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Dahlias are one of the most beautiful and unpretentious perennials. Previously, it was impossible to imagine a personal plot without these flowers; they grew everywhere and invariably served as a source of pride for the owner. But the fashion is passing, the dahlia has been somewhat forgotten, however, recently it has again taken up residence in our gardens. Perhaps this is due to the fact that a variety of bulbous, tuberous, and root-tuberous flowers flowed to us from Holland like a river. Among them there are dahlias of such beauty that it is simply impossible to take your eyes off, with different sizes and shapes of the flower, and their colors are so diverse that it is difficult to say which color is missing from their palette. In addition, there is now a real boom in container garden flowers, and it is unlikely to decline soon. And Dutch breeders have once again pleased us with excellent new low-growing varieties.
Spring has arrived, and we are increasingly thinking about what to plant in our flower beds. Many have already taken dahlias out of the basements and placed them for germination.We talked in detail about how to do this in one of the articles and we hope that you did not encounter any problems. Planting dahlias with tubers in the spring is also not particularly difficult.
A little about dahlias
Did you know that the dahlia came to Europe as an edible plant, not an ornamental plant? Only the capricious Europeans did not appreciate its taste, but they quite liked the flowers and began to grow them in their front gardens. Then breeders took up the dahlia. As a result, we have more than 15,000 varieties, the number of which increases every year.
The root system of dahlias consists of root cones or root tubers, which are a thickened modified root, and not a stem, which is a tuber. A flower is not a flower at all, but a complex inflorescence - a basket consisting of many marginal reed flowers and internal tubular ones. The dahlia trunk is hollow, but very strong. With the current varietal diversity, the growth of this flower can vary from 20 to 150 cm or more, and the diameter of the inflorescence can range from 3 to 25 cm.
Dahlias are flowers with an annual development cycle and a pronounced dormant period. Starting in spring, they grow and bloom; after the first frost, their vegetative mass dies off, and the tubers retire. A few months later, they awaken after winter, in the spring the root collar produces the first shoots and everything starts all over again. It should be noted that dahlias are very thermophilic and do not overwinter outside.
Preparing dahlias for planting
In one of the previous articles on our website, we described in detail the germination of dahlias in the spring, but let's repeat the main stages of this process.
We take out root tubers from storage
We will assume that our tubers were stored correctly and the wintering was successful.The timing for removing dahlias from storage in the spring is different for each region. This should be done approximately 2-3 weeks before planting in the ground. Usually for central Russia this is mid-April. If you are going to propagate flowers from cuttings, do it at least a month in advance. You cannot take the tubers out of the basement in the spring and immediately bring them into a warm room; due to a sharp temperature change, you can simply lose the plant.
Only after this can the dahlias be brought home.
Preparation and disinfection before germination
Any preparation of dahlias for planting begins with disinfection of the tubers. If after digging you didn’t wash them of soil, it’s time to do it in the spring. Carefully inspect the washed tubers for possible rot, mold and infections. Remove all affected parts with a sharp, sterile knife and soak the tubers in a previously prepared weak pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. Then sprinkle all the sections with crushed activated carbon and leave to dry for a day.
Sprouting dahlias
Germination of dahlia tubers in spring can occur in any loose substrate:
- sawdust;
- loose soil;
- sand;
- tyrse;
- peat
Place some damp substrate on the bottom of the boxes and carefully place nests of tubers on top. The most important thing is that the root collar should be directed upward; it is on it that the growth buds are located. Lightly sprinkle the tubers with soil and place in a bright place with a temperature of about 20 degrees. When the first shoots appear, reduce the temperature to 15-16 degrees.
If you have few nodules, you can germinate them in pots without deepening the root collar too deeply.
Tuber division
It is not necessary to divide dahlia tubers every spring. But if you neglect this procedure for 3-4 years and plant only large overgrown nests in the ground, the flowers will gradually degenerate. The absence of spring division of dahlias is fraught not only with the fact that you will miss a rotten tuber, which after planting will provoke rotting of the entire root system, but also with the appearance of small, few flowers.
When the first sprouts appeared or the growth buds simply swelled well, it was time to divide the tubers. This must be done on time, not allowing the shoots to become large - there is a danger that during division we will simply break them off, because in the spring, at the initial stages of growth, they are very fragile.
