May, 2006
Next Meeting:
Kevin Larkin, representative from Gowen Corporation and co-owner of
Corralitos Gardens, explains pest management on large and small scale.
Up and down the Central Valley, farmers call Kevin in to diagnose what
befalls their crops. Kevin has to diagnose and tell them how to treat
within 24 hours or they could lose hundreds of acres of precious
produce. So bring on your questions! Corralitos Dahlias’ last shipping
date is May 8, just in case you have last minute dahlia cravings. Might
someone bring a digital camera to snap some pix for our newsletter?
Please bring your excess tubers or plants to sell at the May meeting.
Who might bring goodies to share for hospitality?
SLIDING
INTO SPRING: Deborah relied on the audience’s help to narrate Erik G’s beautiful
slides. He illustrated how to plant tubers in a hole 6” deep; cover
with only 2” soil; optionally cover with 1-5 gallon pot to act as a
mini-green house; fill in the dirt as the plant grows. Deborah advised
starting tubers in milk cartons or pots inside the house: they germinate
faster in a warmer area and with all this rain, they are liable to rot
if planted in the muck. Plant cuttings at least as deep as the first
set of leaves and remember to water once a day for at least the first 3
weeks. President Tinnee proudly displayed Lou Lombardo’s article on
Fertigation in the latest ADS Bulletin. Congratulations to Franck, DJ,
and Lou for winning so many prizes in the National Dahlia Photography
contest. Ask them their secrets and give them some competition this
year! Tinnee demonstrated that plastic cups make good pots for rooting
cuttings or planting small tubers. Delicious thanks to Baker Bill for
his luscious rum cake, to Diana for Ghirardelli chocolates, and to JoAnn
for her multicolored brownies. MMMMM.
TUBER
SALE TRIUMPH:
Thank you to so very many people who showed up in the early morning
drizzle BEFORE 7 AM to help set up the tuber sale. Paula, Jytte, Joe,
Tinne, Deborah, Erik and the Dingwalls amongst others brought excellent
tubers. Mike, Janet and Jamie, coming all the way down from Napa fell
right in to labeling boxes. John, Jim, Sarah, Patty, Manny, and Hank
trucked roots to their designated sections. To fuel volunteers’
efforts, Diana brought an Easter basket of Ghirardelli chocolate and Bud
donated doughnuts. Lou Lombardo matched 175 luscious cuttings to
enticing photos. The Juuls and Paradise advertised over 800 of the most
robust cuttings ever with alluring pictures. Paula matched her tubers
with internet pix.
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
Waxing
ever eloquent, Erik G. seeded the growing line of gardeners with
tips for cultivating cuttings, how to milk carton tubers, and why to
shop for more than “dinner plates.” DJ cosseted trays of double white
tree dahlias with photo flags and deposited Soc’s tubers. Deborah’s
colorful photos and huge Mathew Juul poster along with Tinnee’s pictures
set a glorious mood. Bud greeted buyers and Mike made sure they signed
up for the tuber sale next year as they left. Elsie and Louise operated
the till. The Dingwalls and the Cornishes answered questions and sold
books. Natalie gave people reasons to join DSC. What a family of
salespeople! For her favorite form of cardio vascular exercise,
Diana
(and trusty body guard) ran multiple depositing trips to the bank.
Lucky lovelies lucked onto a personal shopper in Hank’s capable hands.
Checking out a neighboring society from San Leandro, Guy fought
temptation as long as possible but finally succumbed to the thrall of
NEW dahlias. When asked, psychiatrist Frank said he’d rather tackle
crack addicts than attempt to treat dahliamania. What a lovely repast
after a full morning! Adding to Dick’s beans, Gerda’s shrimp salad and
Jennifer’s sweet potatoes, Mimi Morgan from Melons Catering added
succulent papayas, blood oranges and potato frittatas. Whose homemade
chocolate chip cookies disappeared so fast?
MAY
MINISTRATIONS:
The best prophylaxis
to leaf minor, aphids and other sucky bugs is soil drench, Bayer
Advanced 12 Month Tree and Shrub control whose active ingredient is
imidacloprid. Janet Thalen tipped me off that Rite Aid had it on sale
for $15. One soil treatment lasts the entire season. Because of this
nasty weather, I will not be planting the Dell until April 29. I
welcome any volunteers who would like to help starting around 9 AM. My
milkcartoned plants have cha chaed from the deck to my living room
several times as I have brought them in and out of the storms. This
leafy carpet that appears and disappears fascinates my kitty. As a
result, I will be topping these peripatetic leggy bushes before
planting. This means I will nip off the top section down below the
second pair of leaves. This snippet will get dipped in rooting
solution, planted, and popped into the greenhouse to become a potroot.
The
topped milk cartooned plant will not be as leggy; the roots’ energy will
go into a more compact plant. Especially in this wet weather, snails
and earwigs voraciously seek out defenseless young dahlias. Defend your
cultivars! What makes the best stakes? Serge and DJ use PVC pipes
painted green. Roger uses 2 ½” diameter round wooden pillars for his
monster AA’s. Rebar makes a sturdy re-useable stake. I have used tall
fat bamboo to support my 8-10’ tall varieties. Whatever you use, pound
your stake in BEFORE you plant your tuber or cutting; don’t risk
impaling them. Add a label IMMEDIATELY. I like to have my irrigation
(or fertigation) system in place before I plant. In Golden Gate Park,
Ted designed a snazzy system whereby individual emitters, whole rows, or
the entire system can be turned on. At home I use a soaker hose. The
Cornishes, DJ, and Roger use drip systems snaking out to each plant. Do
not overhead water; the blooms will get soggy, rot, or break. Jytte
deploys jugs of water turned upside down which act as above ground
reservoirs slowly seeping out to keep her cuttings turgid. Good luck
and good planting!
Looking ahead on what you might need to do in the
coming months? Check out the
Monthly Calendar.
Dahlia Society of California, Inc., San Francisco, CA -- Copyrighted
Chief Editor: Deborah Dietz
eNewsletter Editor: Ted Marr
Acknowledgement: Photos in
this issue Deborah and Ted.