Dahlias 2012 season

scrumpy Top Member Posts: 1,280	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 17, 2012 11:34:33 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by scrumpy on Jun 17, 2012 11:34:33 GMT You must be in a hot area for dahlias by the sounds. Round here, people think my 140 odd plants are a large number.

snute2008 Full Member Posts: 170	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 17, 2012 15:09:06 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by snute2008 on Jun 17, 2012 15:09:06 GMT Strange lot in the south west !!! lol

dcdahlia
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Dahlias 2012 season Jun 17, 2012 16:37:35 GMT

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Post by dcdahlia on Jun 17, 2012 16:37:35 GMT

Yes scrumpy it takes a liitle time to get to know what grows well on your soil I can't grow eastwood moonlight or kenora challenger which are bankers if grown well.I grow ruskin michelle instead of eastwood and can get it right up to the ring where as a lot of growers I know can't get it anywhere near the size I can.I have been growing 10 years now and have just settled on three small decs that I can grow each as well as the other joan walker,brenda t and leopold chloe.I have given up on challenger and I am this year giving kenora valentine a go.

snute2008 Full Member Posts: 170	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 8:26:29 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by snute2008 on Jun 18, 2012 8:26:29 GMT Scrumpy, I am really interested in your growing method - when you have time perhaps you could explain in a little more detail how you grow and ensure flowers at the right time. Thanks.

scrumpy
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Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 19:28:22 GMT

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Post by scrumpy on Jun 18, 2012 19:28:22 GMT

I'm sure that somewhere on here i've posted how I time things for shows. I'll have a look a bit later. If not, I'll start a thread showing the different stages as I'm going along.
Just one thing to bear in mind though, I'm geared up for the 11th of August. Later shows will be the same principle, but different dates if you see what I mean.

Lou78W Top Member Posts: 9,402	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 19:57:14 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Lou78W on Jun 18, 2012 19:57:14 GMT Your show is particulary early ....I thought mine was the earliest at about 20-23 August
	Born and bred in Northumberland!!

snute2008
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Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 20:07:21 GMT

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Post by snute2008 on Jun 18, 2012 20:07:21 GMT

Jun 18, 2012 19:28:22 GMT scrumpy said:

I'm sure that somewhere on here i've posted how I time things for shows. I'll have a look a bit later. If not, I'll start a thread showing the different stages as I'm going along.
Just one thing to bear in mind though, I'm geared up for the 11th of August. Later shows will be the same principle, but different dates if you see what I mean.

Really appreciate that. I have shows on 12 Aug / 19 Aug / 25,26,27 Aug and then a couple in September.

Unfortunately the weather is not all that good and the plants seem to be growing really slowly so not sure that it will be much of a successful first year.

scrumpy Top Member Posts: 1,280	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 20:37:33 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by scrumpy on Jun 18, 2012 20:37:33 GMT Some of mine are already showing buds....the rest I would say are on a par with last year, mainly because my cuttings were much better than last year. 12th and 19th August may be a possibility, have you stopped your plants yet?

dcdahlia Top Member Posts: 693	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 21:08:59 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by dcdahlia on Jun 18, 2012 21:08:59 GMT New garden before:

dcdahlia Top Member Posts: 693	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 21:10:45 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by dcdahlia on Jun 18, 2012 21:10:45 GMT New garden after:

dcdahlia Top Member Posts: 693	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 21:12:40 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by dcdahlia on Jun 18, 2012 21:12:40 GMT New garden planted:

dcdahlia Top Member Posts: 693	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 18, 2012 21:19:10 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by dcdahlia on Jun 18, 2012 21:19:10 GMT Other garden planted ,all plants 22 inches apart all around with no paths so I can get as many covered as possible.In the new garden plants are 24 inches apart with 3 foot paths.

snute2008
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Dahlias 2012 season Jun 19, 2012 8:36:57 GMT

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Post by snute2008 on Jun 19, 2012 8:36:57 GMT

Jun 18, 2012 20:37:33 GMT scrumpy said:

Some of mine are already showing buds....the rest I would say are on a par with last year, mainly because my cuttings were much better than last year.
12th and 19th August may be a possibility, have you stopped your plants yet?

Yes, plants stopped.

scrumpy
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Posts: 1,280

Dahlias 2012 season Jun 19, 2012 23:27:49 GMT

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Post by scrumpy on Jun 19, 2012 23:27:49 GMT

Good, will give details of my method today.

These are how my plants look, photos taken today. I think they are a bit further on than DC's

Everything was stopped by middle of May. Spent Saturday and Sunday crawling around the beds, removing all the lower leaves and the ones damaged by the winds, and staked the ones that needed it.
Lot's of lush green growth, so when i fertilised tonight i've not used a high nitrogen fertiliser as I normally would, gone straight to a balanced 20:20:20 with some liquid seaweed/ liquid humus. I make it up to 200 litres in a water butt and the whole lot is used over my 8 beds with a watering can.

Cherry Global Moderator Posts: 17,975	Dahlias 2012 season Jun 20, 2012 4:37:19 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Cherry on Jun 20, 2012 4:37:19 GMT That is very neat Scrumpy. The garden must look a treat when the dahlias are blooming.