Planting and caring for dahlias - advice of the most experienced florist
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How to plant and how to care for dahlias - advises a professional!
THE RETURN OF GEORGIN!
I want to please fans of dahlias: this flower is back in fashion. Although for true connoisseurs, fashion does not matter; they both planted these delightful flowers in their garden, and they plant. With someone’s light hand declared old-fashioned and “grandmothers”, dahlias were persecuted as a manifestation of bad taste and old-fashioned philistinism. Recently, the situation began to change - at first flower shows, timidly, and then more and more persistently, dahlias began to be actively present in the expositions.
They become full participants of flower beds and mixborders
For me the expression "grandmother's flower" is more than just a figure of speech. My grandmother, her bright memory, was very fond of dahlias and had at that time a serious collection. Of course, no one at that time knew any sorts or classifications, new items were purchased at the market, exchanged among neighbors.
Memory keeps children's memories of how proud grandmother showed the next replenishment of the collection. These flowers, the natives of some Guatemala or Mexico, felt great under the bright Kuban sun. And, as I understand now, they were practically the only luxury in the post-war life.
MY FIRST FLOWERS
It is not difficult to guess that the first flowers that I planted on their Moscow region weaving were just dahlias, the tubers of which were purchased in the neighboring district center. No other flower, it is necessary to give it due, can not be compared with dahlias in the rate of recoil - do not wait several years, like in peonies, abundant flowering or suffer with shelter and diseases, like roses.
Or messing with annuals - sowing, diving, planting in the ground. Believe me, there is nothing easier than growing dahlias! And this is the clue of why this luxurious flower has remained truly popular for many years. After all, they flaunt in any village front garden.
Reference by topic: Dahlias (photo) simple growing - proper care and reproduction
CARE FOR GEORGINS - IT IS IMPORTANT!
The only condition is that they need a lot of sun. And quite a scanty land of the central strip of Russia they only benefit - do not get fat and do not go "to the sheet." The main problem with growing dahlias is to provide winter storage.
FOR EARLY FLOWERING
Since the summer is short, in order to achieve early flowering in late April or early May, the tubers were planted in some cans, boxes, other suitable containers that were exposed in the freezing room, for example on a light verandah. And only a month later the sprouted tubers were planted in the open ground. If there was a threat of return of spring frosts, the young sprouts were "head-on" with soil or peat.
PROTECTION, TIP, BAY
When the shoots reached a height of 0,5 m, the weakest were cut out, so that they do not take away the strength from the others. Left 2 - 3 strong escape. After the emergence of the buds, the laterally growing side shoots became more and more passive, which greatly accelerated flowering. The faded flowers were regularly removed. Feeding was not fond of, as it was observed that an excess of fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizers, is poorly reflected in winter storage. Tubers become watery, they rot more often.
Grown up to a meter of stems must be tied, as they are fragile enough and can break from the wind.
In the autumn, after the first frosts, when shoots are made "glass" and die, you must choose a dry sunny day, dig out the tubers and dry them right on the bed. And then, as already mentioned, to be stored for future spring.
If the tubers have grown strongly, once in three years they must be divided, dividing into pieces in such a way that each piece has a neck. As you can see, agrotechnics are extremely simple.
SPEED GEORGINS
But if this also seems difficult, especially if there are no suitable conditions for storage, then the seeds of "early-ripening" dahlias are on sale, which during the summer have time to develop a green mass and bloom no worse than their traditional brethren. They are grown as an annual culture. In order to achieve faster flowering, they are often grown through seedlings, like any other annuals.
The seeds they have are quite large, like sunflower seeds, it's easy to sow. Best of all - directly into the peat cup. These cups are put on a tray, which is stretched cellophane bag. Sowing is produced somewhere in late April. A week later, when the sprouts will appear, the package is cleaned. Seedlings grow quite fast, seedlings need to be transported to the dacha even before it stretches out. If the young plants "sit" in a peat cup, it is buried right along with the dahlia into the ground, when the threat of frost passes.
