On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?

On 16/11/2013 18:00, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?




Only if you want lots of dahlias; not if you want vegetative replicas of
the parent plant. For identical plants, the tuber or cuttings therefrom
are essential.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On 16/11/2013 18:00, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?
The only things against it are,
1. You don't know what sort of flowers you will get next year, though if
you only have bedding dahlias then it doesn't matter.
2. They will flower later than dahlias grown from early cuttings or from
tubers.

On 16/11/2013 18:13, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:00, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?
The only things against it are,
1. You don't know what sort of flowers you will get next year, though if
you only have bedding dahlias then it doesn't matter.
2. They will flower later than dahlias grown from early cuttings or from
tubers.

Good for those who find the annual lifting and storage too much trouble,
or don't have the space

On 16/11/13 18:13, Spider wrote:

Only if you want lots of dahlias; not if you want vegetative replicas of
the parent plant. For identical plants, the tuber or cuttings therefrom
are essential.

Anyone tried eating surplus tubers? I understand that they were
introduced here first as a food item.

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

On 16/11/2013 18:42, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:13, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:00, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?
The only things against it are,
1. You don't know what sort of flowers you will get next year, though if
you only have bedding dahlias then it doesn't matter.
2. They will flower later than dahlias grown from early cuttings or from
tubers.

Good for those who find the annual lifting and storage too much trouble,
or don't have the space
Or you could go the whole hog and get plastic ones and just dust them
occasionally

On 16/11/2013 18:51, RustyHinge wrote:
On 16/11/13 18:13, Spider wrote:

Only if you want lots of dahlias; not if you want vegetative replicas of
the parent plant. For identical plants, the tuber or cuttings therefrom
are essential.

Anyone tried eating surplus tubers? I understand that they were
introduced here first as a food item.


Suttons seeds launched dahlia yams this season
http://www.suttons.co.uk/Gardening/V...eds_147035.htm
They are supposed to be a cactus flowering strain, but what came from
the seeds I bought were very mixed, looked more like a mix of left over seed
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps01eb6c12.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps970e6e2c.jpg
It could be that some eat better than others, but the problem is you
wont know till it's cooked and by then it's to late to keep it as stock.
I have some 50 plants so I'll be giving them a go (With trepidation).
David @ a side of Swansea Bay that was rain free today.

On 16/11/2013 19:51, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:42, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:13, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:00, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?
The only things against it are,
1. You don't know what sort of flowers you will get next year, though if
you only have bedding dahlias then it doesn't matter.
2. They will flower later than dahlias grown from early cuttings or from
tubers.

Good for those who find the annual lifting and storage too much trouble,
or don't have the space
Or you could go the whole hog and get plastic ones and just dust them
occasionally

Well, I have the time but, alas, not the storage space. For me it's
either dahlias from seed or no dahlias.
That said, us town gardeners are a resourceful lot, so no doubt a way
could be found

On 17/11/2013 10:22, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 19:51, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:42, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:13, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:00, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?
The only things against it are,
1. You don't know what sort of flowers you will get next year,
though if
you only have bedding dahlias then it doesn't matter.
2. They will flower later than dahlias grown from early cuttings or
from
tubers.

Good for those who find the annual lifting and storage too much trouble,
or don't have the space
Or you could go the whole hog and get plastic ones and just dust them
occasionally

Well, I have the time but, alas, not the storage space. For me it's
either dahlias from seed or no dahlias.
That said, us town gardeners are a resourceful lot, so no doubt a way
could be found


I remember many years ago storing around 50 dahlia tubers in a box under
my bed

I remember many years ago storing around 50 dahlia tubers in a box under
my bed

In case you felt hungry during the night?

Steve

On 17/11/2013 15:57, David Hill wrote:
On 17/11/2013 10:22, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 19:51, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:42, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:13, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:00, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?
The only things against it are,
1. You don't know what sort of flowers you will get next year,
though if
you only have bedding dahlias then it doesn't matter.
2. They will flower later than dahlias grown from early cuttings or
from
tubers.

Good for those who find the annual lifting and storage too much
trouble,
or don't have the space
Or you could go the whole hog and get plastic ones and just dust them
occasionally

Well, I have the time but, alas, not the storage space. For me it's
either dahlias from seed or no dahlias.
That said, us town gardeners are a resourceful lot, so no doubt a way
could be found


I remember many years ago storing around 50 dahlia tubers in a box under
my bed

You're right. No excuse really, except that all the beds, and the sofa,
already have "stuff" under them

Well, I have the time but, alas, not the storage space. For me it's
either dahlias from seed or no dahlias.
That said, us town gardeners are a resourceful lot, so no doubt a way
could be found


I remember many years ago storing around 50 dahlia tubers in a box under
my bed

You're right. No excuse really, except that all the beds, and the sofa,
already have "stuff" under them


But it does give a whole new meaning to "Dahlia Bed"

On 17/11/13 10:22, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 19:51, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 18:42, stuart noble wrote:

Good for those who find the annual lifting and storage too much trouble,
or don't have the space

Or you could go the whole hog and get plastic ones and just dust them
occasionally

Well, I have the time but, alas, not the storage space. For me it's
either dahlias from seed or no dahlias.
That said, us town gardeners are a resourceful lot, so no doubt a way
could be found

Safe deposit box?

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save them.
He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a pot
of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

I know that, so why try to save dahlias as tubers if you you can grow them
so easily from seed every year?

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 16/11/2013 18:00, stuart noble wrote:
On 16/11/2013 09:05, David Hill wrote:
On 16/11/2013 01:08, Christina Websell wrote:
"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Last nights frost finnished off my dahlias, turning
the leaves brownish black.

Next task is digging them up, drying and cleaning them
for storeage.

How do folks dry/clean them?

I've done different things:

1) Washed them striaght away under a tap/hose to
remove all the mud/stone etc, then left them upside
down in the garage to dry.

2) Just put them in the garage upside down as they
come, leave them to dry, mud and all, then eventually
shake/dig out all the dry mud.

3) Dig/scrape out all the wet mud that I can straight
away, before leaveing and treating like option 2.
Problem with this is that it is easy to damage the
skin on the tubers as it is still tender.


What do other people do, from my point of view the
easier the better!


--
Roger T

My aunt has an Indian gardener, he doesn't bother trying to save
them. He
takes the flakes from the seedheads, spreads them over the top of a
pot of
compost in the unheated greenhouse and leaves them, voila, in the
spring,
lots of baby dahlias! My aunt always has lots of dahlias.
Tina


The brown "Flakes" are known as seeds

Sounds like a good system though?




Only if you want lots of dahlias; not if you want vegetative replicas of
the parent plant. For identical plants, the tuber or cuttings therefrom
are essential.

I doubt that is important for my aunt. She's 88, and likes any dahlias she
gets.