Dahlias- planting when?

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » May 08, 2006 10:37 am

Hey Chris or anyone in zone 5? When can dahlias tubers be safely planted? I bought some and not sure and they don't say when it's safe? I know they aren't hardy, so wondering when it's safe and how deep to plant them for michigan?

ICGardner · Post by **ICGardner** » May 09, 2006 9:47 pm

Jane- I "googled" ot and got all kinds of info. Give it a try and see if you get wsome answers

putnamgardens · Post by **putnamgardens** » May 11, 2006 8:15 am

I live in MN and I planted my dahlia's in pots and put'm in my hoop house a month ago. They have broken ground and I even placed on in an urn (middle) with other accent annuals. Dahlia tubers are planted 6 inches deep. They love heat and water. In MN we don't plant outdoors til May 15th. Our low last night was 45 degrees. I think you can plant tubers sooner but they don't get growing till the ground heats up. This year I invested in Dinner plate dahlias. They have huge blooms and are quite showy. You'll have to post pictures of'm this Aug. We always have a good showing at our MN state fair in Aug. Maybe Chris has other advice but I knew the correct answer for planting depth and thought you'd wanna know. Later, Love, Lisa

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » May 11, 2006 8:33 am

Thanks Lisa. That's what I thought as far as a frost, they wont' even be up till the last frost date I'm sure when they are 6 inches down!

Can't wait to see your pics.

The last year (3 ago) I did them, I put them in the bird sanctuary.

They were beautiful! Must have loved all that 'poo-poo' fertilizer!

Been tempted to grab some of the soil under the feeders to plant with them, but I'm afraid I'd have sunflowers all over the place!

missjane64 · Post by **missjane64** » Jun 05, 2006 10:08 am

I planted dinner plate dahlias last spring (probably in May), and they just didn't do as good as I had hoped. So, I didn't even bother digging them up. I am in zone 5, and wouldn't you know it, they started coming up this Spring....all of them! I guess our mild winter saved them, but still! Anyway, I even have a couple of buds. I'll make sure and post pics when they bloom!

Jane
NE Ohio

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Jun 05, 2006 1:03 pm

Mine are just making it up maybe 6 inches, so it will be awhile before I see anything.

That's fun when you get a surprise like that Jane. You'll have to post pics to share with us!