Dahlias planting and care in open ground: when to plant dahlias photo in the garden. Tag: How and when to plant dahlias in spring When to plant dahlias in the Middle Urals

Dahlias are amazingly beautiful flowers, which in all their diversity can be found in parks and home flower beds, in small front gardens and on huge plantations of flower farms, from northern to southern regions. We are so used to them that we can’t even believe that dahlias were brought to our mainland from Central America, like potatoes, tobacco, sunflowers and other crops.

By the way, as in the story with potatoes, initially they confused the tops with the roots - but then they figured it out. If at first only the flowers of potatoes were plucked to be worn behind a corset, and the tubers were thrown away, then dahlias were first tried to eat the tubers (as the Indians did), but they didn’t like something about their taste, so they began to grow them exclusively as decorative flower. In Russia, dahlias began to be cultivated a little over 200 years ago. There are currently more than 15,000 varieties and hybrids of this beautiful flower in the world.

It is better to buy rhizomes, rather than seeds, in stores and markets to plant dahlias in your garden. Alternatively, you can order the desired planting material from catalogs in online stores - but there you will already have to deal with the product that will be delivered, without the opportunity to first look and feel.

And be sure to feel the tubers. This is the only way to feel how elastic they are or, on the contrary, how dry they are. This applies to cases where rhizomes are purchased in plastic packaging. Such bags, along with the tubers, contain a small amount of substrate, so it may be difficult to identify shoots or buds; they may be covered. But even a simple feeling can give an idea of ​​how viable a dahlia tuber is.

Experienced flower growers advise buying tubers not in bags, but in plastic or paper containers that have already sprouted. It is better if by the time of planting in the ground the shoots are about 10-15 cm. But overgrowth is not a tragedy, you just need to immediately dig in a support for tying nearby during planting and immediately tie the flower.

Preparing root tubers for planting

Dahlias are perennial plants, but not all species are left in the soil for the winter. And for some varieties it is not even advisable to preserve the tubers: this applies to semi-double and non-double varieties (short and medium-sized), which are easily propagated by seeds. Therefore, such dahlias are also called annuals. By autumn, these flowers grow small nodules on their root system; they are suitable as planting material, but gardeners prefer to sow seeds to grow such varieties and then plant seedlings grown from them. If you purchased tubers or will plant your own dug ones in the fall, you need to prepare them first.

If you bought sprouted rhizomes in plastic or paper cups, you just need to plant them in a flower bed. If the tubers are in a package with filler, you need to take them out and process them. Open the package carefully so as not to damage the dahlia tissue, then carefully remove the tuber and shake off the filler.

A pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) is made in water at room temperature and the tubers are placed in this water for 15-20 minutes. We take them out and dry them, spreading them out on cloth or newsprint. In a box or container, we mix garden soil and humus on an equal basis, and place the tubers in these containers, avoiding burying the shoots and buds - a layer of soil substrate of 1.5 cm is quite sufficient. Now all that remains is to water the dahlia tubers and put them in the light. The sprouts will hatch literally the next day, and by the time they are planted in the garden, a good seedling with a margin of safety will have grown.

Dahlia tubers, which, after being dug up, overwintered at home from autumn to March, must be awakened to life before planting in open ground, and this must be done gradually. Planting material is stored in cellars and basements, in the cold. You cannot immediately bring the rhizomes into the heat; stepwise temperature adaptation is necessary: ​​first, from the cold storage, you need to bring the dahlias to an unheated veranda or to another place where it will be a little warmer, but not overtly warm. If the temperature difference is significant, the tubers may die or significantly lose their germination capacity, since such conditions are stressful for them.

After the tubers have been lightly shaken off the soil or filling in which they were stored, you need to carefully inspect each one for shriveled and rotten parts. These places are carefully cut out with a sharp knife or scalpel, and the cut areas are sprinkled with charcoal or activated carbon tablets crushed into powder. There is no need to remove last year's stem.

Before planting, the treated tubers are washed from coal and dried, sprinkled with a third of nutritious soil substrate and, after watering, placed in a warm place. You need to water the tubers as the substrate dries. Sorting of grown rhizomes is carried out after 2-3 weeks, depending on germination, and the strongest shoots are transplanted into boxes to grow.

When can you plant in open ground?

The time of planting in open ground should take into account regional climatic characteristics - this is required by the biological characteristics of dahlias:

• relatively short growing season;
• increased plant needs for moisture, increasing as the average daily air temperature increases;
• fragility of hollow flower stems.

The latter is especially important for those areas where strong seasonal winds blow.

Dahlia tubers are planted in open ground in the first half of May, and when the weather gets cold, insulating covers are placed over the plants - ordinary plastic bags, cut-off plastic bottles, and old buckets are suitable for this.

In the Urals

The warm but short Ural summer is best suited for early-blooming dahlias, which bloom in the first half of July. They are planted in the second half of May, but not before a constant warm temperature has established. If frost cannot be avoided, a continuous film covering must be used.

