Dahlia Challenge 2022! Are You Ready?

Your tubers can go directly into the ground in mid to late May when the ground has warmed. Tubers can also be planted in a container at least 3 gal in size.

Dahlias require a site with good drainage and full sun. A little afternoon shade is ok.

How to plant:

Dahlias need to be staked and you may want to plant a sturdy stake before you plant the dahlia. If you put the stake into the ground after the plant is growing, take care to avoid damaging the tuber or the root system. Tomato cages can also be a simple approach to staking.

Put the tuber in a hole several inches deep with the “eye” on the tuber facing up. The eye is the point on the shoulder, or crown, of the tuber from which the plant grows

Young dahlia plants do not need a lot of water; in fact, excessive water can lead to rotting of the plant. For larger plants, a good rule of thumb is to water if the rainfall is less than one inch in seven days. Pots require more regular watering.

The plants will benefit from regular treatments with a water soluble or granular fertilizer (like 10-10-10). Traditional wisdom for dahlias is to treat with a high or balanced nitrogen fertilizer through the middle of the season (until mid-July) but minimize nitrogen at the end of the season and switch to a high phosphorus and potassium fertilizer (like 5-30-30).

Disbudding and Pinching- When plants reach about 2’, pinch them back hard- 6-12”! Later on in the summer, remove the outer two buds from the three that develop at the end of each branch. While that reduces the total number of flowers, many flowers remain and those show up well on the plant. If all three buds are left on the stem, the blooms will tend to be covered up and can be lost in the plant. You can also remove some of the shoots that form along the branch to have stems that can be used in tall vases.

Let’s have a show of our flowers in September! Good Luck!

Adapted from the American Dahlia Society website.