To see the full original newsletter with all the photos click here to get the pdf: April 2025 Newsletter
NEXT MEETING
Tuesday, April 8 at 7:30 at 9th and Lincoln.
Program: And if there’s time, Deborah is prepared to waltz us around Morocco. Do you have some special tubers or cuttings you’d like to donate at our meeting? It’s always nice to offer these first to the staunch members who attend monthly. The likelihood that these will return the next year as more tubers and more cuttings is certainly higher than just selling them to the public at our Big Tuber and Plant Sale April 26. Who will delight hungry dahlianeers with yummy fuel?
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
Julie investigated the use of bugs in thwarting the predation of other bugs. Not only did she share how certain nematodes in the soil eat the larvae of obnoxious munchers, but she gave us great resources to check including websites and podcasts. Check out her slide deck at dahliadell.org. Julie suggested using yellow sticky sheets to identify which bugs inhabit your garden. You need to know what bug you are battling before you know the best way to eradicate it; by identifying your pest, you can implement an effective solution without it being an atomic bomb response.
Click here for Julie’s entire slide deck: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/63e40f9c983b7a60a8e937a5/t/67d7352ccb403170da7fd9b4/1742157110804/Beneficial+Pest+Program.pdf
Paula reminded us that Master Gardeners can answer your tough pest IDf questions, too.
Julie recommends this link:
https://farmerbailey.com/blogs/farmer-baileyblog/pests-and-pals-protecting-yourcrops-with-biocontrols
GERMINATION LOFT
Deborah took us on a slide tour of her germination loft. She showed how to slit open the flat top of a milk carton and use it for a label; add 1/3 sandy soil with rich compost and a little perlite; lay out a mosaic of several tubers; cover them with another 1/3 soil. CLOSE the milk carton. Deborah stacks hers in columns 6 bricks high and checks them periodically for sprouts. The sprouted tubers can then be transferred to 4”x4’s, individual milk cartons or gallon pots for further growing. Deborah explained the concept of hardening off: gradually introducing young plants from their safe environment into the outdoors and full sun.
HIGH STAKES
Anita passed around her 3’ tall metal stakes. Each top has a pocket wherein she places a laminated photo of the dahlia with its particular ID: form, size, color. Gemplers | Gear & Supplies for Outdoor Professionals Colmet Galvanized Steel Sign Holders 30” tall 5 x 7.”
TIM’S MAGIC GARAGE GREENHOUSE
Tim walked us through how he places tubers in a light soil mixture to germinate. He cuts sprouts off tubers and pokes them into Root Riot plugs which he places in a humidified domed box under lights. When these develop, he transfers them to 4×4’s or larger. Seeing examples of each stage and how they progress to the next is so much more understandable than just reading about it.
SUCH NOURISHMENT!
Thanks to the Kawaguchis, the Ko’s, Jenna and Brigid for such a great selection of cookies. Anita’s fruit bread and Ken and Kathy’s banana bread buttressed our stomachs in fine homemade fashion. We gobbled up Pat’s toffees and the Krivoruchko’s carmel deletes. Oh, Peggy! those See’s mint mallows. Soo wonderful. Thank you to all of you who help sustain our dahlia community gastronomically.
OVERWHELMED AT PSW!
South Coast Dahlia Society staged such a fantastic conference! “Such ABUNDANCE!” exclaimed Lucy. No one had EVER seen so many tubers and cuttings available for the raffle! So many commercial dahlia grower gift certificates! Heron’s Nest, Kristine Albrecht, Flying M Ranch, Lobaugh’s, Rivers, StoneHouse and Swan Island. So many many many cool baskets full of silent auction goodies, including massage, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Home Depot. Almost overwhelming. Because he could not attend, Erik splurged, buying $250 in lucky tickets which he spread amongst all his DSC partners at the conference. Whooowhee! So lucky! After a fine catered lunch, four long tables tempted us with homemade irresistible desserts. Indeed, the chocolate peanut butter bars proved too compelling. Wayne Lobaugh Zoomed us about collorettes: form preferences, colors, breeding, and winners. The most important issue is petals in a “Flat Plane.” David Headrick from Cal Poly enjoyed teaching us how to trap gophers, moles and voles. While gophers only live 3 years, they can produce 3-5 litters of 2-10 kits per year. Yikes! He stressed that “healthy soil” is the most significant factor for healthy plants with healthy immune systems.
