Virus Protocols

Sanitizing

Sanitizing my tools between each plant is something I take very seriously.

After taking cuts from an individual plant, my tool will first soak in a warm soapy water then sprayed with 70% Isopropyl rubbing alcohol. I carry a few snips with me at all times to always have a nice clean rotation while out harvesting those beauties.

I am the only person cutting from my plants.

U-Pick bouquets is not offered unless a bouquet bar has been organized and the flowers have already been cut for you.

Culling

I like to think I’m pretty vigilant in terms of culling stock that clearly shows symptoms of virus / disease.

Growing the amount of cultivars that I do, my garden will never be considered ‘clean’. As we have all been made aware of from the various studies and articles posted by the ADS, the reality is nearly 90% of the dahlias growing in all of our gardens could potentially be carrying nefarious things within.

Some virus can be kept under control with good healthy feedings & routine watering. Like us, when dealing with a common cold, not staying on top of our immune system with vitamins and a healthy diet will lead to our bodies suffering more.

Any and all dahlia plants exhibiting clear signs of TWSV and DMV are pulled immediately. I want no part of those in my collection or in yours. If we all do our best to actively bin everything with distinctive symptoms we will have happier, healthier and greener gardens.

I would never knowingly plant anything that seems unhealthy nor would I sell it intentionally. That said, I have been on the fence about something having nutritional issues and/or being sick in some way then shared that info so people can decide for themselves if the bloom was worth the risk. We all take risks with every new beauty we bring into our yard, but you should always get to decide what you are comfortable with when something doesn’t look right from the get go.

Plants can and will even thrive while showing no signs of some other viruses. Some dahlias can be confused for being virus ridden but in fact are just exhibiting those signs from lack of nutrients. A good rule is to feed any plant that you are watching, and in some cases a good drink of water with Epson salt mixed in can do the trick and quick.

I foliar feed my plants weekly a diluted mix of Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses, fish emulsion and Epson salt. Molasses has been seen to raise the Brix (sugar level) in the plants causing them to deter pests from nibbling on them, thus helping with combating any issues being shared around the garden. The higher the Brix number, the bigger the shield your dahlias have. I have seen first hand how amazing the results are.

There are many great resources / albums online to help you with your concerns and I will be listing many of them here in the near future.

 

Imports

I do not resell imported / dutch grown tubers.

Anything I sell, I plan to grow or have grown already.