How to Grow Beautiful and Full Dahlias Which Bloom Throughout the Growing Season

Dark Arabian Night Dahlia

One of the first plants that comes to mind when thinking of a flower that comes in a large variety of shapes, colors and sizes, has many uses, and is low on maintenance, is the dahlia.
This extraordinary flower can be used in a variety of circumstances, as it looks great in a garden, as a hedge, in containers, in numerous cut flower arrangements, and also looks great floating in water.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Stakes
• Dahlia plants

Instructions

1. Plant your dahlias after any chance of a frost. Wait until the ground temperature reaches at least 58 to 60 degrees F.

   Dahlias must have a minimum of eight hours of direct sunlight to do really well. The exception to this would be extremely hot climates where you would want afternoon shade for them and a morning sunshine spot.

   Because tubers can rot, if you've had a lot of rain, make sure there is a period of drying before putting them in the ground.

2. Put a stake in near the tuber before it starts to grow since the majority of dahlias grow to significant heights. Once it starts growing, you could damage it.

3. Apply a lot of potassium and phosphorous after it starts blooming for the best results. Don't add nitrogen, as it would hurt the plant by weakening the stem and hinders the blooming, many times to the point of not blooming at all.

   Also, later in the season if you dig them up to store, adding nitrogen will cause shriveling and rotting which you won't discover until too late.

4. Depending on the region where you live, some gardeners leave dahlias in the ground, putting about 1/2 foot of mulch or more on them for the winter. This of course couldn't be done in harsher climates, where ground temperatures remain frozen for much of the winter.

5. Water the plants deeply a couple times a week, or even more in some climates, after they begin to bloom. This isn't so much to save the plant, but to ensure a great blooming for them.

6. Pinch off the new growth if you want your dahlia plant to widen out with that bushy look, once the plant reaches about a foot high. This also increases flowering.

7. Take off all the buds at the end of the branches during the growing season if you want huge flowers to appear on the plant. Think of the similar way you might do this with a tomato plant if you want massive tomatoes.

8. Guarantee an ongoing flower blooming during the season by pinching off existing buds as soon as they start to spend.