Dahlias

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Dahlias are very beautiful lush bushes with huge flowers that bloom in August and bloom until the autumn cold. It is a perennial plant that can be grown with tubers and cuttings. Before flowering, this is a gorgeous green bush with beautiful leaves that will decorate any summer cottage. The colors are varied: flowers can be white, pink, cream, lilac, scarlet, burgundy, brown, etc

Landing

Dahlias are usually planted in early May. And there is no need to be afraid of the cold weather that sometimes happens at this time of the year. Dahlias are not afraid of the cold weather in May. While it is still cool enough and the soil is moist from melting snow, the planted dahlias are forming a root system.

Dahlias are very lush shrubs with many buds, the height of the plant can be up to two meters. Therefore, it is better to plant them near fences so that you can tie the grown flowers. Or, before planting, drive a stake about one and a half meters long into the prepared hole. In the future, you can tie a dahlia bush to it. They can break from strong winds or under the weight of their own weight.

Before planting, we check the tubers that you stored in the winter or purchased. The tubers must be sprouted. After storage, some tubers may dry out and look shriveled, if there are at least small sprouts on them, feel free to plant them. They will definitely grow and bloom.

For planting, it is necessary to prepare a hole, depending on the size of the tuber. The hole should be so deep that you can put peat on the bottom (about ten centimeters) and that there is the same layer of peat above the tuber. It is better to cover the whole hole with peat. Since it will be easier for young roots to grow in it.

As long as the ground is wet, dahlias do not need frequent watering. When the summer warm weather sets in, the first shoots of flowers will appear.

Growing

Dahlias grow best in sunny areas of the garden plot, protected from strong winds. If your area is close to groundwater, then it is better to raise the flower bed, as dahlia tubers can rot from excessive moisture.

How often to water dahlias - determine by the weather. If it rains often enough, then I, for example, do not water them at all. Sometimes it is necessary to loosen the soil.

When the first buds appear on the bushes, loosening must be stopped. You can feed the dahlias as you wish, about four times per season. This can be done with any fertilizer that you use for the vegetables in your garden. For abundant and early flowering, you can remove young shoots that grow from the root. I do not do this, as I like the huge bushes of dahlias, which will still delight me with flowering.

Breeding and storage

After the first autumn frosts, the dahlia bushes freeze. You should cut off frozen bushes, but do not rush to dig them up. The tubers are not afraid of these minor frosts. I usually dig dahlias in October. But if the autumn is warm and dry, then it is better to keep them in the ground for a longer time, so they will be better preserved over the winter. I keep the tubers in excellent condition until the next season as follows: I dig out the tubers, separate the "children" that have grown over the summer.

Small tubers need to be stored under more careful conditions because they can dry out completely. I recommend storing them in the refrigerator, in the vegetable drawer. I dry it well - for about a week in a dry and dark place. After drying, you need to carefully examine the tubers. If gnarled growths or so-called sores appear on them, then it is better to burn them, because they cannot be cured. Then I prepare a "clay chatterbox" - this is clay, diluted with water to the consistency of thick kefir. Then, I dip the dried tubers into a "clay talker", dry it, again into a "clay talker". I dry it well, put it in cardboard boxes and put it in the cellar.

You can also store dried dahlia tubers in dry sand, as well as in a cellar. My experience has shown that tubers are preserved much better in a clay crust, after wintering they dry out less. And, accordingly, they sprout faster and bloom earlier. I wish you all the best in growing these gorgeous flowers.