![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2005/Newsletter%20copy.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/graphics/8.05.base.banner.jpg)
March, 2006
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![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/bea.paradise.tm3.jpg)
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/Matthew%20Juul%20-%20733%20-%20MS%20DR%20OR%20dr%201996.jpg)
Next Meeting:
14 March @ 7:30 PM @ 9th & Lincoln. Program: Lou
Paradise illuminates the mysteries of the ADS Classification Book.
Bring your ADS classification book
to the meeting and be prepared to test your mettle. Lou
Lombardo hopes to have the first of his luscious cuttings for sale.
Diana will sell Bottle-of-ink pencils for $1 each. Let the season
begin! |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/tinnee1.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/at11.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/at8.jpg) GREENHOUSES GROWING EVERYWHERE:
Right before our eyes, Tinnee built a two-shelf greenhouse which would
fit into any convenient corner of one’s living room, garage, or
basement. She uses
a metal bookcase purchased from Home Depot or you can use
plastic shelving, encloses it in a wrap of 2 mil. transparent
plastic—drop cloth material-- leaving 2/3 of the front exposed. She
then drops a second piece of plastic over this opening which she can also
use to let in fresh air. Tinnee hangs 2 shop light fixtures from each
shelf and leaves them on an 18 hour timer. (Some people say that 16
hours is enough, but I use the 18-hour periodicity, too.) The entire
four shelf greenhouse costs $120. Tinnee encourages spritzing green
sprouted tubers with a dilute mix of water and Miracle Grow. For a more
detailed account
click here. |
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![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/lou.jpg) Lou Lombardo dissolves two bags of Miracle-Gro (2.5 Lbs. total) in enough hot water
to make one gallon of concentrate. In this form, the concentrate can be
diluted 1 tablespoon per gallon of water to give 176 ppm nitrogen, an
optimal concentration for rooted cuttings. Lou L. employs a similar
type of bookshelf greenhouse, but he lines the outside of his shelves
with aluminum foil to maximize the light. In addition to using the
dilute fertilizer, Lou sprays with
Immunox (a fungicide available at OSH)
to battle powdery mildew. He also adds Imidacloprid (a systemic
insecticide) to the soil of his stock plants; thus rendering his
cuttings toxic to most sucking insects. Imidacloprid is the active
ingredient in
Bayer Advanced Garden Tree & Shrub Insect Control
(available at Home Depot and Lowes) and the correct dilution is 100:1
(about 1 oz per gallon of water). Applying 2 oz of the dilute mix to a
4 inch potted dahlia will provide many months of protection. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/seeds2.jpg) ROLLING THE DAHLIA DICE: Where do new varieties of dahlias come from? From seeds. Each seed
codes a new combination of millions of genetic instructions resulting in
a unique new flower. Following the great bell curve, most of these new
dahlias will be mediocre to wretched. Only a wee tiny percent will be
so magnificent that other people will want to grow them. (Think of the
percentage of Olympic athletes stemming from all the babies born in the
world.)
Therein likes the challenge, the luck and the glory.
Tinnee
labels all her seed heads with the plant mother’s name. Those that she
has hand-pollinated, she labels with the stamen name as well. Like a botanical Betty
Crocker, Tinnee likes to “cook” her seeds for a day in her gas oven
using just the pilot light as a heat source. (This did result in an
unfortunate seed-a-cide when her husband Craig preheated the oven for a
special dinner. Beware.) To germinate the seeds, Tinnee places them on
a wet paper towel and puts them in sealed Tupperware containers. They
should sprout between 4-14 days. Remove each sprout and put it in its
own 2x2” or 4x4” container and pop in a warm window or bookcase
greenhouse. DJ brought lots of extra seeds for members to take home and
dabble in the adventure.
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![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/louc.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/thelma.jpg) ![](pix/jamie.jpg) GENEROSITY OF FRIENDS:
Thanks
to Roger Pupp who brought in several clumps of primo dahlia stock. He
hoped that members would take the clumps home, divide and label them,
keep a couple for themselves and bring the rest to the tuber sale.
Thanks to the Dingwalls for sharing a huge box of Meyer lemons with
citrus seekers. Lou & Thelma brought in 2 lovely double white Tree
dahlia blooms and a stalk with many potential sprigs which could easily
be rooted. Denis shared a wonderful cake for Valentines Day. Joanne
shared a scrumptious baked delight as well. Diana distributed
Valentine’s candy to all. John alerted us that Martha Stewart Living
March, page 158, features Connell’s dahlia business. Jamie and Rosa
shared a copy of Finelife, October 27, 2005, which features their
Aztec
Dahlias: great pictures and a lovely plug for DSC. |
If you have not paid your DSC Dues for 2006, please do it ASAP. We need
your support!
