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Cafe au lait buds not progressing - and tomatoes too

adamadamantadamadamant Posts: 278
in Problem solving
My 2 Dahlia Cafe au Lait have grown well and I can see buds have formed, but the buds dont seem to be progressing and it's getting late in the season.  Any chance yet that I will get flowers?  Dahlias are not my strong point but I have been anticipating these blooms for some time.  Also I have quite alot of green tomatoes still on the plants which are stubbornly refusing to ripen despite being in full sun - again, is it too late for them? 
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  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    You don't say where you are, which is important in terms of the amount of heat your plants will get.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • adamadamantadamadamant Posts: 278
    Ah yes you're right.  London, so no problem this year with heat. 

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I think that there is still a small chance that you will get Dahlia flowers. Tomatoes I am not sure about.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2022
    I've picked and processed lots, but have  still got loads of tomatoes on the vine, ripening slowly but surely.  I'd not worry yet.  If the weather turns really chilly then I just cut the trusses and put them on trays on the sideboard in the dining room ... they don't take long to ripen indoors once they've started.

    For the reluctant few, there's always fried green tomatoes (cooked with a sprinkle of soft brown sugar and a dash of balsamic and served on toast or with your breakfast bacon), or green tomato chutney 😋

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited September 2022
    My dahlias have only just started flowering.  3 varieties but the names on the labels faded over the winter.  Big ones, about 4-5 ft, grown in pots for adding late season to shrub borders.  The pale pink one I recognise as Mme van Hoek.  The deep pink and the purple. no idea.

    It's important to start them as early as possible.  But still plenty of time before frost.  London, possibly no frost.

    edit: Gerrie Hoek.  pronounced hook, " G" unpronounceable.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Did the Dahlia Cafe au Lait go in late? Are they in full sun?
  • MikeOxgreenMikeOxgreen Posts: 812
    edited September 2022
    adamadamant said:
    Ah yes you're right.  London, so no problem this year with heat. 

    You would have to worry about heat if they're behind glass, but you don't say if they are or not.

    Just keep feeding and watering, it's all you can do. They'll come to a natural end when the weather gets too cold unless you can keep them warm.
    Then after coaxing what you can out of them* it's green chutney making time.
    If you plan on doing that catch them before they rot.

    *Putting unripe ones by bananas helps them ripen.
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    I don't grow Dahlias but the other day I got rid of all my Toms.  Have had an excellent year with them but finally decided to cut them down in order to ""sort out" the GH.  They were also beginning to get in the way of my P edulis  which are beginning to ripen.  I'd already removed all the toms which had started to turn and they are indoors to finish off.  The green ones left ( only about 500 grms ) are destined for the usual chutney making session. 
    I'm determined to ignore any mention of a possible Heatwave from the Met Office ;)
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    No need to 'keep feeding' tomatoes once the fruit are fully formed.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Lots of flowering plants have been reluctant to flower due to lack of water this year. I don't grow Dahias but someone did leave some D Cafe au Lait at Buckingham Palace gates, stood out in the sea of flowers.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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