Garden Mastery Tips
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April 2000 |
Dahlia Success
It's spring and there is a rainbow of flowers awaiting your attention in local hardware stores and gardening outlets. None is more beautiful to grow than the dahlia. Its splendor cuts across fourteen distinct types and when size is considered, the number expands to thirty different groups. For the beginner some knowledge of a few of the different types is helpful but don't worry about all the technicalities. We'll leave that up to the people who show their flowers in American Dahlia Society competition.
To feel successful in your first attempt at growing dahlias follow these simple suggestions. Two to three weeks before planting, prepare the ground by digging in some processed cow manure and a handful of 5-10-10 fertilizer. If your soil is heavier, add peat moss, sand, and some compost. Many growers prepare the soil during the fall with raw cow manure instead. For simplicity just prepare the soil and let's plant.
Plant when the last chance of frost has disappeared – usually around the first of May. Dahlias flourish in warm soil. Planting early in April may have you mudding them in and losing a tuber or two to a fungus because of excessive rain. 
Dig a hole six to eight inches deep. Pound in a stake at the back of the hole; It needs to be firm and extend above the ground about three to four feet. Some growers pound the stake in first and then dig the hole or holes later for the tubers. Phil Mingus of Mingus Dahlias digs four holes equally spaced around a stake for one variety of dahlia. This writer usually goes with one tuber.
The tuber is placed at the bottom of the hole with the eye of the plant facing away from the stake. New tubers will develop during the season and having them entwined around the stake with an inappropriately placed tuber can destroy roots during digging in the Fall. Fill the dirt in over the root. Growers who like to watch the plant grow fill in the dirt gradually. If you don't see a plant "doming" up within three weeks, dig down very carefully to investigate the condition of the plant.
Once the root is in the ground the surface should not be disturbed because dahlias are surface feeders. Their hairlike roots extend to the surface. Feed the dahlia by sprinkling fertilizer (5-10-10, 10-10-10, or 20-20-20) around the base of the plant every three or four weeks. You can also foliar fertilizer.
When the plant emerges, your work is just beginning. To get the most out of a dahlia, regular maintenance needs to be performed. If there is a chance of a frost, place a cut off two liter coke bottle over the plant for that particular evening. Slugs love new growth. Be ready with slug bait.
If the gardener lets the dahlia grow unchecked it will grow vertically with little energy put into side growth. You end up with one flower at the apex of the plant and some underdeveloped side branches. A tall spindly plant is prone to wind damage. To make your plant stronger consider topping out the apex of the new plant. If you have purchased a large-flowering dahlia pinch out the top growth (apex) after two or three sets of leaves have formed. If your flowers will be small let the plant develop six to eight leaf sets before topping out. Refer to the accompanying chart. With staking, your new plant will survive better against the elements.