Your
annual
dues participation is very important to us
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TUBER SALE 2006:
April 1, Saturday in the Auditorium at 9th and Lincoln.
Please contribute your extra labeled tubers to our sale. Sign ups for
volunteers were taken at the February meeting and will be taken at the
March meeting.
You MUST be on the sign- up list to get in at 7:00 am.
Everyone else—even DSC members—will have to wait until the doors open to
the public at 9 am.
There are so many people who contribute all through
the year at the dig out, the show, the meetings, the picnic, and at the
Dell, that volunteering at the Tuber Sale and the subsequent early-bird
shopping has become a reward for the faithful. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/psw/PICT0108.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/psw/PICT0098.jpg) BOUQUETS OF BLOOMERATI: PSW CONFERENCE: The Pacific Southwest (PSW) conference gathered over 80 people from the 7 dahlia
societies in California. At the conference hosted by the Monterey
Dahlia Society, members gathered to discuss issues common to the seven
societies and make decisions on a variety of classification and
name issues. The meeting was chaired and organized under the leadership
of Kevin Larking MDS President.
One of the
highlights of the PSW conference was when Karen presented the Top 20
Varieties grown in the PSW for 2005. Leading the group is Matthew Juul,
Pam Howden, Kenora Jubilee and Glenbank Twinkle. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/psw/PICT0107.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/psw/PICT0104.jpg) Karen also
presented the PSW 2005 Winning Varieties by Size; check this out if you
are looking for strong contenders of a specific type. Ruskin Marigold
led the BB section with 30 wins; CG Sprit garnered 27 in the Miniball
category. Juul’s Buttercup nailed 22 in the single category. PSW
Conference Courts of Honor lists the 6 show winners by category. John
Morton handed out special awards to Kevin Larkin/Karen Zydner (Derrill
Hart for CG Forte, B SC Y: Evie Gullikson award for Beaucoup Amis, Co
Y/y); and to Lou Paradise (Lynn B. Dudley medal for Pink Paradise M FD
DP). Even if you don’t plan to compete in the shows, you can use
this list to determine what will probably be the most successful in your
own garden. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/psw/PICT0090.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/psw/PICT0091.jpg) The silent auction caused a lot of bidding especially for Tinnee’s
spectacular fossils exhibit and Ozzie’s rare green orchid. Betty Crandle crafted Ozzie’s orchids into stunning corsages for all the
ladies and arranged amazing protea centerpieces for each table. Much
clever horse trading erupted during the raffle wherein a scale-model
Hummer passed through several owners. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0058.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0008.jpg) The
Conference program also included a visit to two commercial nurseries.
B&H Flowers and Corralitos
Gardens. Scott Kornberg, B&H Flowers Operations
Manager, guided us through this humongous commercial nursery
specializing in tulips, oriental lilies and Dutch Iris. What a
combination of twenty-first century computerized technology and age-old
painstaking hand labor. When the Katyama Brothers’ rose business
literally went south to Central and South America, B& H arrived in
2000. To produce 10 million cut tulips a year, Scott buys the bulk of
his bulbs from Holland for the January through July market, from Chile
for November, and from France for the December market.
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![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0010.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0026.jpg) Building on
centuries of perfectionism, most of the equipment for tulips comes from
the Netherlands, including one which tamps bulbs into crates of soil
where they root in 3 weeks at 42-48 degrees. To insure a constant
supply of flowers, rooted bulbs then go into suspended animation in the
freezer; from defrosting to shipping buds take only 21 days. Since
first grade tulips must be 14” or longer, B&H cores each tulip bulb by
hand to glean the essential extra length and thus the extra premium
price. Depending on the destination, tulips are bunched 5, 8, 10, 12,
18 or 20’s and in single or multiple colors-a very labor-intensive
stage. Cut tulips have to be stored upright to capitalize on their
heliotaxic proclivity to lean towards the light. They are shipped in
water containing a new hormone-based preservative which inhibits
ethylene, the cause of plant senescence. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0034.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0027.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0029.jpg) Scott’s passion
for the process came through as he expounded on the constant experiments
with bulb types, fertilizers, humidity, conditions and machines all to
maximize dollars per square meter of greenhouse space and reduce costs,
costs, costs. Presently in Holland half the tulips are grown
hydroponically. While this is easier on the machinery because it drips
less sand and dirt to confound mechanisms, it entails learning about
waterborne bacterial problems, different ways to sterilize the crates
and even developing an ebb & flow system to replace standing unaerated
water. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0054.jpg) We noted beds of
chilies,
peppers, tomatoes and gloriously aromatic cilantro hugging the outside
of heated greenhouses: “kitchen” gardens for the employees. Shivering,
Lou Paradise observed, “I’m surprised they don’t grow iceberg lettuce.”