BREAKING NEWS: Dahlias are no longer considered octoploid; instead, they are tetraploid (x4) with 92 chromosomes per cell. Their nearest relative is the sunflower. Hmmm. Louise Hendrickson sliced and diced the results of the 5 California shows of 2024. Which cultivar won the most blues or higher last year? With 48 points, return winner Elvira triumphed. Eden Alice in her debut year clocked in at #5. Check out Top 20, Winners by Size or Type, and Rosters of all the 2024 shows, click here: https://www.dahliadell.org/psw-winners Cal Poly and UC SLO have important AG programs. SCDS sponsors two $1000 scholarships. The two recipients gave presentations that warmed all our hearts. Heather’s mama painstakingly stitched a magnificent floral quilt for which there was a separate big ticket auction won by our own Francis and John Yamaguchi. So gorgeous! ADS President, Mark Oldenkamp, officially handed our Lou P FOUR Dudley awards for his 2024 bench introductions. Just when we thought things were over, we saw a big truck unloading bags of worm casting potting soil for EVERY PARTICIPANT! This may be South Coast Dahlia Society’s first ever hosting of PSW, but we can hardly wait for their next one!
TUBER SALE ETTIQUETE
Our Tuber Sale supports DSC for the whole year. Your tubers, plants, time and enthusiasm make our sale an amazing event. We will open the auditorium at 8 am. Please bring your contributions just before 8 am. Do not expect to waltz in around 9 or 9:30 to play the member shopping privilege card. Please do not shop and flee; please stay at least until 11 helping with the crowd. WORKERS earn this exceptional opportunity. Please bring 1-2 sharpies, the ADS Classification Book in hand or on your cell phone, plastic gloves if preferred; a magnifying glass would be nice bonus. We’ll need sorters, labelers, schleppers, and sign setter outers. When the public comes in, we’ll need sales agents, counters to distribute and add up shopping cart totals, table organizers and cleaners, advisors, membership table explainers, encouragers to attend our May meeting slide lecture, merchandise sellers, ambassadors explaining the benefits of DSC membership, information slip distributors and door checkers. Do remember that all dahlias brought into the auditorium are for sale; all trades, swaps, gifts, and items of largesse should be transacted in the parking lot. PLEASE! Let’s make this a fun, exciting and joyful experience for everyone. Let the air fizz as though saturated with champagne!
CUTTING CREW TRAVAILS
Karen reports “We’ve got issues in the greenhouse… Boiler has been broken. Not warm enough for many cuttings. Finally moved everything to a different greenhouse. Pat has been out sick.” We hope that with this warmer weather Tinnee, Gerry, Lou and Karen will see more sprouts and faster growth. Probably they will have some late starters for sale at our May meeting, too. Let them know how much you appreciate their dedication.
ERIK’S MARINA SHOW AND TELL
The Fort Mason Community Garden (FMCG) invited the DSC to discuss dahlias on Saturday March 15, as part of its speaker series. FMCG is celebrating its 50th birthday with over 100 members with plots. As this was an outdoor “hands-on” presentation, Erik Gaensler brought posters and photos, along with clumps of tubers, which were divided as demos. They knew Erik was a doctor when he transported a bunch of marking pens in his surgery cap. Jen Tobaisson provided containers of tubers she and Tim Wong had expertly divided for “show and tell.” Along with Sarah Smith, they all answered questions. Handouts with our annual calendar and DSC website QR-code were available, along with planting instructions. Sarah informs us several attendees signed up to become DSC members!
TIERS OF SPRING
Lucy reports that her daffodils have naturalized like crazy in her Mt. Sutro terraces. She’s sprinkled Sluggo Plus to forfend the gastropod invasion of her first tantalizing dahlia sprouts.
CAGE WRESTLING
Maus Haus guest, Nan, volunteered to extricate tuber clumps out of gopher cages. Cage wrestling is not a timed event; each clump has its own unique demands. Sophomore dahlias, those left in the ground two years running, are especially feisty opponents. Score: Nan 2; cages empty. There’s still a knoll of @ 20cages in front of Deborah’s garage. Any volunteer wranglers?
TUBER SALES
South Coast SLO
April 5 9-12
United Methodist Church
Tubers $7; Cuttings $12
1515 Fredericks St SLO
San Leandro
April 19 10-2:00
Milford Gardens Clubhouse
13055 Aurora Dr. San Leandro
Monterey
April 12 9-11
Capitola Mall
DSC San Francisco
April 26 10 am 9th and Lincoln
Judging School
July 26 9-4:00
Corralitos Women’s Club
33 Brown’s Valley Road Corralitos 95076
DELL DENIZENS
Our little heat wave kicked some of the dahlia clumps left in the ground into sprouting up. Tinnee and Gerry weeded their quarter and it looks ready to plant. Lou is working on removing the weeds from what looks like a verdant pasture. Sarah pulled up a couple clumps for Deborah to divide at home: a couple for the Unicorn section at our sale for sure.
DUES ARE DUE MAY 1
It’s time to renew your annual DSC (Dahlia Society of California) and/or ADS (American Dahlia Society) membership. Our membership year is from May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026. The dues are as follows:
Dahlia Society of California only:
Individual Membership……………………………..$10.00
Family Membership…………………………………..$15.00
American Dahlia Society AND Dahlia Society of California:
Individual Membership……………………………..$40.00
Family Membership…………………………………..$50.00
To learn about each of the above categories and to join please visit dahliadell.org and click on Join. You may also print out the membership form and mail it with your check to Debbie Frank, 226 28th Ave, SF CA 94121
Click here to go directly to the web site: https://www.dahliadell.org/store-2
Or you could renew both your DSC and your ADS memberships at our April meeting with Debbie or at our Tuber Sale at our membership table.