INTERESTED GRADE GEORGIN
Modern selection of perennial dahlias has made great strides. In Holland, a whole series was obtained Gallery - all varieties of a variety of colors, but they are combined by a small growth (they are suitable for the front edge of the curb and for growing in containers), early continuous flowering, the ideal form of a shrub that does not require formation. An important moment for our climate: with the threat of early autumn frosts, dwarf dahlias can easily be covered with non-woven material, which will prolong the flowering season. Similar to these varieties and dahlias from a later series Melody, which can be grown in large pots on the balcony. For the background, dahlias from the series Karma, and as soliters it is possible to use high (over 120 cm) accent grades from the Dutch series Classic with flowers of pion-shaped form.
See also: Vegetable dahlias - edible tubers
SUCH A DIVERSITY!
Abundance of varieties is amazing!
Flowers of various shapes - from the well-known simple 'Merry Guys' to the anemone, nymphaea, collar, spherical, pompon, cactus and semi-cactus.
Infinite variety of shades! Much attention is now paid to the color of foliage - in many varieties it is bronze, maroon or purple.
Preference is given to low-growing varieties as more universal - the so-called dwarfs and liliput. But according to my observations, the varieties of the new selection are significantly inferior in vitality to our usual, "grandmother". They do not live long, are stored worse and quickly degenerate, prompting gardeners to buy more and more specimens. This is the law of commerce ...
My “folk”, village dahlias pleased me for quite some time. But the garden grew, became more and more shady, the sun began to be missed, and I honestly had to hand them out to our neighbors with some regret. Now, passing by other people's front gardens, I admire my favorites because of the fence ...
ON A NOTE:
Watering dahlias in hot weather is still necessary, but not from a hose (a jet blurs the earth, revealing close-lying tubers), but from a watering can and only by barrel water, because the plant is something that is thermophilic! But you can not be zealous: a plant with its thick tubers will better suffer a drought than unnecessary hydration.
© Author: Natalia Gnatovskaya
Dahlhorn with the royal scope - an interview with the florist
According to legend, dahlias once grew only in the royal gardens. Fortunately, today these luxurious flowers are available to all comers. Flower florist Natalia SHAPOVAL advises these plants primarily for those who want to decorate their plot, but are not ready to spend too much time on flower garden care.
- Diversity of shapes and a palette of colors dahlias are capable to amaze the richest imagination. They are about 35 species and more than 15 thousand varieties, - says Natalia. - Another advantage - dahlias bloom from the second half of June until late autumn.
One-year-seedlings and seedlings
Annual dahlias in the open ground can be sown with seeds (in the first half of May) and planted with seedlings (after the disappearance of the threat of recurrent frosts).
- Advantages of one-year-olds: they grow quickly, blossom until the very frosts, - explains the florist. "And you do not have to dig up the tubers for the winter."
For sowing seeds, choose solar patches. Plants prefer loam with neutral acidity. If the horsetail, wheat grass, mocryla, plantain, buttercup are creeping, in advance, under a digging at 1 sq. M., Add 400-500 g of dolomite flour or 500-700 g of wood ash. Seeds can be pre-soaked in the fungicide Fitosporin-M or a solution of potassium permanganate (2 g per 100 ml of water) for disinfection. Furrows for sowing should not be deeper than 3 cm, well moistened. The distance between the seeds is 3-4, see Crops can be covered with film or thin spunbond for 1-2 weeks. When there will be amicable shoots, remove the shelter.
As for seedlings: I plant it at a distance of at least 20 cm from each other. You can not cover the root of the neck. In 2 weeks after planting, dahlias feed Nitrophus (according to instructions). The land around the flowers is mulched with sawdust or mown grass. This will help not only to retain moisture and facilitate the care of plants, but also protect them from slugs.
- Choose tubers of perennial dahlias without damage. Two weeks before planting, it is desirable to put them in transparent plastic bags and put in a warm place for germination, and a week later, so that the rootlets appear faster.
Landing time is the end of May. The size of the planting hole is 40 × 40 cm. If the earth was not fertilized with organic matter in the fall, you can add a little ripe non-leafy compost and a handful of wood ash into each hole. Sprinkle the tubers with soil so that the top of the rhizome rises 2-3 cm above the ground. For plants of tall varieties, supports can be immediately installed.
In the future, make sure that the soil is slightly damp, but not wet. In drought, dahlias need to be watered once a week. Once every two weeks, feed (along with watering) phosphorus-potassium fertilizer: 1 g of potassium sulfate and 15 g of superphosphate per 50 liters of water.
