[richrua]

So I am very proud of my Dahlias that I have been raising from seed for a couple of months.

Simple question really - can I pop them outside now? Plus, how do they fare with pests/slugs etc? Any tips appreciated!

[sunshineband]

Dahlia tops = a favourite snack for slugs and snails, so a sprinking of blue pellets of death accompany mine Tried all sorts of 'tested' old remedies, but always find a few determined critturs that can bypass these unharmed)

Dahlias are not hardy, so I would advise not planting them out until after the time you think you have had the last frost.

My tubers are in the ground but have cloches over the top in case they pop up before frosts are over

[allotmenteer]

  ^^^^^  As sunshineband says.  

It is best to plant out when you believe last frost has gone, and if May is to be the coldest for a while it might be wise to leave until early June. Just try and gauge it to your advantage.

Also dahlias do not like to have their feet in water, and it would rot off the seeds (or the tubers after first year). So again if there are lots of rain forecast this would not be ideal planting conditions.

As well as slugs and snails eating the dahlia greenery, earwigs eat the newly opened florets on the flower, so keep a watch out for them.

I have noticed bees sleeping in the larger flower petal type of dahlias on summer evenings, it always makes me smile when I see that.

[richrua]

 ^^^^^  As sunshineband says.  

It is best to plant out when you believe last frost has gone, and if May is to be the coldest for a while it might be wise to leave until early June. Just try and gauge it to your advantage.

Also dahlias do not like to have their feet in water, and it would rot off the seeds (or the tubers after first year). So again if there are lots of rain forecast this would not be ideal planting conditions.

As well as slugs and snails eating the dahlia greenery, earwigs eat the newly opened florets on the flower, so keep a watch out for them.

I have noticed bees sleeping in the larger flower petal type of dahlias on summer evenings, it always makes me smile when I see that.

wonderful - thanks

[richrua]

Dahlia tops = a favourite snack for slugs and snails, so a sprinking of blue pellets of death accompany mine Tried all sorts of 'tested' old remedies, but always find a few determined critturs that can bypass these unharmed)

Dahlias are not hardy, so I would advise not planting them out until after the time you think you have had the last frost.

My tubers are in the ground but have cloches over the top in case they pop up before frosts are over

thats great thanks. I might wait a while... May is awful. Even my broad beans are not growing so it MUST be very cold this year.....

[love-my-plot]

I forgot to lift my tubers last year and they rotted    So do be wary of wet conditions.
Must admit I never had slug problems with them in the past ... just lucky, maybe...

The weather is really starting to sicken me ... I have 1st week of June booked off work &
am hoping it might just be warm enough to get things planted out ... we'll see 

[fatcat1955]

To combat the earwigs, insert a bamboo cane amongst the dahlias so that the top of it is about 3ft high. Fill a terracotta 3in pot with straw and place it upside down on the cane. The earwig,s go into the straw to sleep/hide and are easily collected and dispatched.

[LilacSandy]

To combat the earwigs, insert a bamboo cane amongst the dahlias so that the top of it is about 3ft high. Fill a terracotta 3in pot with straw and place it upside down on the cane. The earwig,s go into the straw to sleep/hide and are easily collected and dispatched.

Even though they make the petals unsightly don't forget they eat insects and mites, are voracious feeders of aphids and insect eggs, so I relocate to anywhere they may be useful.