Good rooting of dahlias is only possible in well-warmed soil. Optimal conditions for planting dahlias in Siberia occur in May, when the soil temperature reaches 10°C and the air temperature reaches 20-22°C. It must be taken into account that the process of warming up the soil in this region occurs slowly, and also that +2°C is a temperature that is detrimental to this heat-loving flower.

Leningrad region

In the Leningrad region, as well as in the entire north-west of Russia, return frosts are deadly for dahlias. Therefore, here the tubers are planted at the end of May, when the return frosts have already passed (if the forecasts are unfavorable, the dates may be postponed to the first ten days of June).

Ukrainian flower growers begin planting sprouted dahlia tubers in beds and flower beds quite early, compared to central Russia: sometimes both the soil and the air are already warm enough by the end of April to begin planting rhizomes. But more often this happens in the first ten days of May, on the May holidays.

According to the lunar calendar 2019

For those who focus on the phases of the moon when planting plants: in March it is better to plant dahlias on the 1st, 28-30th, in April - 11-13, 25-28, and also on May 22-26. Unfavorable lunar days for planting dahlias are March 13-15, 17, 22, 27, April 1, 9-10, 16, 22, May 6, 8, 15, 20-21.

When and how to plant dahlias in open ground: video

How to plant dahlias in spring

Proper planting of dahlias takes into account the choice of a good location, the frequency of planting, and soil cultivation. You need to be able to shape the bush so that it reveals all the beauty of its flowering, and timely treat the soil and plant from pests and diseases. And it is advisable to immediately draw a planting plan so that the sprouted flowers delight the eye with a solid harmonious composition, and do not create the impression of plants growing accidentally in the garden.

Dahlias are planted in places protected from the wind, for which I build fences or use natural protection:

• fruit trees;
• protective vegetation strips of trees and shrubs;
• buildings.

The site must be flat or on a gentle slope. Lowlands, valleys and depressions are not suitable for dahlias, since cold air “drains” there and the flowers may suffer from late frosts. If we are talking about slopes, then in cooler regions they choose the southern and southeastern sides of the hills, and in the south the northern and northwestern ones.

When dahlias are part of a floral and park landscape, a place is chosen where they receive at least half a day of sunlight. Tubers should not be planted under trees with spreading crowns or in close proximity to any trees, since their root system will not be able to fight the tree.

Groundwater should not be higher than 60 cm, otherwise drainage systems from the site are required.

It is necessary to dig up the area in the fall, but do not level the dug up soil and do not break large clods of earth with a rake. This is the soil structure:

• retains snow in spring;
• promotes complete rotting of small plant areas, which enriches the soil with organic fertilizers.

When digging in the fall, add compost and humus.

In the spring, the dug up area is leveled with a rake, and if necessary, the depleted soil is improved: fertilizers are applied directly into the furrows and holes.

You need to pay attention to the acid-base balance of the soil: dahlia does not like acidic soils. Acidity is removed by adding lime. The soil for this flower crop should be loose, lush, and “breathable.”

Holes are cut on the fluffy soil so that their diameter exceeds the diameter of the rhizome by 5 cm - the dahlia should not be crowded. The same applies to frequency: there should be at least 50 cm between the holes if these are tall varieties, and for others 25-30 cm will be enough. The depth of the holes is 30 cm. A lump of leaf compost with a handful of wood ash is dropped into each hole.

When planting, the neck can be buried no more than 5 cm into the soil, otherwise the dahlia will grow poorly or the whole thing will go into the bush.

Medium- and tall-growing flowers must be provided with support immediately when planting the tubers: if the peg is dug in during planting, the dahlia root system will not be damaged. The flower bush is tied up as it grows; the height of the peg itself should be 40 cm less than the height of the bush.

Planting dahlias in the ground: video

In order for dahlias to grow properly, you need to form bushes. In low-growing varieties, pinching is carried out at the stage of 3-4 leaves, and on seedlings of tall and medium-growing varieties, this process begins immediately after planting.

There should be no more than three shoots left on the seedling. As it grows, shoots are pinched and the central inflorescence is plucked out.

Abundantly watered soil is mulched to better retain moisture and slower overgrowth by weeds. On mulched soil, both weeding and watering are carried out as needed. Fertilizing is carried out using special fertilizers according to the scheme and instructions.

When August comes, the dahlia bushes need to be hilled up. And during autumn flowering, the lower leaves are torn off and faded inflorescences are removed.

Treatment with fungicides will prevent diseases such as gray rot and powdery mildew, but viral mosaic and bacterial cancer can only be destroyed along with the affected plant - dug up and burned. Dahlias are also affected by pests - aphids, flower beetles, and pennies. Insecticides are used against them.

Experienced gardeners advise dividing (cutting) the dahlia rhizome after the first shoots appear. To do this, the tubers are dug up, washed in water and cut with a sharp instrument so that there are several sprouts on the tuber with a neck (but only one is acceptable). The cuttings are kept in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes and then planted.