Tall plants after the formation of the third pair of leaves can be plucked (cut off the crown above them) - this stimulates the appearance of additional shoots. After pasynkovaniya bush blooms earlier and more abundantly. The procedure is best carried out in sunny weather for natural disinfection of the cut. In autumn, when the foliage darkens from the first frosts, the tubers of perennial dahlias need to be excavated. Then rinse, dry the days well 5-7, remove the excess roots and send it to storage at a temperature of not higher than + 5 degree.
Has written down Oksana SHAPOVAL
GROWING GERGINS - PLANTING AND CARE, ADVICE AND FEEDBACK OF FLOWERS
FAVORITE DAHELINGS
In autumn, my flower garden is filled with bright colors of dahlias. Although I have to tinker with them, but for the chic abundant flowering I forgive any trouble.
I grow them in a flower bed, which is protected from three sides by buildings. In such conditions, they feel great, do not break from strong winds and bloom longer.
In order to admire the first buds earlier, I plant tubers in the second half of April.
I have been filling the soil with rotted manure since autumn.
I do not deepen the root neck when planting.
I cover with cut-off 5-liter bottles.
I monitor soil moisture.
In sunny warm weather, I open mini-greenhouses.
When the threat of frost has passed, I remove the shelter.
In the summer, in the heat in the morning or in the evening, I water the bushes.
I feed herbal infusions 2 times a month, while the dahlias are gaining green mass. During the summer, once a month I water with "Peat Oxidate" (according to the instructions).
HOW TO SAVE DAHALHAS IN THE WINTER
At the end of September or beginning of October (depending on the weather), I send dahlias for storage.
- I cut off the aerial part, leaving "stumps" about 10 cm.
- I carefully dig out the rhizomes with a shovel or pitchfork, trying not to damage the tubers.
- I sort and discard damaged planting material.
- I shake off the tubers from the remnants of the soil, cut the stems to the base.
- I wash it in running water and dip it in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. Or I use "Fitosporin" (according to the instructions).
- I dry it in a dark place.
- When the tubers dry well, I put them in plastic bags, tie them loosely and store them in the basement (+ 3-5 degrees).
- Before landing in the ground, I periodically check.
© Author: Natalia GABRUSEVA
Experts comments
It is important to protect the planting material not only from rot, but also from freezing, overdrying and premature germination.
I have tried many methods: paraffin waxing, storage in peat, clay mashing, followed by drying. Finally found a convenient way. Dahlias are perfectly preserved in food stretch film in a cool room. Prepared for storage (treated with "Fitosporin" and well dried), I put the delenki in plastic boxes in one layer and put them in a dry pit of the garage for the winter. By spring, the tubers remain firm, alive, many with awakened buds.
© Author: Irina KOROZA, biologist.
HOW TO GROW DAHALHAS FOR THEIR FLOWERING FLOWERS?
FIRST MEETING
I started growing dahlias over 20 years ago. I bought several bags of seeds, including decorative, spherical, cactus, pompoms. The pictures were colorful, but the germination rate was unimportant. However, what grew up adorned the site for a long time. In autumn, when harvesting, I saw overgrown tubers and decided to save them. The next year they turned out completely different.
When buying, it is better to pay attention to varietal tubers: seeds have low germination. plants - like Funny guys. Little knowledge, no experience. Since then, I began to grow dahlias, buying varietal tubers to order, and now I want to share my experience.
DAHELINGS IN AUTUMN
I will start not with spring work, but with autumn. I start harvesting in late September - early October - depending on the weather. I cut the trunk at a height of 10-15 cm, carefully dig the bush with a pitchfork, take it out and, if possible, remove the earth as much as possible. I hang a tag with the name of the variety and, having laid it on a compost heap, I wash the root with water from a hose.
Next comes the final cleaning: I cut off all the roots, nodules, which are thinner than a pencil. It remains a smooth root tuber.
I already wash it, as they say, “whitewashed”, using a sharp wooden knitting needle, a brush. I shorten the stem already to 2-3 cm, I cover all the sections with brilliant green. Then I process in Maxim's solution for 30 minutes. After the roots dry well at 10-15 “C, I write the name of the variety with a marker on the tuber itself (I assign a number to each) and proceed to packaging.
