LOCATION AND
DRAINAGE:  The best location
for dahlias is full sun; however they will tolerate some shade. The
soil must be well drained; a neutral soil is preferable to a highly acid
one. Don't plant them close to shrubs or trees.
SOIL AND
fertilizers: Planting: Space your dahlias according to the size of the blooms; giants and mediums should be 2' to 3' apart. Remove about five inches of soil; place the tuber flat and the eye facing upward. At this time it's a good idea for you to put your stake in so you have something to tie the plant to when it starts growing. PINCHING: If you want to have a bushier or a compact plant with more flowers, pinch out the center growth tip when the plant is about one foot or so tall.
DISBUDDING: For bigger blooms, stronger stems, pinch off the side buds at the end of each growing branch. WATERING AND WEEDING:
PEST CONTROL AND SPRAYING:
CUTTING YOUR FLOWERS:
DIGGING AND STORING: After the first frost or about November 1, cut your dahlias down. Dig around the plant about a foot from the stalk and then lift your roots carefully so you don't break any of the necks. Then rinse the roots off and soak in fungicide like CAPTAN. If you split your tubers at the time of digging, wait and soak your tubers after splitting. You can split the tubers in the fall or spring. Use a sharp knife to cut through the tubers. The eyes will be located on the center stalk and each root must have an eye in order for it to grow. Not all tubers have eyes. Let the cut dry before planting or storing. different varieties produce different size and shape tubers.
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The
soil should drain well. About two weeks or so before planting add a
5-10-10 fertilizer and work it in the ground. In mid-July you should
add a light top dressing of muriate of potash and steamed bone meal because
this will help with tuber growth. Using fertilizers with high nitrogen
content will give you more leaves then blooms.
Water every two weeks and if
it's very hot, water more frequently. also, when the buds begin to
form they need more water. Weeding: Since dahlias have man
surface roots, only light cultivation is recommended. after July,
cultivated no deeper than two inches, and no closer than one and a half feet
from the main stalk.
Dahlias are bother by aphids
and to correct this problem spray the plants with Isotox. Slugs love
the young and tender dahlias. To prevent slugs from eating the young
surround the young plants with slug bait or Deadline.
Cut your
flowers in the morning or late at night. To properly condition the
blooms, place the stems in water away from a draft eight to twelve hours.
By misting regularly and by changing the water every other day, your blooms
will last up to a week.