How to Prune Dahlias

There are over 35 species of dahlias. They range in size from dwarf to dinner plate. Some bloom types include single, orchid, cactus, peony and pompon. They are highly valued as cut flowers and last indoors in a vase for a week. They come in a wide variety of colors and are easy to grow. They benefit from pruning in the spring to encourage more flowers and stronger plants.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garden clippers Dahlia tubers

1. Plant the dahlia tubers. Let them grow until they get two to three sets of leaves.

2. Locate the center stalk and go to the top part of the plant with the first bud. Pinch it off with your fingers or cut it with clippers. This will allow the lateral, or side buds, to grow and the dahlia to grow fuller. The dahlia will grow more flowers from the lateral buds.

3. If you want larger flowers, prune off some of the lateral buds by pinching them or clipping them off. Try to keep the plant symmetrical and balanced.

4. Take off the bottom leaves to avoid spider mites. Pinch off the small stubs located under the bottom leaves, which will become branches. These branches won't bloom well.

5. After the dahlia flowers, prune the spent blossoms. This is called deadheading and will encourage the plant to produce more flowers.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want your dahlia to flower all season, deadhead the plant continuously. Dahlias need to be taken out of the ground and stored for the winter in cold climates but they can be left in the ground to winter in Zones 8 to 10.
• Don't grow dahlias from seed if you want the same plant next year. It must be grown from the tuber of the desired plant to come out the same.

References

• Dahlia support - how many stems ? Pinching?
• Is there a way to prune dahlias so they don't need staking?