HOW TO STORE DAHALHINES
I have used several storage methods. First, I wrapped each root in a newspaper, put it in a bag of agrotex and then in a bag of sugar (there are several bags in one bag, there are also more than one root in the bag). The second - large root tubers were placed in plastic boxes and sent with dry sand (can be mixed with vermiculite).
The place should be cool, with a temperature of 2-7 Rs. I store planting material in the underground of a private house at 9-11 C, so I have to get it out of storage early: in late February - early March. Otherwise, increased growth of shoots from the kidneys begins.
However, for the last 2 years I have been keeping dahlias in a third way. It began to divide the roots into tubers in the fall. After a final wash, I cut off the tuber with a part of the root neck, which has 1-2 buds, with a sharp knife. If the nodule is long, I shorten it to 10-15 cm, cover the cut with brilliant green. Container for storage - plastic bottles with a volume of 1-5 liters with a cut throat. All material is signed with a marker: I put it into bottles and pour it with dry sand, sand with vermiculite or sawdust. It is necessary that the top layer be about 5 cm. I liked this method more.
BTW
STORAGE PLACE MUST BE COOL - WITH TEMPERATURE
ROOT PREPARATION
With the onset of spring, I plant some of the tubers in glasses in accordance with the size, where they will grow before planting in the ground. And others I lay out for propagation by cuttings. I like cutting dahlias better. With this reproduction, the plant is renewed. Coconut briquettes are soaked in Fitosporin-M solution, mixed with vermiculite. Ready soil is poured into plastic boxes with a layer of about 8 cm and tubers are laid out on it for germinating cuttings. After some time, the buds wake up, and the shoots start to grow. As soon as the shoot grows to 5-7 cm, I separate it and plant it in disposable cups with a volume of 100-200 g to form roots. Here, too, the substrate is light: sand, vermiculite, coconut. After a while, roots appear. I plant cuttings with roots in glasses of 0-2 liters.
At the end of March, I take out all the plants in the greenhouse. They stand on racks under arcs. I cover them according to the temperature. During the day, if it's hot, I use covering material No. 17, and at night - No. 60. I feed seedlings with HB-101, Fitop 8.67 and humates.
LANDING DAHELAIN
Landing in open ground is carried out starting from mid-May - depending on the weather. The place should be sunny or in a short penumbra. The distance between dahlias is 50-60 cm.
Council
At the end of March, I take out all the plants in the greenhouse.
I dig a hole 20-25 cm deep, put the plant out of a glass, 10 cm from it - a peg. I spill the hole, and as the water is absorbed, I fill it with soil with the addition of 1 tsp. superphosphate, ash and compost. I put a paper bag on a peg and a planted dahlia (20 cm above it). From above I tie it to a peg and lower it a little: it turns out a “skirt”. During the day, under such a shelter, it is not hot: not a single leaf will fade.
CARE
If there is a threat of frost, I put on a covering material. Packages are removed in 7-10 days. The soil in the holes should be moist at first (the bags do not interfere with watering). I spend the first top dressing with ammonium nitrate after 2 weeks (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). The second - when the buds appear: monopotassium phosphate 1 tbsp. l. for 10 liters of water. In early August, I contribute 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate under the bush.
Stepsons in the axils of the leaves are removed until the bud appears.
FORMATION OF THE DAHELAIN
The bush should have no more than 2 trunks; in plants from tubers, in cuttings, it is always one. Stepsons in the axils of the leaves are removed until the bud appears. The trunk below, at a height of 30-40 cm, should be without leaves, bare. This contributes to the best - airing the bushes.
The number of colors can also be adjusted. Three peduncles emerge from each sinus. As a rule, the average flower has a short stem, but blooms earlier. The two extreme ones bloom later on long peduncles. If you pluck them, then the middle one will bloom on a long leg. If you remove the middle one, then the other two will be larger.
VARIETY PECULIARITIES OF DAHELINS
The foliage of plants also depends on the variety. So, Lady Darlene has to remove a lot of leaves that grow to the detriment of flowering. AS Rosebud has long flower stalks, and the bush is not overgrown with green mass.