1. Cutting causes a wound reaction and a subsequent sharp increase in protective functions and rejuvenation of the tuber.
2. When dividing the rhizome, you can completely see the damaged and non-viable areas, rotten and dried out.
3. This allows the variety to be propagated.

Growing perennial dahlias - from planting: video

Caring for dahlias is not difficult, and much depends on how to properly plant this flower in the ground in the spring. The differences in technologies are minimal, the subtleties depend on the region where the flowers are planted and the species characteristics (tallness). If the tubers are provided with all the necessary conditions, a healthy and beautiful flower will grow, which will please the eye and give a lot of positive emotions.

Content

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, 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.

Attention! First, place the boxes in a cool dressing room, cover them thoroughly with cellophane to retain moisture and leave for 2-3 days.

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.

Important! Dahlias should not be crowded in germination containers.

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.

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.

Attention! Cutting dahlias in the spring allows you to grow many plants from one nest at once, which is especially important if the flowers are grown for cutting.

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 do this, 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.

Warning! If you leave a lot of shoots in the spring, the plant will be weak, the flowers will be small and few in number, and you won’t get good tubers by winter.

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.

In the spring, go to flower beds, 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.

Advice! There is a rule: the hole should be three times larger than the nest of tubers, and add about 7 cm to its depth for adding humus and deepening the root collar.

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.

Important! Container dahlias require increased watering, mandatory holes in the bottom and a good layer of drainage so that water does not stagnate around the tubers and cause the death of the flower.

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 is better to immediately mulch the planting - this way 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.

In order for your flower garden to be decorated with magnificent dahlias, planting and growing must follow all the rules. Lush bushes are suitable for the center of a flowerbed composition or as a decorative screen between zones of a summer cottage. Dwarf varieties can be used for borders and are grown in pots for interior decoration. Breeders have developed varieties with all sorts of petal shapes and flower structures; it is difficult to list all the shades of dahlias: from snow-white to almost black.

There is one point where the plant shows character: its inflorescences do not want to take on a blue color. Both experienced breeders and amateur gardeners are struggling with this problem, but there is no solution yet. Try to experiment: cross-pollinate, graft, use different varieties of seeds, perhaps you will be able to create an unprecedented color.

Obtaining seed

How to choose the right course in a sea of ​​dahlia sizes, shapes and colors? First of all, think: do you want to dig up tubers every fall, store them in the right conditions, and plant them in the spring? Keep in mind that the main work will have to be done at the most difficult time: it’s time to harvest potatoes, cabbage, beets, prepare the beds for the new season - and flower tubers also cannot remain in the ground, the first frosts can destroy them. The warm time has come, when, according to the proverb, one day will feed the whole year - and the roots are already asking to be buried in the ground. Don’t be afraid of difficulties - a perennial variety is at your service. If additional worries are not to your liking, annuals from seeds will help out.

If you want your area to be decorated with annuals, grow flowers from seeds. You can sow grains directly into the ground in the spring, but then the flowerbed will be painted with a flowering carpet by the end of summer, and in Siberia and the northern regions the plants may not have time to bloom. This method is suitable if the lawn contains plants that bloom from May to July. How to plant dahlias so that the colorful composition pleases the eye all summer? Grow flowers through seedlings.

In April, take containers with disinfected sand, pour a bag of seeds onto the surface and cover with a layer of sand. Water well, cover with film or a lid and place in a warm place with a temperature of 25⁰ to 27⁰. In about 2 weeks, shoots will appear. When the third true leaf comes out, pick the seedlings into separate cups and grow them until planting them in the flowerbed.

Tubers of perennial species need to be divided into parts every spring. The rhizomes grow greatly over the season, and many roots can be separated from one bush for planting. When tubers germinate, many lateral shoots appear, which gardeners cut off. They can be rooted and planted in open ground. Therefore, propagation of perennial dahlias can be carried out using three methods:

1. From seeds in the same way as annuals.
2. By dividing the rhizome.
3. Cuttings.

Before looking for the answer to the question of how to plant dahlias, choose the right place for planting. These flowers do not tolerate stagnant, damp air; they need to be planted in a ventilated area. Just don’t arrange a flowerbed in a narrow gap between buildings: these flowers will not grow in a draft or in places where the sun rarely reaches. Excellent conditions for them will be on an open, bright lawn or on the south side of the house, where dense bushes hold back strong gusts of wind. It is advisable to change the planting site every season, and only after 3 years will it be possible to return to the previous site.

The soil should have a neutral reaction, a slight deviation in the acidic direction is allowed. Check the pH, if the value is below 5, add lime to the soil, if more than 7, add peat. When digging in autumn, place half a bucket of compost or humus per 1 m2. In the spring you can also add compost and some ash. Do not overdo it with alkaline fertilizers; they can be sprinkled safely only on very acidic soils.

Tubers for planting should begin to be prepared in early spring, in April. Inspect the rhizomes, separate diseased, dry and damaged parts, and treat with a disinfectant. Fill the containers with nutritious soil, plant the tubers so that the tops rise slightly above the ground. Place the boxes in a bright, warm place, moisten the soil and watch when the plants bud. Then cut the rhizome so that each part has a nascent shoot.

