Tie all shoots and disbud plants as required. Keep the watering going if at all dry and hoe if the surface is hardening up to prevent it "panning" otherwise water will run off rather than soak in.
Remove all dead flower heads as soon as possible, especially in the case of all types of bedding dahlias. This promotes new flowering shoots to keep your dahlias blooming well into the Autumn.
Keep the hygiene programme going, looking especially for caterpillars and earwigs, the evening is a good time to do this. Feed with a balance fertilizer in the early part of the month and change to a high potash content towards the end of the month to promote tuber growth and to retain and improve colour.
I have sent off a batch of postcards and a few dozen blooms to the Chicheley Hall Flower Festival as a proud sponsor of this event, occurring Friday 5th August until Sunday 7th see http://bit.ly/mZmeYn co-organised by
Judith Blacklock.
We have now begun our cut flower season, a little later than I expected as a result of slow growth through July. However, the blooms coming on now are very good colour and formation so I mustn't grumble!
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Dahlia jobs in July
All plants should be growing well now and showing signs of budding up, indeed, some will be showing colour.
Now is the time to place all plants being kept for pot tubers in the garden frame. If at all dry, and we are certainly not! start watering to prevent the newly growing shoots from hardening.
Keep hoeing in order to keep weed free and to keep the soil from becoming panned; this aerates the ground and enables the roots to 'breathe'. Dis-bud shoots as soon as buds are large enough to handle. For full details dis-budding techniques see the web site "How to Grow" pages.
After hoeing mulch around the plants as this will not only allow nutrients to trickle into the soil but will also retain moisture and keep weed growth down.
Keep the outdoor hygiene programme going to prevent disease and pests.
Dahlia jobs in July
All plants should be growing well now and showing signs of budding up, indeed, some will be showing colour.
Now is the time to place all plants being kept for pot tubers in the garden frame. If at all dry, and we are certainly not! start watering to prevent the newly growing shoots from hardening.
Keep hoeing in order to keep weed free and to keep the soil from becoming panned; this aerates the ground and enables the roots to 'breathe'. Dis-bud shoots as soon as buds are large enough to handle. For full details dis-budding techniques see the web site "How to Grow" pages.
After hoeing mulch around the plants as this will not only allow nutrients to trickle into the soil but will also retain moisture and keep weed growth down.
Keep the outdoor hygiene programme going to prevent disease and pests.
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Dahlia fields
We have had pretty good weather the last 2/3 weeks, plenty of light rain that has soaked the ground well, now nicely moist with the underlying clay well soaked and retaining the rain. Looking forward to a few weeks of sunshine and warm nights to bring them on!
All my dahlias are now planted with the later ones in yesterday which will start blooming a little later and, hopefully, bloom on a little longer in the late summer / early autumn and giving a flowering season lasting from mid-July through to end of October, frost permitting.
The first top dressing of a 7.7.7 fertiliser is down and will repeat in around 4 weeks time. Then, in mid August, a top dressing of bone meal will go down to strengthen the plants, maintain the colour and help the tubers develop.
All grass areas and pathways mown, time for a little relaxing before there is a need to concentrate on dis-budding.
All my dahlias are now planted with the later ones in yesterday which will start blooming a little later and, hopefully, bloom on a little longer in the late summer / early autumn and giving a flowering season lasting from mid-July through to end of October, frost permitting.
The first top dressing of a 7.7.7 fertiliser is down and will repeat in around 4 weeks time. Then, in mid August, a top dressing of bone meal will go down to strengthen the plants, maintain the colour and help the tubers develop.
All grass areas and pathways mown, time for a little relaxing before there is a need to concentrate on dis-budding.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Dahlia jobs in June
Is it nearly June already?
If you haven't planted out now is the time to do so, just check there are no late frosts forecast but I'd say that for this year they are now past. Begin the outdoor hygiene programme by keeping the ground well hoed to prevent weeds and to keep the ground aerated. Stake all dahlias if not done before planting.