Last year I had 40 varieties and grew more than 60 bushes. Only short ones, from 30 to 60 cm high, do not need shaping and garter: Gallery Singer, Gallery Mathis, Claudette, Red Pigmy, Sidler Stolze.
And among the tall ones, I like Ben Houston, Vulcan, Holland Festival, Kenora Wildfer, My Love, Santa Claus, Hapet Red King and many others.
IS IT POSSIBLE NOT TO LOVE DAHANGES!
This bright, large flower is so popular that it has won the hearts of many flower growers. Durable, frost-resistant, beautiful, what else do you need? I prefer terry varieties of dahlias: they have no equal in splendor and magical beauty. Spherical, graceful and pompous, with cut petals along the edges, these noble flowers have been decorating my flower garden for many years now.
Red, yellow, white, pink and other colors of dahlias delight us from July until the first frost. Cut dahlias do not wither in vases for seven days.
I grow dahlias as a perennial corm. I dig this year's tubers on a dry sunny day in the fall (I throw last year's tubers into compost). I wash them with water and immerse them in a solution of copper oxychloride for 30-40 minutes. Then I put them in low boxes and keep them in a greenhouse in the light for about 3 weeks. Later I put it away for storage in the basement, put it in boxes and cover it with sand.
I take it out of the basement in April, I look through and remove the damaged ones. I divide the nests into 2-3 parts, so that a piece of the root collar remains on each of them. I sprinkle the slices with charcoal.
I put the delenki in boxes and fall asleep with earth. I leave the root neck open. I water occasionally, keeping the substrate moist. Shoots develop after two weeks. I cut the long stems into cuttings and root them in perlite - a solution of pink potassium permanganate.
When the cuttings take root (this is immediately evident by the appearance of new leaves), I water the substrate with a liquid full fertilizer at half the dose.
In perlite, the cuttings remain until the very landing in the ground. If they outgrow, I cut them off.
When planting, I add a spoonful of ash and a pinch of superphosphate to each hole, mix the soil with fertilizer. I plant tubers in the background, cuttings in the center.
Germinated tubers bloom earlier, and soon cuttings. Plant care is simple - watering and collecting faded inflorescences.
My dahlias never get sick. In September, there are often short frosts that can destroy flowering plants. To prevent this from happening, I hammer pegs around the dahlias and put plastic bottles on them. If frosts are promised, I cover the plants with non-woven material the night before. For a couple of days they are in such a "greenhouse". After the frosts are over, dahlias bloom for another month, before the onset of stable frosts.
This can also be done with perennial varieties, only the stakes in this case must be taken higher.
Dahlias get along well with a variety of flowers, but on condition that the neighbors do not grow too wide and do not grow higher than the dahlias. My flowers bloom beautifully, and I get great pleasure from it.
© Author: Elena Pisarenko, Balakovo, Saratov region
ANNUAL DAHLIAS FROM TUBERS
Last year I grew annual dahlias of the Dandy variety from seeds, and they captivated me with their unpretentiousness and beauty.
The bushes of dahlias of this variety are low-growing (50-60 cm tall), compact, the stems are strong, the inflorescences are bright, of various colors, up to 8 cm in diameter and original: the petals are arranged in two rows, and the inner ones - erect and slightly twisted - form " collar" of a different color.
I sowed seeds for seedlings at the end of April. Since they are large, I laid them out at a distance of about 3-4 cm from each other. Friendly shoots appeared quickly, in about a week. At the end of May, I picked up the seedlings, and in June, when the threat of return frosts had passed (this plant is heat-loving), I planted them in a flower garden in an open, sunny place.
The flowering of Dandy dahlias, which began in July, continued until the frost. Lush, elegant inflorescences invariably attracted the eye.
At the end of autumn, I cut the stems, dug up the tubers and intended to throw them away. But, after thinking about it, I left a few pieces for planting next spring as an experiment. I dried them a little in the garage, put them in an old bucket and lowered them into the cellar.
In May, I took out the tubers, examined them, cut off the slightly wilted and rotten areas, sprinkled the wounds with crushed coal and planted them. At the same time, I planted dahlia seedlings grown from seeds in a greenhouse. Dahlias planted as tubers bloomed earlier than those grown from seeds as seedlings. So it is quite possible to save the tubers of annual dahlias for the next season (if you have one). They just need to be dug out before frost. But. on the other hand, these flowers are easy to grow as seedlings.