Bury the planting material again in boxes with soil, and before planting in open ground, leave the central sprouted bud and cut off all the side shoots. If you need many dahlias, stick the cut sprouts into the sand, remove them in the dark and keep the soil moist. Once the shoots take root, they are planted in a permanent place.

Tubers and seedlings from seeds in the middle zone are planted in open ground in early May. In the Urals, Siberia and northern regions, you need to navigate the weather: the soil should warm up well and the threat of frost should pass. Before planting, prepare holes for planting tubers. They should be 40 cm in both diameter and depth. Cover the bottom with compost or rotted manure, and lightly sprinkle earth on top. Bury the rhizome so that the lower part of the sprouts is buried a few centimeters in the ground. For tall bushes, immediately install stakes for garter. Water the plantings with cold water and add a layer of mulch of at least 5 cm.

Flower care

In hot, dry weather, dahlias should not be made to suffer from thirst. You can water infrequently, 2 times a week is enough, but the amount of water should be sufficient to saturate the soil to the planting depth. If the soil is not covered with mulch, hilling will help reduce moisture evaporation. Before watering, rake the mound around the stem and level it with the soil surface. Moisten the soil, and then hill up the flowers again.

For lush flowering, dahlias need good nutrition; feed them twice a month before the buds appear. First apply complex fertilizer, after 2 weeks water with slurry. When flower buds appear, dilute 30 g of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in a bucket of water and distribute this amount over 8 plants.

If you want to have a bright flowerbed covered with many inflorescences, dahlias do not need to be pruned. The flowers will be smaller, but in the general mass no one will notice this defect. For bouquets, it is important that each flower is large and even. Select no more than 2 of the largest and highest quality buds on each shoot, remove the rest. Do not let the plants produce lower shoots, which take away the strength of the main stem; cut off the emerging shoots. Flowers that have begun to fade continue to use nutrients that could be used to form new buds. If you notice that the petals are starting to dry out, immediately cut off the inflorescence. Annuals from seeds do not need to be pruned.

Problems when growing dahlias

If you don't tie up dahlias in time in the spring, wind or heavy rain can break the fragile stems. Do not rush to throw away the fallen appendage; provide it with the same assistance as for a broken bone in animals or humans. Take a strong splinter and bandage it to the stem so that it takes the correct position. Tie the plant well to the stake so that the damaged shoot does not sway or bend. With proper and timely garter, the shoot will recover and will soon begin to develop in the same way as undamaged plants.

Succulent stems and leaves attract many pests. Who can attack the flowers?

• slugs,
• earwigs,
• caterpillars,
• thrips,
• ticks,

Advice. If there are not a lot of pests, try to deal with them without chemicals. In the evening, you can spray the bushes with decoctions of bitter herbs: celandine, wormwood. A solution of laundry soap helps against aphids.

Wintering tubers

The tubers do not tolerate cold and will die during wintering in open ground. If there is a threat of frost, they need to be dug out of the soil and stored. The first frost is not scary for the rhizomes, but after it the “Indian summer” usually sets in. Plants can mistake temporary warming for the onset of a warm season and begin to produce sprouts. After this, next year you may not be able to wait for a full-fledged flowering bush.

Do not rush to cut off the above-ground part: the cuts are very sensitive, they can rot from dew and rain. Choose a warm, sunny day so the rhizomes can dry out in the fresh air. The juicy stem breaks easily, and if you immediately put the tubers in bags for transportation, half of them will be damaged. In the morning, cut off the entire above-ground part, leaving a part of the stem no more than 10 cm high.

At a distance of 30 cm from the root collar, use a shovel to cut through the top layer of soil around the plant. Cut deep into the soil to cut off long root shoots. Carefully pick up the tubers with a fork and uproot them. Remove large lumps of earth with your hands, and then rinse the rhizomes with a hose. Within a day, the tubers will dry out, become less fragile, and they can be transferred to wintering. In storage, carefully examine each rhizome, remove diseased, rotten and damaged parts, and treat the cuts and root collar with crushed charcoal.

Tubers overwinter well in a ventilated place with a temperature of +5⁰ and a humidity of about 70%. To absorb excess moisture, you can bury them in dry peat or sawdust. Inspect the rhizomes periodically, and if they begin to dry out, lightly moisten the peat. It is not always possible to find storage with good ventilation, and without ventilation, dahlias will rot. To save planting material from stagnation of moist air, blow it with a fan for half an hour every other day.

Advice. If there is no suitable storage, dip the rhizomes in melted paraffin and put them in a bag, sprinkled with dry sand. The film will prevent the tubers from drying out or rotting. Before planting, lightly squeeze or rub the tuber to crack the coating.

Conclusion

In order for your site to be decorated with lush dahlias, cultivation and care must be carried out according to all the rules. Annual species grown from seed require less attention than perennials. They are not tall, these flowers do not need support. In the fall, you just need to dig up and destroy the faded plants, and plant new seedlings next spring. These types are well suited for framing flower beds, borders, and small flower beds. Your task is to water and feed the plants in time, and a bright carpet will be provided.

