GROWING DAHLIAS
HOW TO PLANT, GROW, AND CARE FOR DAHLIAS
They grow from small, brown, biennial tubers planted in the spring.Dahlias love moist, moderate climates. Though not well suited to extremely hot climates , dahlias brighten up any sunny garden with a growing season that’s at least 120 days long.
- PLANTING
- Don’t be in a hurry to plant; dahlias will struggle in cold soil. Ground temperature should reach 60°F. Wait until all danger of spring frost is past before planting. (We plant them a little after the tomato plants go in.)
- Select a planting site with full sun. Dahlias grow more blooms with 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. They love the morning sunlight best.
- Choose a location with a bit of protection from the wind.
- Dahlias thrive in rich, well-drained soil. The pH level of your soil should be 6.5-7.0, slightly acidic.If you have a heavier soil, add in sand, peat moss or aged manure to lighten and loosen the soil texture for better drainage.
- Bedding dahlias can be planted 9 to 12 inches apart. The smaller flowering types, which are usually about 3 feet tall, should be spaced 2 feet apart. The taller, larger-flowered dahlias should be spaced 3 feet apart. If you plant dahlias about 1 foot apart, they make a nice flowering hedge and will support each other.
- The planting hole should be slightly larger than the root ball of the plant and incorporate some compost or sphagnum peat moss into the soil. It also helps to mix a handful of bonemeal into the planting hole. Otherwise, do not fertilize at planting.
- Avoid dahlia tubers that appear wrinkled or rotten. Pink “eyes” (buds) or a little bit of green growth are good signs. Don’t break or cut individual dahlia tubers as you would potatoes.
- Dig a hole that’s about 6 to 8 inches deep. Set the tubers into it, with the growing points, or “eyes,” facing up, and cover with 2 to 3 inches of soil (some say 1 inch is adequate). As the stem sprouts, fill in with soil until it is at ground level.
- Tall, large-flowered cultivars will require support. Place stakes (five to six feet tall) around plants at planting time and tie stems to them as the plants grow.
- Large dahlias and those grown solely for cut flowers are best grown in a dedicated plot in rows on their own, free from competition from other plants. Dahlias of medium to low height mix well with other summer flowers. If you only have a vegetable garden, it’s the perfect place to put a row of dahlias for cutting (and something to look at while you’re weeding!).
- Medium to dwarf-size dahlias will do well in containers.
- Dahlias start blooming about 8 weeks after planting, starting in mid-July.
- Some gardeners start tubers indoors in containers a month ahead to get a jump on the season.
- Do not water the tubers right after planting; this encourages rot. Wait until the sprouts have appeared above the soil to water.
- Do not bother mulching the plants. The mulch harbors slugs and dahlias like the sun on their roots.
- Apply slug and snail bait to avoid garden pests.
- CARE
- There’s no need to water the soil until the dahlia plants appear; in fact, overwatering can cause tubers to rot. After dahlias are established, provide a deep watering 2 to 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes with a sprinkler (and more in dry, hot climates).
- Dahlias benefit from a low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer (similar to what you would use for vegetables) such as a 5-10-10 or 10-20-20. Fertilize after sprouting and then every 3 to 4 weeks from mid-summer until early Autumn. Do NOT overfertilize, especially with nitrogen, or you risk small/no blooms, weak tubers, or rot.
- Like many large-flower hybrid plants, the big dahlias may need extra attention before or after rain, when open blooms tend to fill up with water or take a beating from the wind.
- When plants are about 1 foot tall pinch out 3-4 inches of the growing center branch to encourage bushier plants and to increase stem count and stem length.
- If you want to grow large flowers try disbudding—removing the 2 smaller buds next to the central one in the flower cluster. This allows the plant to put all of its energy into fewer but considerably larger flowers.
- Bedding dahlias need no staking or disbudding; simply pinch out the growing point to encourage bushiness, and deadhead as the flowers fade. Pinch the center shoot just above the third set of leaves.
- For the taller dahlias, insert stakes at planting time. Moderately pinch, disbranch, and disbud, and deadhead to produce a showy display for 3 months or more.
- Dahlia foliage blackens with the first frost
- PESTS/DISEASES
- Slugs and snails: Bait 2 weeks after planting and continue to bait throughout the season.
- Mites: To avoid spider mites, spray beginning in late July and continue to spray through September. Speak to your garden center about recommended sprays for your area.
- Earwigs and Cucumber Beetle: They can eat the petals though they do not hurt the plant itself.
- Aphids
- Deer: Find a list of deer-resistant plants to grow around your dahlias.
- Powdery Mildew: This commonly shows up in the fall. You can preventatively spray before this issue arises from late July to August
HARVEST/STORAGE
BOUQUETS
- Dahlias are beautiful in a vase. The more you cut them the more they will bloom.
- Cut the stems in the morning before the heat of the day and put them into a bucket with cool water. Remove bottom leaves from the stems and place the dahlias in a vase. Put the vase in a cool spot and check the water daily. The bouquet should last about a week.
TAKING UP THE TUBERS
In cold regions, if you wish to save your plants, you have to dig up the tubers in early fall tubers after the first frost in the fall and store them over the winter
- After fall frost has blackened the foliage, cut off all but 2 to 4 inches of top growth
- Carefully dig tubers without damaging them.
- Lift and gently shake the soil off the tubers.
- Cut rotten tubers off the clump and leave the clumps outside in the sun upside down to dry naturally.
- Pack in a loose, fluffy material (vermiculite, dry sand, Styrofoam peanuts).
- Store in a well-ventilated, frost-free place—40 to 45º F is ideal, 35 to 50º F is acceptable.
- Take out the tubers in the spring, separate healthy tubers from the parent clump, and plant in the garden. Each tuber must have at least one “eye” or a piece of the crown attached or it will not develop into a blooming plant. The eyes are located at the base of the stem and look like little pink bumps.
- If this all seems like too much bother or you do not have the right storage place, skip digging and storing, and just start over by buying new tubers in the spring
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