We invite you to watch a video in which an experienced gardener talks about dividing dahlia tubers:
Once you have separated the tubers and dried the sections, return them to the boxes for germination.
Cuttings of dahlias
Planting dahlias in the spring is not only done with tubers. This plant is easy to propagate from cuttings. When young shoots reach a height of 6-10 cm, they are carefully broken out with a “heel” or cut out with a sharp sterile knife with a piece of the root collar and planted in separate pots or peat tablets.
This is exactly how rejuvenation of planting material occurs.
Caring for dahlias during germination
In the spring, during germination, you should not get carried away with watering - the tubers have a sufficient supply of moisture and nutrients for the first time. Here it is better to dry the soil a little rather than over-moisten it. It is better to carefully spray the seedlings with a spray bottle.
After you divided dahlia tubers, you will have to make sure that too many shoots do not appear on each division. It’s a pity, leave 2-3 of the strongest ones, and break out the rest.
Planting dahlias in open ground
We told you how to prepare dahlias for planting. Believe me, this is not a difficult task at all, you just need to get used to it a little and find a suitable place for germination, because if there are a lot of tubers, then you need a lot of space for them, and even well-lit. Now it’s time to describe how to plant dahlias in the spring.
Choosing a landing site
Dahlias need a lot of sun, a place protected from strong winds and loose, moderately fertile soil. These flowers are surprisingly unpretentious to soil; you cannot plant dahlias only in a wetland - there their tubers will simply rot.
Preparing the landing site
It is best to prepare a place for planting flowers in the fall by digging the bed with a spade. Although dahlias can be grown in any soil, it is better not to create extreme conditions. Add lime or dolomite flour to too acidic soil, and acidic (high-moor) peat to alkaline soil. If your soil is poor, add mature compost or well-rotted humus.
In the spring, the soil is dug up again.
Planting dahlias in the ground
The time to plant dahlias in open ground in the spring is different in each region. It must be remembered that these flowers are very heat-loving and even a short-term decrease in temperature will cause their death.
Spring in the flower beds plant dahlias, not only when the threat of return frosts has passed, but also when the earth has warmed up well. You need to dig a hole about the size of a spade, add a matchbox of superphosphate, mix well with the soil. If the soil is poor in nutrients, we additionally add well-rotted humus or a complete complex fertilizer, for example, amophoska. Add peat or sand to excessively dense soil.
In dense soils, we will arrange drainage - pour a shovel of fine gravel or brick chips into the bottom of the planting hole.
Attention! If your soil is light and loose on its own, do not add additional drainage, otherwise the dahlias will have to be watered every day!
Place the tubers in the planting hole, cover with soil so that the root collar is buried about 2-3 centimeters.
In the spring, before planting tall varieties, be sure to install a support for them; you risk damaging the tubers if you do this later. Once the plant is planted, water it generously.
Planting dahlias in containers
Nowadays, planting low-growing varieties of dahlias in containers is very popular. City dwellers who grow flowers on balconies and loggias can also grow them. It is important to remember one thing - flower pots are only suitable for dahlias grown from seeds.You can also plant a cutting of a low-growing variety in a pot in the spring, but its volume should not be less than 5 liters.
Dahlia tubers are planted either in large ceramic flowerpots or in containers with a volume of at least 15 liters, but this is the minimum, and for the shortest flowers with a small nodule! Typically containers for planting dahlias have a volume of 30-40 liters. Otherwise, the plant will suffer from a lack of soil all season and will produce a weak nodule, which will most likely die in the winter.
Care after disembarkation
The first time after planting dahlias, they require increased watering and protection from bright sun. You can simply cover the plants with newspapers for the first 2-3 days. These flowers do not like loosening, since we do not know where the growth of new tubers will be directed and we risk damaging them. It’s better to mulch the planting right away - like this weeds will not grow, and you will have to water less often.
We invite you to watch a short video about planting dahlias:
Conclusion
Perhaps germination and planting of dahlias may seem troublesome to some. But this plant is unpretentious and does not require much care during flowering. In addition, long and abundant flowering, which can be enjoyed until frost, will more than pay for all the worries.