Perennial varieties can also be grown from seeds or cuttings, but the easiest way to propagate flowers is by dividing the rhizomes. Such species are more diverse and beautiful than varieties growing from seeds for one season, but they also require more attention. In winter, you need to ensure that the tubers are properly stored and periodically inspect and remove rotten areas. Choose according to your time and capabilities which varieties you will grow, and whether you can provide the necessary care for dahlias. In any case, both dwarf flowering plants and tall bushes will decorate the summer cottage.

Dahlias are a luxurious decoration for any flower bed. Bright, large flowers attract with a variety of shapes and colors, despite the fact that planting dahlias and caring for them in the open ground is not very difficult.

Bright and elegant dahlias are a wonderful and demanding decoration for the garden. Choosing a suitable place.

When choosing a place where dahlias will settle in the future, you need to take into account the purpose of their cultivation - decorative or propagation for sale. If you plan to sell dahlia tubers, then the planting scheme will differ from that when growing these flowers to decorate the site.

The recommendations below for planting dahlias and caring for them in open ground are relevant for central Russia and the CIS countries (Primorsky, Altai Territories, the southern part of the Khabarovsk Territory and Western Siberia, the Southern and Middle Urals, the Baltic states, Belarus, the northwestern part of Ukraine) . When growing in more southern regions and countries, it will be necessary to make adjustments to climate conditions, shifting planting and harvesting dates, as well as changing agricultural techniques.

When choosing a place to grow dahlias, you need to take into account their features, including:

• high need for water (the higher the air temperature, the more water is needed);
• short growing season;
• the need for support and garter due to the fragility of the stems.

It is important to create an optimal microclimate that will allow you to obtain the maximum decorative effect of dahlias in a relatively short period. The landing site should be protected from cold northern, northeastern and northwestern winds and drafts, and warm up well. In combination with low air temperatures (from +1 to -4 degrees), strong winds can cause dahlias to freeze, especially if they were recently planted from greenhouses and did not have time to receive the necessary hardening.

In the southern regions, the danger is posed by hot winds - northeast, east and southeast winds carrying heated dry air. They dry out the soil and the above-ground part of dahlias, causing burning of young foliage and the top of the plant.

To protect a flower bed with dahlias from the winds, the area is surrounded by trees, regular or fruit, and fences or protective strips are used. Often the site is given a slope - southern or south-eastern for the middle zone and northern or north-western for the southern regions.

Important! Lowlands, basins, and valley areas, where cold air usually accumulates and late spring frosts often occur, should be avoided.

In the shade of trees or fences, dahlias grow well and remain highly decorative if the sun illuminates them for at least half a day. However, you should avoid planting these flowers in the zone of action of the root system of large tall trees, since they will not be able to bloom normally and form viable root tubers.

When choosing a site for planting dahlias, great attention should be paid to the issue of groundwater occurrence. They should not rise above 60-70 cm from the ground surface. If the water rises higher in the area, you should artificially raise the flower bed with dahlias to protect their root system from rotting.

In hot southern regions, on the contrary, flower beds with dahlias are often arranged in a depression surrounded by earth banks. At night, this depression is filled with water to ensure sufficient moisture supply to the roots.

Soil preparation

Dahlias prefer moisture-absorbing, structured soil, which at the same time has high water permeability. Wrong choice of soil very often causes the death of dahlias. You can improve the soil structure using organic additives:

• humus;
• fresh or rotted manure;
• peat;
• straw cutting;
• compost;
• turf soil and other materials that are easily decomposed in the soil.

In heavy, clayey soils, to improve water permeability, add:

• coarse river sand;
• gravel;
• ash (peat or coal);
• peat;
• coal slag (fine, sifted and washed).

If the site is dominated by sandy soil that does not retain water well and is easily eroded, you can add to it:

• vermiculite or perlite;
• peat;
• clay and other materials that help retain moisture.

Tip: there is no need to clear the soil of gravel or small stones; such additives in any type of soil will not interfere with the normal development of dahlias.

Dahlias are not too picky about soil acidity and can tolerate too much or too little of it, but they show best results in slightly acidic or neutral soils. But highly alkaline soils inhibit their development and growth. Before planting dahlias, you can conduct an acidity analysis in order to then bring it to the desired levels:

• when the pH value is 4-5, slaked lime is added to the soil (30-100 kg per 100 sq. m.);
• at a Ph level of 8 and above, the soil is acidified by adding peat.

The place where dahlias will grow is plowed deeply in the fall - 30-35 cm. Then, 2-3 weeks before planting the flowers, the soil is dug or plowed again, paying special attention to harrowing and loosening.

Planting dahlias

When exactly to plant dahlias in open ground in spring depends, first of all, on the region. As a rule, in the middle zone this is done after June 1-10, when the last night frosts disappear. At this time, already grown tubers are planted. You can plant them earlier - around May 15-20, as soon as the soil warms up enough. Unsprouted tubers with clearly visible eyes are planted. Shoots appear within 2 weeks. When planting this way, it is necessary to constantly monitor the air temperature and, if there is a threat of frost, cover the flower bed with dahlias.