© Author: Galina Pavlova, amateur florist
GROWING AND CARE OF DAHALHA ON VIDEO
Below other entries on the topic "Dacha and garden - with their own hands"
- Autumn is the time to buy and plant bulbs
- Tithonia flower (photo) - planting and care, advice from flower growers
- Knyazhiki (photo) varieties and hybrids, cultivation care
- Growing marsh iris (photo) - care and reproduction
- Do-it-yourself flower garden on the balcony
- Schizanthus (photo) - cultivation and care
- Equal leaf bell (popularly “bridegroom” and “bride”) in open ground
- Irises (photo) - varieties for the suburbs
- Planting and transplanting clematis in September
- Celosia (photo) planting and care. Types of flowers
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I love annual dahlias of the Merry Guys variety for their friendly shoots, unpretentiousness, a variety of colors and long flowering - from late June to frost. Of course, in comparison with their perennial counterparts, these are not so stately and large. But in winter, you do not have to store tubers, like perennial ones, which strive to dry out or rot. In addition, varieties of different shades can be planted in a new place every year.
I usually sow seeds (at least one packet of Cheerful Children) for seedlings in March.
To do this, I use tetrapacks for juices: I cut off one side wide side, and put on the other. The boxes are the desired depth and fit perfectly on the windowsill, without interfering with large flower pots. I sow seeds in three rows at a distance of 1,5 cm from each other. Before the emergence of shoots, I put all the containers in plastic bags, and after 5 days the Cheerful guys peck together. Two weeks later, dahlia sprouts can be dived and planted in separate containers (disposable cups or yogurt jars). However, I never do this myself - there is enough space for everyone in the boxes, and most of the seedlings turn out to be strong. And if you pinch the main shoots in time (when 4 pairs of leaves are formed), then the bushes grow lush.
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One-year-old dahlias captivated me with a variety of colors and shapes. Without these bright kids, I can’t imagine my flower garden. They are unpretentious, bloom profusely from mid-summer until the first frost, filling the garden with special warmth.
So that the seedlings do not stretch, I sow the seeds in a box with loose fertile soil no earlier than mid-April. In a week, friendly shoots appear. After the growth of two or three true leaves, I “spread” the seedlings in separate pots or in a larger box. After a couple of weeks, when the plants take root and start growing, I feed them with liquid mineral fertilizer. After the probability of night frost has passed, I plant my favorites in the flower garden. They adore open bright places, but you need to remember that the stems of plants are fragile, so the areas where there are drafts are best avoided.
Dahlias form lush bushes strewn with flowers. Look good both in independent plantings, and in combination with other annuals. I also plant them in containers and flowerpots.
I feed with mineral fertilizers, excluding nitrogen-containing ones, which contribute to the growth of green mass to the detriment of flowering.
I tried to store
Over the summer, dahlias manage to form small tubers. Somehow I dug them and sent them for the winter together with perennial varieties to the underground, pouring them with sawdust. They are well preserved. In the new season, the bushes were lush, bloomed more abundantly than in the previous year. But the flowers did not become larger, as, for example, in perennials, which I grow for the sake of huge flowers-hats, sometimes reaching 35 cm in diameter. Therefore, I think that it is better to grow “funny guys” just like an annual culture, this is their charm. In addition, seeds of any varieties can always be found on sale or harvested by yourself.
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The neighbor has beautiful dahlias above human height. The flowers themselves are so bright and huge that you just can’t take your eyes off.
She shared tubers with me, but the result was disappointing: the plants never bloomed. What could be the reason?
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There are many reasons. But the main thing is in non-compliance with the rules of cultivation. The wrong division of tubers, droughty weather and lack of moisture, lack of light or excess nitrogen in the soil, as well as diseases and pests of dahlias may be to blame.
In order for the plants to bloom on time and magnificent, you need to pinch the stem after the formation of 4-5 pairs of leaves. If this is not done, then only one bud will be formed. And if you cut off faded flower heads, then new ones will appear faster.
