Dahlia Society of California -
April, 2004

ANNUAL TUBER SALE: Please arrive @ 7:30 am @ 9^th & Lincoln with your labeled tubers,
ADS Classification book, name-tag, scrumptious dish to share for potluck lunch, & a terrific attitude. 
A magnifying glass also proves helpful.  If we finish our set-up by 8:30am,   we can do some early shopping

NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY, 13^th April, 2004 @ 8 pm @ 9^th & Lincoln.  Program:  Erik G. reprises his humorously informative ‘Year of Dahlias’ slide show.  Invite your interested friends!  We’ll probably have more cuttings and tubers for sale.

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BAY AREA PLANT &  TUBER SALE SCHEDULES: 

Monterey             March 27     Deer Park Shopping Center,  Aptos.

San Francisco     April  3        County Fair Bldg, Golden Gate Park.
San Jose             April  7        De Anza Flea Market, Prusch Park.
San Leandro       April 24        Root Park, San Leandro.  

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"BIBLE" STUDIES:  Lou Paradise decoded the ADS Classification Book. He explained the 15 recognized colors & the 18 forms. He deciphered the elaborate number system ; 00-095 codes AA’s; 101-195 codes A’s.  Given 15 colors, the Balls only take 501-515; the MiniBalls use 521-535; etc.  Use the section which shows how many blue ribbons a given cultivar won last year to make tough decisions about what to purchase from the growers & what to eliminate from last year.  The Juuls brought in lovely cuttings of My Robynn, our Flower of the Year. 

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BAY AREA 2004 SHOW SCHEDULE
(Flower of the Year for that Society)

San Leandro   Aug.    7- 8        San  Leandro Library  (CG Coral)    
DSC                Aug.  21-22       County Fair Bldg GG Park  (My Robynn)
San Jose        Sept. 11-12        Valco Mall    (Mingus Whitney and Pooh)
Monterey        Sept. 18-19        Capitola Mall   (Bar Proclaim)

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AT LAST APRIL! 
We can finally plant any time between mid April to early June.  I do not plant tubers in the ground any more; I only plant sprouted dahlias with full root systems.  Ostensibly, dahlias germinate above 62 degrees.  Tubers can sit in the earth a long time waiting for the world to warm up and thereby run the risk of getting too much water and rotting, or getting eaten by varmints. 

Either way you choose to plant, dig a hole 6-8” deep; mix in a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10, 16-16-16). Costco has Rose Fertilizer with systemic insecticide @ $14; sledge in a sturdy stake; cover the tuber or plant; and LABEL IMMEDIATELY.  Adding a bucket over the top of buried tubers will help bring up the temperature.  To make a shelter for tender young plants, cut off both ends of a milk carton & place this sheath around the dahlia.  Watering varies, depending on what you plant. 

A rootless tuber should be watered once when interring & then NOT AGAIN!! until green sprouts occur, otherwise, too much water will rot the tuber.  Cuttings need almost daily watering; they have wee roots but no tuber to sustain them. Sprouted tubers from milk cartons should be watered immediately upon planting and then watched for signs of drying depending on the weather.  Ideally dahlias should be spaced 3’ apart.  Remember to keep 30-50% extra dahlias as insurance. So if you plan to plant 20, keep 4 to 10 in milk-cartons as back up.  Bring the rest to our meetings in April & May.