Question:
Last fall, I removed my Dahlias from the ground and stored them in the garage. I plan to replant them this spring. Should I plant the entire clump or separate the individual bulbs, and when is the best time to replant them? The clumps probably contain twenty to thirty bulbs.Answer:
- The Dahlia clumps need to be divided before planting them in the ground. You will only plant a portion of each.
- If you have already done so, wash all the dirt off the clumps and let them air dry. This will reveal the growing eyes where new plants will develop.
- This can be done now or three to four weeks before planting. The planting season runs from March through May, depending on when the ground is dry enough to dig.
- About two weeks before planting, divide the clumps with a sharp knife, including an eye. If you cannot tell, include a piece of the mother tuber or a section of last year's stalk, and dust the cut ends of the tubers with dusting Sulfur to prevent rotting.
- I would select the largest tubers, store them in a dry location, and discard the rest. When planting, dig a good-sized hole and amend the native soil with compost or a soil conditioner. At the bottom of the hole, add a handful of starter fertilizer.
- Once the holes are covered, place a marker to identify their location.
- Additional spring and summer color can then be planted between the clumps. Vinca Rosea, Zinnias, and Marigolds are excellent companion plants.
Question:
I enjoy Bagels with Sesame Seeds, so I'm curious about where sesame seeds come from. Is there such a thing as a sesame plant or flower?Answer:
- Yes, to both questions. The genus Sesamum includes about twenty species native to tropical and subtropical Africa and eastern Asia.
- The plant used for Sesame seeds is a rough, hairy annual called Sesamum indicum. Sesame plants are well-suited for herb gardens.
- They are drought-tolerant and prefer well-drained soil. They’re best planted in April or May.
- Seeds available online are your best option, since plants are difficult to find.
- They are started in flats or pots with bottom heat from a heating mat, available online and at some garden centers.
- I would plant them in the open ground or in individual pots when they are three inches tall.
- Sesame plants have attractive, pale pink, bell-shaped flowers about an inch long that produce angled fruits containing the seeds.
- The pods are harvested in three to four months when 75% of the capsules have turned tan.
- The seed at the lowest point on the plant will mature first, even as the upper part of the plant is still flowering or has just formed seed capsules. If left to maturity, they will burst open, scattering the seeds.