REAL PEOPLE, REAL TIME
Dan Baulig in Washington state moderates a monthly zoom convocation of dahliaphiles from around the world. Don’t miss this online Dahlia Talk. Open Discussion – Any topic is welcome. • We meet via Zoom on the 4th Tuesday of each month from 7:00-9:00 PST. • Click HERE to join the Zoom Dahlia Talk. • To get the link, contact: info@portlanddahlia.com
This can get quite lively, sometimes esoteric, often quite funny. There are often several rousing opinions per questions asked.
APPROACHING APRIL
Planting
We are lucky that so many people have propagated dahlias for us. But each type of new plant demands a slightly different approach to planting and watering. All these choices require two constant actions: 1. Pound your stake in first, before anything else. 2. Add your secret sauce to your hole and mix it into the soil. I deploy Dr. Earth Flower Girl; Anita recommends Fox Farm Ocean Forest with its extra trace minerals, worm castings and bat guano.
TUBERS: I NEVER plant tubers directly into the ground; I start them in milk cartons in my loft. But many people do plant them NOW. Dig a 6” deep hole; add amendments; place tuber on its side as though sleeping; cover with 3-4” of soil; as it grows you can fill in this hole. DO NOT WATER!!! Tubers have no roots. They cannot absorb moisture. Excess water will render them mush.
CUTTINGS (in 4×4’s or larger): These cuttings have NO TUBER; they have micro fine roots. Like babies, they cannot chug liters of liquid at a go; they require wee sips. So cuttings should be lightly watered ideally in the morning and evening; they love being occasionally spritzed. How deeply should a cutting be planted? Count from the dirt in the 4×4 up to ascertain how many nodes on the main stem. Plant with the first two nodes you can see in the bottom of the container UNDER the surface of the soil. This is where your tubers for next year will develop. People who do not plant their cuttings deeply enough are disappointed when there are few or no tubers at harvest time.
MILK CARTONS: Milk cartons usually contain tubers which have completely filled the carton with roots. Like cuttings, look for the second notch from the bottom and dig your hole deep enough to cover that second node above the surface of the milk carton. Carefully tear the carton apart. You should have a nice brick of roots. Place these in your hole with your secret sauce already mixed in and your stake already in place. These roots are waiting for you to water them fully. You will be amazed at how fast these milk cartoned dahlias take off.
GALLON POTS: Gallon pots might contain tubers or they might be cuttings which outgrew their 4×4 containers. Again, they should be planted above the second nodule, so this would probably need a hole at least 12-14” deep. Because gallon pots usually have well established root masses, these, too, can be thoroughly watered after planting. So what sort of watering plan do you have if you’ve planted cuttings, tubers, milk cartons and gallon pots? You could drown your tubers or dry out your gallons if you try using the same amount of water for all of them. If you are on a drip system, opt for the variable emitters; you can adjust each emitter to the type of planting.
LABEL! I use old venetian blind segments and write in pencil; it’s clear and does not fade. Sue and Lou post lovely laminated tags directly on the stakes. Tim writes on snazzy silvery ground labels. Anita wields 3’ tall metal stanchions with photos. Whatever method you use, USE IT NOW!
EXPENSIVE SALAD BUFFET? Spring shoots up in succulent green sprouts everywhere. And everywhere slugs, snails, and earwigs seek out these delicious treats. Because they feed at night, you may not know that you have these voracious munchers. Thwart them! I use Sluggo Plus. Always sprinkle it around the base of your dahlias AFTER you’ve watered or after it rains. David Hedrick at the PSW conference suggested laying out folded newspapers or cardboard in the evening and checking them in the morning for marauders. It is astonishing what a couple hungry earwigs can destroy in a single night’s grazing.
GOPHER BASKETS:
We have enjoyed an abundance of rain two years in a row. This has provided tinder for wildfires as well as a bumper crop of fodder for gophers, moles and voles. Gopher cages can be purchased or made. If you are crafting your own, use heavy duty hardware cloth. It’s not cloth-y; it’s tough mesh, but that’s what they call it. Alternatively, you can drill 30 holes in a 3-4 gallon pot as long as the holes are smaller than a gopher kit’s hungry head. Last year Sarah and Tim lined trenches with hardware cloth instead of planting in individual cages; not only effective, the trenches also made digging up easier. Remember to allow 2-3 inches of the cage ABOVE ground; overly clever varmints have been known to climb over the cage lips. GRRRR.
Yours in dirt,
Deborah
Photo Credits: Dietz, Kaiser, Murphy, Sanchez-Corea, Tobiason
Jenn with Rolls Royce dirt screens
Proofreader Nonpareil: Steve
URL Magician: Mini