Picking Dahlias for the house?

[WiZeR]

Hi

My Dahlias have just started flowering and I wondering if it's ok to cut the flowers to take home to the missus? Will it harm the plant? Will it continue to flower?

Thanks

PS Big thanks to NTG for the tubers, they are coming up lovely!

[poozie]

I'm no expert but I think it should encourage more flowering. I think you have to cut just the opened flower off because I believe buds won't open if cut. Should look beautiful though. Someone more expert will come along soon.

[valmarg]

I'm no expert either, but I think dahlias are like sweet peas, the more you cut them,the more flowers they produce.

valmarg

[pigletwillie]

I grow them on the lottie specifically for cut flowers, especially new baby.

Dahlias are also a favourite of Sarah Raven and is one of the plants she reccomends for a cutting garden..

[Alice]

You can cut them all you like Wizer. The more you cut, the more you'll get. But have a ckeck for earwigs before presenting them to your lady.

[bramble]

Hints for trapping earwigs. Put a flowerpot on a stick and fill with grass, hay, straw or anything like that. Insert the stick in the ground beside the dahlia. In the morning the earwigs will be in the straw in the pot. Take it off and drown them. It works well.

[rustylady]

Another hint to stop earwigs colonizing dahlia flowers - get a pot of old-fashioned Vaseline and smear the stem below the flower with it. Lile climbing a greasy pole!

[nick the grief]

Hi Wizer,

Glad they worked for you. They don't last as long as cutflowers as Chrysanths but the ones I sent you will probably give you enough to cut a bunch every 3 or 4 days once they start so go for it they will keep going till the 1st frost then when the tops have wilted cut the tops down to about 4" then lift them and put them upside down on you greenhouse staging and when they've dried out just set them up in trays of dry compost and keep frost free till you need them and give them a couple of sprays of warm water and away they'll go.

[Flummery]

Earwigs are very good mothers! (Can't think of a good word to say about slugs though!)

[lightson]

Hints for trapping earwigs. Put a flowerpot on a stick and fill with grass, hay, straw or anything like that. Insert the stick in the ground beside the dahlia. In the morning the earwigs will be in the straw in the pot. Take it off and drown them. It works well.

HI guys

That is exactly what I did last time... and wallah,

very impressive..

Thanks

[WiZeR]

thanks all for your advice, the missus will be very pleased.