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Has the stupid rain murdered my dahlia?

becrollabecrolla Posts: 14
in Problem solving
Hi, Im new to this forum :)
I bought a Happy days red/yellow bicolour dahlia from chatsworth flower show which was sooo pretty, it made it home in one piece. But then, because I live in Yorkshire, it proceeded to rain for a week and a half solidly. First I could see the dahlias flowers got hammered off and now (its vaguely sunny) it looks like a dead light coloured set of skinny twigs. It originally had very dark stems. I googled that it might need some fish blood, bone mix stuff, so ive shoved a bit of that around it and attempted to mix it through, i didnt want to get too close to the stems since they seem quite dead and fragile. I've got before and after pictures, but they are soul destroying, looking at it now :'(
Please help me revive it, dont tell me its dead, just lie to me if this is the case.
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  • B3B3 Posts: 26,546
    Are the tubers firm or squishy?
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • becrollabecrolla Posts: 14
    B3 said:
    Are the tubers firm or squishy? when you say tubers... are those the parts beneath the soil? and if they are, do i delicately dig it up to check?

  • B3B3 Posts: 26,546
    They're like potatoes. Better to feel about with your fingers. Very gently scrape away some soil until you reach the tubers. You have less chance of damaging the roots then.
    Firm is good. Squishy is bad.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • becrollabecrolla Posts: 14
    Ive just popped out to check, deffo not firm, soft but not mush :( Is that bad
  • B3B3 Posts: 26,546
    Not good. Is the soil very wet?
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • becrollabecrolla Posts: 14
    yes, stupid yorkshire :(
    What can i do to help it? I presume low setting on a Hairdryer not going to revive it
  • B3B3 Posts: 26,546
    We're reaching the limits of my knowledge here.
    If it was mine, I'd take it out of the pot and cut off any obviously rotten tubers and then put it into bone dry compost and leave it in the sun if you get any. I wouldn't use a hairdryer, you could end up cooking it.
    Hopefully someone with more knowledge of dahlia A&E will come along.

    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • becrollabecrolla Posts: 14
    Thankyou for help, I can't see what is rotting, so for now, i'll just pop the whole job lot in some bone dry compost and hope tomorrows supposed sun helps its recovery :)
  • LynLyn Posts: 22,884
    The rotten tubers will probably be the ones that had the stalks. Maybe it didn’t drain properly in a pot, did you put in up on pot feet?  they’re better in the garden, most soil drains well. 
    I don’t think  there’s anything much to do. 
    Rain is very beneficial to all life, you’re lucky to have had that much, same here in Devon. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • becrollabecrolla Posts: 14
    I blame the week and a half of rain directly after i bought it. So sad :'( I still hope for the best with it
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