Dahlia Society of California - February, 2004

PSW CONFERENCE Last chance
to register for
the Pacific Southwest Dahlia Conference
Feb. 14-15
in Milpitas.

Program: Gerda shows how they do their magic propagating mega cuttings for the Tuber Sale.  Beyond Wishful Thinking: Deborah discusses how to strategize your orders from catalogs & using the “Mistress Grid” to plot your plot.  Having sold out her dahlia marking pencils in January, Elsie will have more by the February meeting. 

______________________

2004 New ADS
INTRODUCTIONS

Deborah showed the ADS slides of new introductions.  There appears to be only one AA, but several cute new MBs & M-FD’s. See the entire set of 39 beauties on DSC website.

Ginger's Baby
413 M FD DB W/PR

Jody Proctor
531 MB BR

Sara Marie
749 O PR

Baron Chad
211 B FD BR

______________________

MAXIMIZING THE ECONOMY GREENHOUSE 

When you hear “greenhouse” do you think of Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory or Filoli’s huge edifices?   Despair not. Think instead of a basic contained environment where the temperature & humidity are controlled.  Tinnee built a greenhouse before our eyes at our regular January meeting then followed up with explanatory slides for in-use procedures. 

Start with a standard tiered bookshelf in plastic or metal. Vary your shelf heights for versatility. Screw hooks into each side from which to hang adjustable-height double shop lights. Tinnee uses one normal fluorescent light & one Grow light per shelf.  Plug all your shop lights into a single power strip with a timer set for 18 hours of light per day.  Envelop your shelves with clear plastic sheeting.

When your plants out grow too big, begin taking them outside during the daytime to harden them off—i.e., inure them to cooler weather.  Bring them back in at night.  Lou Cornish says a cold frame would eliminate bringing them inside.  Ultimately when you are comfortable leaving them out 24/7, they are ready to be planted!  
>Step-by-step details with illustrative pictures>

_______________________

DYNAMITE DIG OUT! 
Despite the deluge Friday night, we were blessed with clear—even sunny!—conditions.  By 8 am Dick had set up a sartorial spray station:  brass stanchions supporting an aluminum mesh.     >More story and  pictures galore>

______________________

Time to milk carton some dahlias for an early start.  The Cornishes punch drainage holes in the bottom of their cartons—their greenhouses have earthen floors.  For people with carpets or hardwood floors to protect, DO NOT PUNCH HOLES in the bottoms—just be less liberal with moisture.   I use a mixture of 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 sand & 1/3 vermiculite.  (Erik Juul uses an admixture of perlite not vermiculite) (Tinnee uses commercial potting mix.) 

I toss my custom potting mixture in a big garbage can in my potting shed.  I label the flap with name, size, type, color & I also include source e.g., Hamari Accord, B SC Y, Dell.  DO NOT WATER!!  I stack milk cartons in my loft, the warmest area of my house.  When the tuber has sprouted, I move it to the green house or to a warm window.

Tinnee atomizes with Miracle Grow. Remember, there are very few roots yet to absorb water, so be sparing.  Last chance to order from catalogs.  For descriptions, growers, & photos check out The Big List. 

Check your stored tubers for rot: when in doubt, throw it out.  One rotten tuber infects its siblings!  Yuck.  Make sure you are storing your jewels in a cool, but not cold spot—40-50 degrees is great.  My Idaho brother tells me a maverick storm plummeted his greenhouse below freezing, eradicating everything!  Any warmer and they will sprout too soon; any colder and they could freeze & liquefy.  Good deals:  perfect potting trowels at Big Lots for $.59, huge bag of vermiculite @$14, & Daconil for dipping tubers @$14 at Home Depot.

PSW CONFERENCE

Last chance to register for the Pacific Southwest Dahlia Conference Feb. 14-15 in Milpitas.  Members from all 7 California Dahlia Societies meet to discuss aesthetics, rules, concerns, programs & our futures.  Dave Spencer, the imminent British Dahlia judge who writes about England in Dahlias of Today will guest lecture.  Gerda has donated a magnificent hand-made blanket; Erik amassed more narcissi baskets; Craig tossed in a yoga lesson.  Dick is carpentering a tool caddy.  What can you contribute to our raffle?  Contact Erik G, Jytte, or Deborah immediately!  Saturday night we’ll have a gala banquet & gonzo raffle.  Come, palaver & win!

______________________

Long beloved Harrison Elleard died during the holidays.  For years he served as DSC president, then secretary & ADS liaison.  He helped novices like Erik & myself figure out the mysteries of staging. 

IN MEMORIAM
 

He and Vernon Rose (the man, not the eponymous dahlia) drove hundreds of miles each season participating in all the local shows.  Even after he moved to Pennsylvania, Harrison continued to sponsor Vernon Rose at our Shows. 

Register to attend the Pacific Southwest Dahlia Conference
Feb. 14-15.
Donate something wonderful for
the PSW raffle.

Don't forget to renew
your DSC and ADS membership

Free SF Gardener Calendars are still available from the
SF Public Utilities Commission
415-695-7375  

_______________________

$GRACE IN $ACTION 

Arriving with a spreadsheet of PSW registrants in hand on her first day as our new treasurer, Diana acquitted herself with remarkable aplomb.  Members pelted her with checks & greenbacks for DSC and/or ADS memberships, marking pencils, PSW registrations, calendars, and Classification Books. Simultaneously she fielded a myriad of questions. Welcome, Diana!  She joins the illustrious slate of President Lou Cornish, First VP Tinnee Lee, Second VP Elsie Mueller, Recording Secretary Thelma Cornish, & Corresponding Secretary Deborah Dietz.  

 Special thanks to Willett’s Sparetime Nursery for giving Erik G. such a good deal on 3000 4x4 containers for the Juul-Paradise cutting bonanza. 

Delicious thanks to Carol for her yummy lemon squares, to Dick for his dark biscotti, & to Ann and Virginia for their marvelous munchables. 
 

Beyond thanks to Bill for bringing 5 huge bags of cut & stapled milk cartons!  Wow!  Now everyone can jump start dahlias without having to drink up a storm.  

TUBER SALE VOLUNTEERS

Your wonderful support during our biggest fundraiser of the year helped us set a new $record last year.  However, some faces were seen only during that key morning.  This does not seem fair to all those who have selflessly given of their time & efforts in the Dell, at meetings, at the show, during Dig Out, at planting & behind the scenes.  Consequently, only those volunteers who sign up at the meeting or during Dig Out will be allowed in before 9 am & are requested to stay to help our customers throughout the morning.  (No more grab & go.)    Elsie’s door list will be sacrosanct; get on it!