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         Basic Dahlia Growing Guide & Tips              

Full wriiten details will be supplied with the plants for growing in the garden.
Here are some simple instructions that may help the new dahlia enthusiast to get started.

We have grown numerous varieties of dahlias over many years of showing. These are the dahlias that we are now offering at affordable competitive prices. Our collection includes varieties that are regular national show bench winners, old favourites as well as some exciting new varieties.

Basic Dahlia Growing Tips

What to do with the young plants when received:
Plant the cutting in compost in a 75mm pot. It may take a couple of days for the plant to recover from transit. Water the plant and keep it in a frost free greenhouse or windowsill.

Give the cutting a weekly feed and when roots are projecting from the bottom of the pot transplant the cutting into a 125mm pot and leave until ready to plant in the garden when all risk of frost has gone.

When and where to plant:
The potted dahlia plants should be planted outside from mid May to June but depending upon where you live they may need some protection if frost is forecast and new shoots are showing. We had a frost on 29 th May 2008 in Dunley! The ground should ideally be well drained, manured (or use compost wherever possible). Plant in a sunny area for best growth and blooms. Planting in shaded areas will produce less blooms and tall leggy plants.
Planting the potted plant: Dig a hole large enough to place the plant with the neck just below the surface. Put a small handful of bonemeal into the hole and work into the base of the hole. Plant the plants 450mm to 600mm apart. Water the plant at the roots and protect from slugs and snails. Put a 1.2m sturdy cane or stick to each plant to allow the plant to be tied up at a later part of growing. We suffer from the strongest of winds in Suffolk so we use three canes to give the dahlia maximum protection.

Stopping the plants:

The plants will grow differently depending upon the type but generally when the plant has been growing for a couple of weeks the growing tip can be taken off. This will cause strong shoots to develop at the base of the leaves to give the plant a strong frame and increase the number of blooms per plant.

Watering and Feeding:
Dahlias love water and we had more than our fair share of rain whilst in Dunley over the last few years. It is not advisable to water the plants when planted for two or three weeks but the plants will need plenty of water to get the best blooms for showing. Use a low nitrogen fertiliser and feed the plants no more than once per month.

Disbudding:

To increase the size of the bloom on a good long and strong stem for a show then all the growth has to be directed to the flower. This is simply done by taking out the two flower buds below the main single bud on top of the stem. Regular disbudding of dahlia stems will greatly enhance the size of the flowers on the plant but will obviously decrease the amount of blooms per plant.

Pests and Diseases:
Generally we don’t have too much problem with pests and diseases but this year we had a few problems with Earwigs in one of the polytunnels and the best way we found to protect against them eating the petals was to put Vaseline on each stem below the blooms. A flowerpot on top of a cane with cotton wool inside is always a good way of catching the the little devils. Caterpillars will eat the petals also and we have been plagued with them this year. Either remove them by hand as soon as they appear and haven’t buried themselves into the base of the petal, as do the earwigs, or spray them with Vitax PY

Insecticide. Aphids, spider mites, slugs and snails are kept at bay easily with various methods but they will attack young shoots and eat leaves if not protected. Spider mites may attack the foliage in hot dry weather and a recommended spray is Provado Ultimate Bugkiller. Mildew can be a problem if the plants are too close together in wet areas and the lack of airflow turns the foliage white. If you don’t want to spray for this then the best cure would be to remove as much growth as possible from the plant to allow free airflow around it and keep the foliage tied up to the cane a bit tighter.

Lifting Tubers and Overwintering:

Tubers being prepared for the winter

Once the first frost has taken the flowers, lift the tubers with a spade, careful not to damage the tubers though by digging, best to dig as far away as possible from the stem ie about 300mm (1 foot). Gently ease the tubers out of the ground and shake as much soil off as possible. Turn the tubers upside down to drain any water from the stem and leave for a week or two to dry them out. Treat any damaged tubers with some Yellow Sulphur Dust and store in a dry, frost free place, in some peat that covers the tuber but leaves the stem clear above. There are several methods of storage but keeping the tubers in peat usually works well. Alternatively the tubers can be left in the ground but this can be a gamble against the frost reaching deep into the ground and taking the tuber unless plenty of mulch has been placed over the top of them for protection.

Dahlia Classifications & Flower Sizes.
Dahlias have classifications for groups and sizes. The five main classifications we are supplying are:

Ball
Cactus
Decorative
Pompon
Waterlily

The flower sizes are:
Giant flowered over 254mm (10") in diameter
Large flowered between 203mm and 254mm (8"-10") in diameter
Medium flowered between 152mm and 203mm (6" - 8") in diameter
Small flowered between 102mm and 152mm (4" - 6") in diameter
Miniature flowered not exceeding 102mm (4") diameter
Miniature ball between 52mm and 102mm (2" - 4") in diameter
Pompon dahlias  not exceeding 52mm (2") in diameter