Each greenhouse covers 186,000 square feet or four acres. To cater to
the varying amounts of light each species requires, automatic sunscreens
drape across the ceilings. An elaborate steam system thermostatically
regulates temperatures, 65 degrees for 13-16 weeks for their 8 million
oriental lilies. We watched 3 men, seated in a contraption which scoots
up beds hand planting 35,000 lily bulbs a day. Stored at 28 degrees for
up to a year, lilies must be planted deeply because most of the roots
grow above the bulb. (Conversely, iris are stored at 86 degrees before
planting.) By raising a grid of 8x8” wire mesh, the top-heavy lilies can
be supported as they grow to 4’ high before they are hand-scythed for
packing. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0061.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0041.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/BH/PICT0059.jpg) Each area of each
greenhouse grows a little differently. Scott explained how they ”steam
clean” the soil by tenting it and exposing it to 160-170 degrees for 6
hours to kill pathogens. Adding a little Yankee ingenuity to
traditional Dutch procedures, Scott scored wooden apple boxes for a new
crop of hyacinths, to ensure their longer stems. Jamie thought these
looked like a fabulous source of cheap raised beds. After touring B &
H’s 24-hour 7-days-a-week operation, we marveled that they could produce
such incredible quality blooms at such reasonable prices. |
![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/corralitos/PICT0078.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/corralitos/PICT0080.jpg) At Corralitos
Gardens, Kevin toured us through the cutting greenhouse where pot roots
are laid atop a core of Styrofoam run with thermostatically controlled
heat cables, covered by 2” of sand, over which they spread a 7-month
release Osmocote fertilizer, covered by 4” of potting soil. Karen roots
all 350 varieties of cuttings in foam wedges which are more sterile than
soil and seem to produce a higher yield of viable plants; the most
popular types seem to be the most stubborn about making shoots.
Corralitos ships all their rooted cuttings in plastic clamshells so they
are not crushed in the mailing process. Kevin recommends flaring the
roots outwards when planting to obviate twisted swirling tubers later in
the season. The biggest mistake growers make when planting cuttings is
not watering them enough. For the first two weeks before their roots
have established themselves in the new soil, cuttings need watering
every day. |
Check out an interesting section on our DSC web site,
The Trivia
Section
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![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/corralitos/PICT0081.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/corralitos/PICT0083.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/corralitos/bob.jpg) In their zeal to
promote clean technique, Corralitos has never planted a tuber in their
outside soil; they plant only their own cuttings. All newly acquired
tubers are kept in an isolation ward. Corralitos began by selling cut
flowers, then they sold wholesale; now they have evolved to dealing
almost entirely retail. |
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR:
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Society
Tuber sale Show Flower of Year
San Leandro NA Aug. 5-6
Pam Howden
DSC April 1 Aug. 19-20
Bea Paradise
Monterey Bay April 1 Labor Day
Just Married
John E Stowell April 1 Sept. 9-10 Marilyn M; Honka
ADS National
Sept. 14-17 at Long Island, NY
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![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/Just-Married-.jpg) ![](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/pam%20howden.jpg) |
![Photo courtesy of Franck Avril](https://sfdahlias.org/newsletters/2006/mar/pix/D1380-K%20Kenora%20Jubilee.jpg) MARCH MADNESS:
Check your tubers. If squishy, it’s fishy; when in doubt, throw it
out. Bring your tubers into a warm environment (at least 62 degrees) so
they will start sprouting. Sprouted tubers are the ultimate guarantee
of viability at the Tuber Sale. When your milkcartoned tubers begin
sprouting, gently spritz them with whatever concoction you choose:
water, fertilizer, systemic bugicide, and/or fungicide.
Weed, Weed, Weed the area where you plant dahlias. It’s so much
easier to keep the area clean rather than attack all the leafy greens
AND the creepy crawlies who’ve been hanging out in the opportunistic
jungle. Negotiate with other people to share/swap/trade/beg for
the varieties you want. Last chance to turn under chicken manure
because it takes 6 weeks to “cool down” before you plant tender young
dahlias. |
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IN MEMORIAM:
Charlie Splinter, 1917-2006, served as president of the San Diego Dahlia
Society. For many of the 50+ years he dominated southern California
competition. He chaired the ADS Judging Accreditation Committee to
encourage consistent standards across societies. Charlie was beloved
for culturing growers as well as growing. |
|
Dahlia Society of California, Inc., San Francisco, CA -- Copyrighted
Chief Editor: Deborah Dietz
eNewsletter Editor: Ted Marr
Acknowledgement: Photos in
this issue by DJ, Deborah, and Ted. |