This is interesting. To obtain even earlier flowering in May, you can plant already grown tubers, but in this case they will need constant shelter from frost and cold air.

Before planting dahlias, you need to prepare seats for them. Holes are dug in the soil next to the stakes driven into the ground. The distance between plants should be equal to half the height of an adult plant - approximately 60-100 cm, between rows - at least 1 meter.

It is very important to immediately install a support for the flower, since if this is done later, there is a very high probability of damage to the root tubers

The stakes for supporting dahlias must be strong and high - at least 160-180 cm. It is better to make them from coniferous wood, they will last longer. To increase their service life, they are treated with a 7% solution of iron sulfate and painted. Metal stakes - made from old pipes or fittings with a diameter of 12-20 mm - will be even more durable.

The stakes are driven to a depth of 40 cm, then the sprouted tubers are planted in the hole, placing them closer to the support. The root collar of the tuber should be 4-5 cm below the soil level. If the seedling was obtained from a cutting or is a hybrid seedling, it is planted deeper, 8-10 cm.

It is better to plant dahlias with tubers in the spring in cloudy weather or in the late afternoon, so that the plants are not damaged by the sun and have time to get used to their new location. Before planting, seedlings obtained from cuttings or divided tubers are shed generously with water and then placed in the hole, being careful not to break the lump or damage the plant itself. For ease of watering, ring-shaped holes are made around the planting hole or the hole is simply not completely filled. Over time, it will become equal to the soil level, and furrows are made for irrigation.

Immediately after planting, dahlias are tied to stakes in 2-3 places, depending on the height of the plant. Labels with the name of the variety are attached to the top of the support. The first few weeks after planting, dahlias need regular, abundant watering. The frequency depends on the temperature and humidity of the air - in dry and hot weather, the plantings are watered daily.

Caring for dahlias

Dahlias are quite demanding regarding planting conditions and further care. To achieve a highly decorative flower bed, you will have to provide the plants with the most suitable conditions.

Watering, loosening, mulching the soil

After the seedlings have settled into their new location, watering is reduced, but the soil under the dahlias should always remain moist. With a lack of water, the stems quickly become woody, growth slows down and flowering deteriorates. It is quite difficult to restore the decorative appearance of dahlias after this - it returns slowly after the onset of cool, rainy weather.

To provide dahlias with optimal air humidity, moisturizing watering is carried out using sprinklers (with small holes). 10-15 minutes of such watering allow you to temporarily increase air humidity in hot weather.

It is very important to keep the soil under dahlias loose and regularly clear of weeds. It is usually loosened after each watering or fertilization. After buds appear on the dahlias and the green mass of the plants closes, loosening stops, and the soil is mulched with peat or humus. This is done to slow down the growth of weeds, prevent crusting of the soil and reduce the amount of watering, since mulch allows the soil to remain moist longer.

Recommendation: if the vegetative mass develops excessively, the lower leaves of the bushes are cut off to a height of 30-40 cm to improve air ventilation. This avoids the formation of a thick stem at the root collar, which impairs the preservation of tubers.

After the onset of stable cold weather, dahlias are earthed up. This will protect the roots from the first frosts, while the hilling height should be 15-20 cm. If the plants were planted deep, then hilling can be omitted.

Feeding

The need to apply mineral or organic fertilizers to dahlias depends on the type of soil in which they are planted. Fertile soils that are regularly fertilized with organic matter and humus need it less. You can determine which fertilizers dahlias need on a particular soil by submitting samples to an agricultural laboratory for chemical analysis. It allows you to plan the application of fertilizers for the next 2-3 years.

Fertilizers are applied in three ways:

• when plowing the soil before planting;
• when planting in each hole;
• foliar or root feeding.

If fertilizers are selected incorrectly, they may be ineffective or even harmful to plants. That is why it is recommended to regularly, once every 2-3 years, conduct a chemical analysis of the soil.

In the fall, when digging, as a rule, organic fertilizers are added - manure, composts, especially if they have not had time to decompose sufficiently. In spring, wood ash, superphosphate and aged peat are plowed into the ground.

It is not recommended to add easily soluble chemicals to the soil, as they are easily washed out of the soil and are not used by dahlias for their intended purpose. Among these substances:

• ammonium and other nitrates;
• potassium salt;
• urea (synthetic urea);
• potassium chloride.

The latter is recommended to be applied to heavy clay soils. Before planting, fertile lands are not additionally fertilized with dahlias, but fertilizing is applied only to the planting holes. To do this, use humus (leaf or manure) mixed with wood ash or stove soot. Add 3-4 tablespoons of ash to a bucket of compost, and add a quarter of a bucket of the mixture to each hole.

