Dahlia Tubers etc

[suedonim]

Anyone know anything about growing plants from tubers? I put some dahlia tubers into boxes a couple of weeks ago but nothing has happened, not a smidgeon of life from them! A chocolate cosmos is also doing zilch. I put in begonia tubers at the same time and they are beginning to come along. They're all on windowsills indoors. Should they be watered/dry, in sun/shade? Must I learn to have patience?

[suedonim]

Bump

[lavenderrr]

suedonim, dahlia's can take more than a couple of weeks, just keep them watered....tbh I had one today which dh was about to throw out, as was all dry sticks, so I pulled these off to reveal green shoots, (it was grown from seed btw so maybe different), but I remember them flowering in June/July, so please give them time and you will be rewarded with beautiful blooms...at least 8 weeks before any life, remember they have a lot of stuff to come out of the tubers, so it takes time, it's not like a seed which germinates in a matter of days, all the goodness takes time to come above the soil...please let me know how you get on as have been growing dahlias for 3 years and they are just gorgeous flowers..

[lavenderrr]

they need some sun btw not total shade

[suedonim]

Thanks, Lavender - that gives me hope that something will grow eventually!!

Do you know anything about amaryllis bulbs? I had one for Xmas and it grew, flowered etc so I decided to try and keep it for next year. I've been watering & feeding it and the leaves are now ENORMOUS - about three ft long!! I gather the leaves have to die off naturally - do they do that themselvs or should I stop watering?

[suedonim]

Hey, they're growing!! Well, two of them are, I'm still awaiting the third one showing some signs of life.

[spod]

amarylis: from what i remember.... take the bulb out of pot, duct off all soil and hang unsidedown somewhere dry... the leaves should die back into the bulb, reabsorbing the energy for next xmas.... repot bulb around mid december i think.

[suedonim]

Thanks, Spod, I'll do that asap as I can hardly see out of the kitchen window for the leaves!

Re the dahlias, patience was all I needed - they're coming along nicely now.

[spod]

beware of slugs and snails on those dahlias..... they will eat those new shoots in minutes...

[suedonim]

Nooooo, don't tell me that!

[spod]

they do, and you'll cry!

[suedonim]

Oh well....maybe the torrential rain we've had over the last 48hrs will have drowned them all. Otherwise I shall be out with my salt cellar, hee hee hee! Or maybe I should put the dahlias into pots.

[spod]

put sharp grit, egg shells or similiar around tubers..... that helps