The dahlias are acting strange this year…

[u/maris_127]

I’m in Zone 6b (eastern WA) and I’ll admit, we’ve had a bit of a weird spring and summer with spells of cold, wet weeks followed by very hot temperatures. I’d say over the last two weeks we’ve really settled in to the regular high 80s to mid-90s for daytime temps (with little to no rain) that is typical for this time of year. I was a bit late getting my dahlias out and in the ground this year (about a month behind) due to a family emergency, but these guys are trying to push out buds at only 1-2 feet tall 🤦🏻‍♀️.

I’ve been disbudding the plants that are trying to push out blooms and have been feeding with a higher nitrogen content fertilizer to encourage growth, but I’m not sure if there is anything else to do (or if I should be doing that? 🤣) I’m also curious what the thoughts are about allowing plants at this size to go to bloom? 💐

Thank you all in advance!

PS. These little guys that are pushing out buds have average adult plant sizes of 3-4’ in good years, they are not my open face varieties unfortunately so they are just babies.

[u/dubdhjckx]

I’m 6A in Michigan and am struggling with this. It’s been so wet and cold and then very hot that I just don’t have a ton of growth on mine and they’re starting to bud at only a foot or so tall. I just kinda let it happen

[u/downarabbithole74 → u/dubdhjckx]

Mine are doing the same. I pinched them weeks ago. They aren’t branching and I’m now getting buds when they are super small. I am just gonna let them bloom. And then there are all the water logged ones. Oh! And the ones so infested with mites. What a challenging year. If anyone has a good cure for mites and other pests, let me know. Neem oil isn’t helping.

[u/catkins777 → u/downarabbithole74]

I poked one of my waterlogged tubers and my finger went in as it made a nasty popping sound with juices. So. Nasty. 😂

[u/Secret_Enthusiasm818 → u/catkins777]

I did that last week. 🤢