During the period of growth and flowering, dahlias are regularly fed with organo-mineral fertilizers - once every 12-14 days. To do this, use diluted cow manure or chicken droppings (for 10 liters of water, 1 liter of manure solution or 0.5 liter of chicken droppings solution) with the addition of potassium (15 g) or ammonium nitrate (10 g), superphosphate (15-20 g) and potassium sulfate (10-15 g). A bucket of feeding mixture (10 l) is divided between 4-5 plants.

Such fertilizing continues until mid-July, then they are replaced by phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. And after the second half of August, preference is given to phosphorus fertilizing. After each application of fertilizer, the bushes must be watered with a sprinkler.

Important! Lack of water, phosphorus and potassium can slow the transfer of nutrients from the stem and leaves to the roots in the fall.

Preparing for winter

Dahlias do not overwinter in open ground. In the fall, after the above-ground part dies off (usually after the first frost), the root tubers are dug up and placed in storage.

You need to dig up the tubers on the first day when the air temperature is above zero, because if there is a delay, the buds may wake up and cause the tuber to rot. Before digging, the stems are cut with garden pruners at a distance of 3-4 cm from the root collar, and then the nests are removed from the soil using a fork or shovel. The tubers are laid out in boxes and placed in a cool, damp room for several weeks (+8 degrees with a humidity of 80%).

After 2-3 weeks, the nests are cleared of small roots and old tubers, the cuts are processed, and placed in boxes for storage. The bottom of the boxes is covered with a 3 cm layer of earth, then the tubers are laid out and covered with earth. Store the boxes at a temperature of 1-7 degrees Celsius and high air humidity (80-100%).

There are several ways to store tubers in winter. Each gardener chooses the most convenient for himself. The main thing is to ensure the safety of planting material

You can also store tubers by treating them with a clay mash. Cleaned root tubers are washed under running water, dried in the sun, dipped in a mash and dried again. The resulting “dragées” are sent for storage until spring.

Bush formation

In the case when dahlias propagated by tubers, it is recommended to leave the two strongest shoots of each seedling, removing all the others as early as possible. Cuttings are grown, as a rule, in one stem, sometimes pinching the top above the third internode to make the bush fuller.

As a rule, dahlias are grown in 1 or 2, less often 3, stems, so as not to thicken the bush too much

For large-flowered varieties, a mandatory measure is the regular and complete removal of all stepsons formed on the stem - side shoots in the leaf axils. This is done as early as possible and as close to the stem as possible. If the stepsons are not removed, especially on the lower part of the stem, then the growth of dahlias slows down, flowering is reduced, and the size of the flowers decreases. In addition, stepsons located close to the ground often break off, and fungal infections can easily occur at the break site, which will cause the death of the entire plant.

Removal of stepchildren is carried out regularly, from the moment of planting until the buds are formed. The side shoots are removed up to the internode preceding the one where the bud formed.

Important! Dwarf, pompom, collared and small-flowered types of dahlias do not take stepson.

Quite a few types and varieties of dahlias require removal of not only stepsons, but also buds. This is especially true for those plants that are grown for further cutting or participation in exhibitions.

As a rule, buds on dahlia stems are formed in groups of three. The middle bud usually develops faster than the others, but at the same time it has a short peduncle, which is not very convenient for cutting. Therefore, the central bud is removed, after which the remaining two develop faster, have a longer peduncle and are distinguished by lush flowering.

During the flowering period, to preserve the decorative appearance of the plant, faded inflorescences, which spoil the appearance of the bush, should be removed daily.

Formation of low-growing bushes

Almost all varieties of dahlias are tall - from 160 cm and above. If you need to get a low-growing plant, you need to follow this algorithm:

1. At the end of February, parts of the tubers are planted in nutritious soil and placed in a well-lit place at a temperature not lower than +15-20 degrees.
2. After the appearance of shoots, 1-2, the strongest ones, are left. The rest can be used as cuttings.
3. Above the fourth pair of leaves of the bush, pinch the top.
4. As a result, two stems develop from one, each of them is pinched back again after the second pair of leaves.

With this pinching system, the bush does not grow more than 1 meter in height. The planting of such dahlias is carried out according to the general scheme.

Reproduction and preparation of tubers for planting

Dahlias are propagated by seeds, cuttings or parts of tubers. Since it is quite simple to grow dahlias from tubers, getting 3-5 new ones from one tuber, this method is the most common. Root tubers dug up in the fall begin to be prepared for planting in early April. To do this, they are kept for 10 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate and left in a warm, well-lit room for about a week.

As soon as sprouts 7-9 mm long appear on the tubers, you can begin dividing. One medium tuber can usually be divided into 3-5 parts. It is important to ensure that there are at least 2 buds left on each division. For division, use a sharp knife, acting very carefully so as not to damage the root collar.

The prepared parts of the tubers are planted for germination in boxes with a mixture of sawdust, peat, river sand and humus. They sit in these boxes until the onset of stable warmth without return frosts, when they are transplanted into open ground.

Propagation by cuttings

It is recommended to replace old tubers with new ones obtained from germinated cuttings every two years. Cuttings of dahlias allows you to renew planting material while preserving the varietal characteristics of the mother plant.

