OCTOBER in the garden
Tubers are really starting to get active and eyes are making a move and shoots developing. These shoots are very tasty to slugs and snails so it's important to have the slug bait out.
The overwintering medium can be kept damp and exposed to light and warm conditions. This will encourage good growth. Checks should have been made in autumn for Gall , but it is important to check again as new shoots start to appear. Discard if you see any signs of gall. Do not isolate.
I leave my tubers in their large polystyrene bins with the crowns exposed so it is easy to check for new shoots. They stay in these bins until planting. The bins and sawdust make a lightweight way of taking tubers out to your beds.
It's the tale end of spring and the weather can still be wild and unpredictable. Temperatures swing from 20-2 degrees and for those south of the Bombay hills, frosts!
So for a lot of us it can still not be ideal for dahlia planting. If you live in a spot that has more consistent temperatures, free of frosts, excess rain/wind then planting becomes a safer bet towards the end of October. I usually plant the 1st weekend in November.
A light dusting of lime prior to planting will help to sweeten the soil. Either let the rain wash it in or you can dig it in.
If you get caught out with a frost threatening after planting you can add some mulch over young shoots or if you spike your stakes with a few layers of newspaper pushed right down to just above the shoots that should do the trick. You can always plant a little later. These plants will catch up on the early plantings, which can get a knock back with inclement weather.
If you are buying in new tubers from any source it will be a good idea to quarantine them. This is to determine that they are not diseased with gall or virus. Put them into pots big enough to accommodate the tuber. Keep them completely seperate from any other dahlias and in fact from your garden in general. As soon as shoots appear, bug spray. It only takes a few aphids or thrips to spread disease to your other dahlias and to other plants in your garden. When there is no sign of disease they should be able to be planted into your main dahlia garden. If their is a disease problem then discard the whole plant and with gall throw the whole pot and mix out too.
When putting into pots for shooting put them laterally as they would when you plant into the ground. If you put them vertical and you have a 10cm shoot then planting laterally in the ground is very difficult. If you plant in the ground with the tuber vertical you run the risk of excess water going down the crown and rotting the tuber out.
The flowering season is getting closer quite quickly now. Most of you will be looking forward to having these wonderful blooms in your garden to gaze upon and drool over. Not hard to do, lets face it. However, there are some of you who would like to explore the world of growing your blooms to a higher degree of perfection and displaying them in front of the judges.
Showing dahlias is competitive, fun and free. No entry fee, no prize money. It is at these shows that competitors get to chat amongst each other on the various merits and failings of different varieties, different methods that they trial in growing and of course to introduce new raisings direct from the grower.
Dahlia club members both local and national are the main source of new tubers for my garden. There is also great camraderie amongst the exhibitors. As the senior open class growers are depleting and their skills and knowledge with them, it is time for the new generation of budding exhibitors to step up and keep the skills alive and flourishing.