Q: My question concerns this terrible wet, cold weather we've been experiencing. I planted 2 dahlia tubers last week. Both had just started to sprout. Then the rains came and I'm wondering whether I should try to gently dig them out so that they don't rot in the ground. Any opinions?

A: Planting tubers in this weather pattern is not a good idea. The ground is still too cool......and combined with the frequent rains your chances of rot increase dramatically. If your garden has excellant drainage you have a chance. Usually I plant around Memorial Day but this year will wait another week or two due to weather. Patience can be difficult but rewarding. - Tom Cleere MIDS

Q: We have about 55 dahlia plants in our garden. We start them in our basement under grow lights. We put the plants out about May 21st. They were fully matured and started flowering in less than 2 weeks. For the first 6-7 weeks we were getting gorgeous blooms. The past week and a half I've noticed some changes. The bud opens only about a third. The rest of it stays tightly shut. It is happening to almost all of the plants. The bud seems moist, although, I never really felt them before so maybe this is normal. This is the 3rd or 4th season for these tubers. Can you offer an explanation for what is happening and offer a solution for this problem? I would be forever grateful to have my pretty flowers back again!

A: A couple of questions before I try and answer your problem.
1. What state is the location of your garden?
2. The names of a couple of the dahlias that are giving you the problem?
3. What is the condition of the plant at this time (healthy and green or looking a little sad & tired)
4. What if any fertilizer are you using?
I assume this condition has never happened to your dahlias before. Your garden seems well along and you have had the first flush quite early. Your plants may be stressed if it's been very hot. Never underestimate the power of WATER. If your plants are not infected and have bloomed nicely then try lots (a deep soaking about 2 "per week for fully developed plants) of water this may be just what they need.
Get back to me with the answers to the questions and we can go further with your problem. Don't add anything but water till we go further. - Steve Nowotarski MIDS

Q: Is it too late to move a dahlia? I have a couple of "A" size dahlias which are growing very slowly where they are located. I also have plants of M size dahlias which are much taller and ready to bloom although the tubers went into the ground later. I don't know if it is because they are of a type that blooms sooner, or because they are getting more sun. In any case, I am thinking of digging up the As and putting them in a location which would get full sun. However, I am worried about damaging their roots at this point. At the rate they are going, they might not have flowers by October. Frankly, I think they are already located in a spot in which they receive sufficient sun, but they don't seem to be doing much.

A: I would be reluctant to move a dahlia at this late date. No matter how careful you are there will be root damage and shock. Bye the time the plant recovers it could be Nov. Stay with what you have and if no buds showing try a high N fertilizer in a weak solution. I plant my big ones in mid May as it takes them awhile. Bye the way size of the plant has very little to do with blooming. Don't worry if they are getting 1/2 day sun they will bloom. Good Luck and let me know how you make out. - Steve Nowotarski MIDS

Q: I bought the packaged dahlia "Caribbean Fantasy. I guess you would call it "bi-color, as the photo shows it with red "flames" against a white flower with a yellow heart. The flowers that grew looked nothing like the photo. They were red edged with yellow in the center and no white. I complained to the grower. Lo and behold, I looked in my garden today and see that on the same plant there is a flower that looks like the photo, only the white has a pink tinge to it. So here is my question: I thought that dahlias are supposed to always run "true" to the tuber. There is obviously a mutation going on here. Has anyone had two totally different looking flowers growing on the same plant before? I know that bi-color dahlias will sometimes have flowers that revert to a solid color, but truthfully, the flowers growing on this plant look so different from one another that no one would guess they are from the same tuber!

A: It is true that most always dahlias are true from tubers, but every so often we have a mutation on the plant. There is something going on genetically and it should sort itself out in time. Many growers look for these "sports" and try to save them by taking cuttings from the stem with the "sported" flower. - Steve Nowotarski MIDS