a minute.  Thank you for the kind words of praise, that made me feel good and raised those serotonin levels, hee, hee, now I am flyin', hee, hee  8-) ;) :) :) :) :).  I have that green thumb, it actually is a dark green thumb it is so developed, hee, hee.  I can see that you are very proud of your work as Mamma to us all with those seeds that you so lovingly sent, that was a wonderful deed!!!

Sharon, forgot this.  What is a collarette?  What do you mean by decorative.  Can you look at the pictures and give me the picture number or something so I know of what you speak?  That would be appreciated, and define what those two words meant:  collerette, decorative.....

I have pulled the tubers, they are now in my attic, staying dry and cool for the wintertime.

I also have brought several of the older flower heads of the pink ones into my house for drying.  The seeds are held in the base of the flower that has swollen as the flower petals have all but dried out and the base bulb has shown, don't really know other how to describe it.  I know from seed gathering what to do and I think this is the procedure.

I chose three of the dahlias to keep the seed from, I am a lover of pinks and I chose a double flowered one, a pretty pink one, that is the one of the full plant picture up against my house (those groups of tubers from the particular plant were beyond enormous, I will take a picture of it actually, it blew my socks off!!!), and a beautiful magenta coloured one (that was my favourite).

Now.....my queery here is.  How true to the parent will the seed come?  Do you know this?  I was reading up on dahlias and the site said that sometimes seeds do not fall true to the parent.  Can you elaborate a little on this?  I need to know.  The big pink one against the house will be able to be divided an incredible amount, the tubers were massive.

So, getting onto the tubers.  When my division of these tubers in spring, clearly define how each division will be performed.  I have not grown dahlias in previous years and I need to know indepth about what is required to set a good plant.  I.e., can each tuber provide a new plant, or does it require that several tubers are left attached to part of the original root (is there an original root still there?  I don't know this).

So Sharon, baby me along here a little bit.  You know we have all wintertime to talk about this, so there is no great hurry.

Annette.  This is for you, Sharon may elaborate somewhat upon what I will say.

Do you get a killing frost where you live, Annette.  That is my first question.  The killing frost with most perennials is a very important part of the life cycle of a perennial.  This begins the shut down of nutrients that come from underground through to the plant.  Now, we have to bear in mind at the same time, that many places do not have that winter frost kill.  I cannot comment an awful lot on that, how people in frost free zones take care of their perennials, because I simply do not know.

IF you get that killing frost, or anticipate it, wait until it occurs.  After the leaves have blackened or wilted, cut the foliage right off.  Leave a stump above ground, this will remain on the tubers while they are in storage.

Dig the tubers out of the ground.  They will lift easily (or fairly easily).  Take care to shake as much of the dirt off the tubers, you may even have to gently remove the earth, depending upon the soil type.  This tuber is now ready for the winter hibernation.  The tubers need to be kept in a reasonably dark, but dry, freezing free spot, like an attic, a garage, an old cupboard, wherever.  The key is to keep them dry.  This is what you do.

Now, I am not the perfect harbourer of knowledge of how to deal with dahlias, Sharon is that Master, we know that, she is very deeply involved with dahlia production.  She may add comments, or correct my comments, (Sharon, if I have given any wrong information, kindly correct, that would be appreciated).  So Annette, John, you will have these dahlias to be yours for time and eternity, should you want them to remain with you, you only have to listen, do a little bit of preparation work, for the bounty and beauty of the dahlias that you have been given, enjoy.  John, would love to see your pictures, bring 'em on, get out there just before sundown, that does make for very nice lighting when taking pictures, hee, hee......Have that wonderful day, most beautiful day, great health wishes to us all.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2008, 12:03:30 pm »
Hi Cindi, Annette * JBF, and anyone else interested in dahlia culture.  I am going to refer you to a web site that has a plethora of information.

http://dahlias.net/dahwebpg/CultureIndex/Culture.htm

These folks have great info...Just remember, use organic all purpose fertilizer.

Cindi I will revisit your photos and comment on them.  Again CONGRATS!!

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2008, 01:09:47 pm »
 Looky Sharon!!
 This is my flower from you!' I could tell after Cindi posted pics of hers!
 I actually had another one earlier but it was more orange than red.! pretty much all my flowers are dead now from heat and getting too dry, but yours stands out like a blazing neon sign!!!
 Isnt this coool?????

your friend,
john
          <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Day Valley Dahlia&#39;s Flower</td></tr></table>

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2008, 01:38:35 pm »
JBF, That is a beautiful vibrant red single!  Congrats to you and thanks so for sharing!

Offline Cindi

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #9 on: October 20, 2008, 10:10:57 am »
John, beautiful flower, thanks for sharing that with us.  I wish that we had more dryness, we are now into our soggy and wet wintertime, yich!!!  I didn't actually use any fertilizer on mine.  My gardens are so full of compost and poop that I don't really fertilize anything around here.  Wonder what would happen if I did use some organic fertilizers.  Liquid fish would probably be my choice, hee, hee.  Can't wait to see what the tubers do next year, hee, hee.  Have that wonderful and most awesome day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline annette

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Re: Sharon, your Dahlias from seed, this one is for you!!!
« Reply #10 on: October 20, 2008, 09:00:55 pm »
Hi Cindi, Annette * JBF, and anyone else interested in dahlia culture.  I am going to refer you to a web site that has a plethora of information.

http://dahlias.net/dahwebpg/CultureIndex/Culture.htm

These folks have great info...Just remember, use organic all purpose fertilizer.

Cindi I will revisit your photos and comment on them.  Again CONGRATS!!


Thanks for the information and also thank you to Cindi for the info also.

Love
Annette