It is also important than feeding bushes. In spring - with nitrogen fertilizers, in June - early July - with phosphorus-potash (for 10 liters of water 3 tbsp. L. Superphosphate and 3-4 handfuls of wood ash), in August - potassium sulfate - 30 g for each bush. On this top dressing ends.
Remember: if a plant does not have enough water, it will not form buds and will not bloom, and then will dry out prematurely. Dahlias are watered in the morning or in the evening, soaking the soil by 30-40 cm and necessarily mulching it. The main thing here is not to fill the tubers, otherwise they will rot.
If dahlias have thick and lush foliage, but no buds, it means that the grower went too far with nitrogen fertilizers, so you do not have to wait for the appearance of buds.
Depending on the varieties, dahlias are subject to fungal diseases to varying degrees. So to know what kind of flowers grow on your site is useful and important.
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Secrets of lush dahlias
Germinated tubers planted in early May. In a planting pit with a depth of about 30-40, see pouring a handful of dolomite flour and wood ash, slightly rotted manure, and 1 tbsp. superphosphate - all this is mixed with the fertile land. Soot the tubers, deepening the root collar on 5-6. See
Through 2 weeks after planting the plant is fed with a solution of slurry (1: 8). I repeat the same during budding and early flowering.
Dahlias have a shallow root system, so large bushes often lean over under their own weight. Hilling plants helps to avoid problems when they grow to 15-20.
TIP: In the first half of the summer I break the side shoots on the main stem in the axils of the lower leaves. Then dahlias will please with large buds.
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In April, the dahlia tubers are transferred from the cellar to the box with wet sawdust (periodically sprayed) and left at home until May.
After the disappearance of the threat of strong frosts, the tubers are planted in a flowerbed in the hole, I will definitely put a support, to which I then tie up the plants. Two weeks after planting I feed - 1 l mullein and 1 st.l. urea on a bucket of water (I pour out 2 l under a bush).
When the buds appear, in 10 l of water I dilute it according to 1 Art. L. superphosphate and potassium sulfate and poured 3 liters under each bush. I remove the side shoots, leaving no more than 3's powerful stalks on the bush. Then the plants will thank the lush and large flowers.
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This is exactly the flower that even in the shade can feel quite comfortable. But you need to be prepared for the fact that its buds will be smaller than those of plants growing in more illuminated places. But flowering will last longer.
Flower growers who are keen on dahlia breeding recommend building a drainage layer of expanded clay or broken brick before planting the tubers.
Tubers of plants need to be planted after the winter, after all the frosts have passed and the soil warms up. Before that, it is necessary to dig holes beforehand, having provided a place for compost or manure. Place the tubers should be so that the root of the root rose above the ground for a few centimeters. If she is in the ground, the tuber can rot.
To bloom come faster, you should germinate dahlia seedlings in advance. To do this, the tubers are placed in a layer of sand or sawdust and covered with polyethylene, having previously drilled a hole in it so that the plants breathe and. This "steam room" makes the kidneys wake up earlier than usual. It is necessary to irrigate dahlias with a spray gun.
Stalks of plants should be tied up, as they easily break under gusts of wind. This requires a backup. And if the stem is still broken, do not despair. The situation can be corrected by attaching a strong branch to the escape. It is fixed and propped up by the stalk so that it is stable. And the damaged shoot will continue to bloom.
It must be remembered: the fewer shoots on the bush, the more powerful and faster they can develop. The optimal amount is 2-3. You should not leave more.
But the rest of the usual care-feeding, watering and loosening. If everything is done correctly, dahlias will delight with magnificent flowering.
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This summer I was left without dahlias, although I love these flowers since childhood. No matter how hard she tried, she never managed to preserve the tubers until spring. Advise what you need to do to avoid such losses?
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Only true dahlia lovers agree to dig up tubers every year and store them until spring. And they usually do this in a dark room at low positive temperatures. Ideally - in the basement of a heated house. But not all gardeners have such conditions, so many store dug up tubers in city apartments. Alas, it is too warm and dry here. And because of this microclimate, the tubers dry and disappear. To avoid problems and reduce moisture evaporation, tubers can be coated with a thin layer of paraffin, which will help to keep them in perfect condition until spring.
