We’ve posted a lot about vegetable growing here, but in recent years, we’ve added more and more ornamental plants to our growing repertoire. Our latest interest is Dahlias! If you’d like to try them, too, we have a few handy tips, courtesy of our friends at Russells Mills Flower Co.
Dahlia Growing Tips:
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- When to plant: Plant after danger of frost and when the soil temp is around 60 degrees. That ranges from mid April to Late May, depending on how cold it is where you live. A good rule of thumb is to plant Dahlias when you plant tomatoes!
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- Where to Plant: Plant Dahlias in full sun 6″ deep and 12″ apart. You can also grow Dahlias in containers! They like a rich, well-draining soil, much like your veggies. It’s always a good idea to mulch with compost after planting. Dahlias need plenty of room to grow, so choose a pot at least 12-18 inches in diameter if you’re growing in a pot.
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- How to water: Do not water until you see the leaves poking out of the soil! If you water before then, the tubers will rot. Once you see leaves, water deeply and infrequently. Dahlias don’t like wet feet and infrequent, deep watering will encourage them to grow deep roots.
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- What and when to feed: Dahlias will benefit from an organic slow release fertilizer. Incorporate into the soil when planting or topdress once there are 2-3 sets of leaves.
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- When and why to pinch: If you’d like more side shoots and a stronger plant, pinch the top growing bud when the plant is about 10 inches tall. Otherwise, you can cut the first flower once it blooms, but cut it about halfway down the plant to stimulate side branching.
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- End of season care: Gardeners in zones 8 and warmer can leave their Dahlias in the ground. For those of us growing in colder areas, we’ll wait until a frost kills the top growth. Then, carefully dig them up. Loosen the soil around the plant with your CobraHead and carefully remove the clump of tubers. (That’s right! Over the summer, your one tuber will have turned into several!) Allow the tubers to dry off and then pack in wood shavings or similar material and store in a cool, humid location for the winter.
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- Dividing & replanting in spring: Once the soil has warmed up, get the Dahlias out of storage and divide them. Each division needs to have a tuber, a “neck” and an eye or growing point. You can see the growing points as the tubers start to wake up in the spring. Break apart the clump and re-plant. You can even share some tubers with friends—just like zucchini!
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Dahlia tuber clump