7-10 days after planting the first top dressing may be applied. A good general purpose fertiliser, fish, blood and bone is used at Withypitts Dahlias. Tomorite is also good, not just for tomatoes!
If you haven't planted out now is the time to do so, just check there are no late frosts forecast but I'd say that for this year they are now past. Begin the outdoor hygiene programme by keeping the ground well hoed to prevent weeds and to keep the ground aerated. Stake all dahlias if not done before planting.
7-10 days after planting the first top dressing may be applied. A good general purpose fertiliser, fish, blood and bone is used at Withypitts Dahlias. Tomorite is also good, not just for tomatoes!
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Sending emails to xx@btinternet.com
Let me start with a simple question: If I send you an email how do you know that you haven't received it?
I send emails from a number of different email accounts, both personal and business, and have learnt, only recently, that there are people with @btinternet.com accounts that are not receiving mail from me. It is only later when it has become apparent that they should have had an email that they realise they haven't. After a little research and a conversation with the btinternet.com support desk that the reason starts to become clear.
I understand that if an email sent to a btinternet.com account is "from" an account that is not in the recipient's address book it is very likely that it will be stored in a central, server based Spam folder and not downloaded to the email client. It is the account holder's responsibility to check this server based folder and retrieve any mail that is not spam, educating the spam filter in the process. It is only when an email client, Outlook, Eudora, Thunderbird for example is used so using the webmail facility avoids this issue.
I agree that spam is the bane of our online lives and that BTInternet/Yahoo are striving to block it, but surely there must be a better way? Because if an email enquiry is sent to me and I reply, the chances are you will not get the reply without going through this process because it is very unlikely that you will have added me to your address book when sending the enquiry.
So, a message to my customers on btinternet.com, check your server spam folder and add me to your address book please!
I send emails from a number of different email accounts, both personal and business, and have learnt, only recently, that there are people with @btinternet.com accounts that are not receiving mail from me. It is only later when it has become apparent that they should have had an email that they realise they haven't. After a little research and a conversation with the btinternet.com support desk that the reason starts to become clear.
I understand that if an email sent to a btinternet.com account is "from" an account that is not in the recipient's address book it is very likely that it will be stored in a central, server based Spam folder and not downloaded to the email client. It is the account holder's responsibility to check this server based folder and retrieve any mail that is not spam, educating the spam filter in the process. It is only when an email client, Outlook, Eudora, Thunderbird for example is used so using the webmail facility avoids this issue.
I agree that spam is the bane of our online lives and that BTInternet/Yahoo are striving to block it, but surely there must be a better way? Because if an email enquiry is sent to me and I reply, the chances are you will not get the reply without going through this process because it is very unlikely that you will have added me to your address book when sending the enquiry.
So, a message to my customers on btinternet.com, check your server spam folder and add me to your address book please!
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Dahlia jobs in May
All your plants should be in 5 inch / 125 mm pots by the middle of May. Stop plants when 5 to 6 inches, 125 mm 150 mm, tall or after 4 -5 pairs of leaves depending on the number of main flowering stems you wish to have. Plants, whether seedlings or cuttings, should now be in your cold house or frame hardening off; do protect from frost!, if real chill threatens a fleece covering will do a great job.
Take any late cuttings should you need to produce more plants. These will grow on but not begin flowering until, probably, mid-August but will consequently go on longer if there are no frosts in late October / early November. Keep your hygiene programme going.
In the south and south-west start planting out dahlia plants when the weather is suitable and there seems to be no risk of a late frost. As things are at present with the weather I anticipate beginning the planting out around the 3rd weekend in May.
Take any late cuttings should you need to produce more plants. These will grow on but not begin flowering until, probably, mid-August but will consequently go on longer if there are no frosts in late October / early November. Keep your hygiene programme going.
In the south and south-west start planting out dahlia plants when the weather is suitable and there seems to be no risk of a late frost. As things are at present with the weather I anticipate beginning the planting out around the 3rd weekend in May.
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