Conventional paraffin candles may be suitable for this procedure. They need to be crushed and melted in a container in a water bath. Then pour water into a large pot, heat it without bringing to a boil, and pour there liquid paraffin, which remains on the surface without freezing. Twine is tied to the tubers and dipped into a container with paraffin for 2-3 seconds. The main thing is not to dip the root neck in it. When the planting material is removed, the molten paraffin will solidify quickly, forming a protective film on the tubers. It will prevent not only drying, but also the premature germination of tubers. This storage method is suitable for early varieties of dahlias, which often give sprouts at the beginning of winter.
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Dahlias from the handle
One dacha woman told me how she breeds dahlias. In the second half of August, breaks off the side branches with a length of 10-15 cm and puts them in the water. When the roots appear, they sit in pots with soil and keep them on the windowsill in winter. If he sees that the plant is stretching, pinch the top. And in the spring (in April-May) planted in the open ground
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It's about cuttings of dahlias. Cuttings from perennial dahlias can be taken as early as April with corn root germinated since March. It is better to break them with a "heel" of length 10 cm and 2-3 interstices. You can not put them in the water, but plant them directly in the lorry box, and in the south - into the greenhouse in a loose substrate with sand, after having processed the lower part of the cuttings with a growth stimulant (Corne-wine). Rooted in spring cuttings can blossom by autumn. You can root the variety you like with cuttings and in July-August.
It is important to pritenyat cuttings and to ensure that the substrate does not dry up. To keep the humidity of air, it is desirable to cover the cropped plastic bottle. The rooting period is 10-12 days.
And how to properly store the tubers of dahlias, we will tell in one of the nearest numbers.
Lyudmila ULEYSKAYA, Cand. Biol. Sciences, Yalta
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Dahlias: time to land
In early June, I plant dahlias in holes 30 × 40 cm in size at a distance of 50-90 cm from each other. In each hole I add a handful of wood ash and dolomite flour, 2-3 kg of humus, as well as 1 tbsp. complex mineral fertilizer, mix thoroughly with the soil.
Be sure to drive a number of wooden stakes, to which I will tie shoots as far as regrowth. I pour the wells with water and in each plant two tubers to get more lush bushes. I fall asleep on top with a damp ground layer in 6-8 cm so that the sprouts growing by the time of planting are a few centimeters under the ground.
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I plant dahlias in April.
Before planting, I inspect the tubers, cut out rotten and dry parts, stand half an hour in a solution of the fungicide, dry it and treat it with an insecticide. Then divide the tubers so that each one has 1-2 kidneys.
I put the pieces in wet sand or sawdust. During germination I hold on the sunny window sill, and on warm days I take to the street. I plant it when stable heat is established. Wherein:
• I do not plant where the dahlias grew last year;
• Do not abuse fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizers (they will bloom badly).
It is better to prepare the flowerbed in advance, from the fall - dig it up and add organic matter to the soil. If the earth is heavy, you should also bring in some baking powder - for example, river sand. In the spring, when planting, I immediately establish supports so that later the tall plants do not break from the wind. I mulch the weathered, dried, weed. I treat dahlias with fungicides a couple of times during growth. Watering abundantly, but rarely. Otherwise, plants may suffer from gray rot and fusarium wilt.
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To dahlias became powerful and abundantly blossomed, they should pay attention in the spring. In April, a whole bunch of tubers with rhizomes, without tearing, should be placed in boxes, covered with snow or poured with water, sprinkled with sawdust from above and moistened as necessary. By June on the tubers will appear sprouts, they will easily be separated from each other and planted.
The soil for dahlias is suitable fertile, loose, and the flower bed itself should be located in a sunny, sheltered from the wind place without stagnation of water. For earlier flowering, the main shoot after the 4th pair of leaves needs to be pinched, the side shoots after the 2nd pair, and the 1st bud should be removed. Such rationing will allow the plant to distribute nutrition more correctly and by the fall turn into a powerful bush, strewn with luxurious flowers.
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Dahlias - for storage
With the onset of nocturnal frosts, I dump dahlias, and in the beginning of October I dig out, wash, cut off thin and rotten roots, dry them and deposit them in boxes with sand in a dark cool place. I also store the rhizomes of mirabilis. I transplant the begonias tubers into the pots with the ground.