For renewal, the healthiest tuber that best matches the characteristics of the variety is selected and planted in nutritious soil at a third of its height. After some time, shoots begin to appear. When they reach a height of 2 cm, they are cut off and placed for rooting.

After the sprouts appear, watering is reduced and the temperature is lowered to +15-17 degrees so that the cuttings do not stretch

You can root cuttings in water or in a substrate. To speed up root formation, it is recommended to treat them with stimulants. Pots or containers with cuttings are covered with film and placed in a warm, bright place.

Important! The mother tuber will produce new shoots after some time. In total, up to 30 cuttings can be taken from it.

Propagation by seeds

As a rule, dahlias are grown from seeds as an annual crop. They can be planted as seedlings or directly sown in open ground.

To obtain seedlings, seeds are sown in early April in loose soil, the containers are covered with film or glass. Shoots appear already on days 4-7. Two weeks after the emergence of seedlings, they are planted in separate pots. Strong and pre-hardened seedlings are planted in open ground after the end of night frosts, keeping a distance of 20-25 cm between plants.

When sown in the ground, the seedlings will need to be thinned out to provide the plants with room to grow. Dahlias are sown in May, after the threat of night frosts has passed. The crops will bloom only towards the end of August.

The most striking representatives of annuals are pompon dahlias, varieties “Gellery”, “Sylvia”, “Jolly Fellows”; they are grown from seeds using the same technology.

Despite the fact that dahlias require quite a lot of attention and participation from the gardener, their bright and lush flowering will decorate any flower bed. With some effort, you can admire the luxurious inflorescences until the first frost.

Moscow, Russia, on the website from 01/11/2017

• Choosing a site for dahlias
• Dahlia fertilizer
• Planting dahlias in open ground and caring for plants
• Formation of a dahlia bush

Choosing a site for dahlias

The choice of place for dahlias depends on the purpose of their planting. One approach is needed for choosing a location for setting up a dahlia garden in a large park, and a completely different one for planting dahlias in a flower farm for propagation and subsequent sale of root tubers.

We will consider the choice of place for planting dahlias in order to obtain the greatest decorative effect in the garden plots of flower lovers.

Dahlia, variety “Jive”. © Cillas

Our recommendations apply, first of all, to the middle zone of the former USSR, as well as to areas similar in climatic conditions to the middle zone (for example, the Middle and Southern Urals, the southern regions of Western Siberia, Altai, Khabarovsk (southern part) and Primorsky territories, Belarus, the Baltic republics, the northwestern part of Ukraine, etc. For the southern regions and territories of Russia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia and especially the Central Asian republics, it is necessary to make appropriate adjustments both for the timing of planting and harvesting, and for agricultural technology. take into account some of their biological features: a relatively short growing season, the great need of these plants for moisture, which greatly increases with increasing ambient temperature, and the great fragility of their herbaceous stems, which require tying to stakes (or other supports).

It is necessary to choose a site for planting dahlias in such a way as to provide the most suitable microclimate for them. For rapid plant growth, it is necessary to warm the soil and planted plants well in order to make the most of the relatively short growing season. Therefore, the site for planting dahlias must be protected from the wind, and above all from the prevailing winds in the area, which are especially “harmful” for dahlias. In the middle zone and in the eastern regions of the former USSR, such winds are, first of all, northern, northwestern and northeastern, and for the southern and southeastern regions of the country - northeastern, eastern and southeastern (i.e. dry winds). Strong northern, northwestern or northeastern winds, especially at relatively low temperatures (+1 - -4°), often lead to freezing of plants, especially those freshly planted in the ground from greenhouses and greenhouses and not yet hardened. In the southern and southeastern regions, strong winds carrying dry and heated air dry out plants and soil and can lead to drying (burning) of young leaves and the upper part of dahlia stems.

Dahlia, variety “Osaka”. © Cillas

The area for planting dahlias must be protected on all sides or from the prevailing winds by trees, buildings, fences, shelterbelts or fruit trees. If possible, it should be flat or have a southern or south-eastern slope (for southern and south-eastern regions, on the contrary, northern and north-western slopes less warmed by the sun are preferable). Areas in depressions, valleys and basins where cold air accumulates and late frosts are frequent are undesirable.

Dahlias planted in large parks among groups of trees and shrubs, as well as along buildings and fences and among fruit trees in the garden, if they are illuminated by the sun for at least half a day, grow well and look very decorative. At the same time, planting dahlias close to (in the zone of action of the root system) and under the canopy of large trees is unacceptable, since in this case the dahlias bloom poorly and do not form viable root tubers. In the area intended for planting dahlias, there should not be a high level of groundwater (groundwater should not rise above 60-70 cm from the soil surface). If the groundwater level is higher, ridges, flower beds or ridges with dahlias must be raised by deepening paths, furrows and the adjacent area. In other cases, it is not advisable to make ridges, flower beds or ridges that rise above the surrounding area.

In southern regions with an arid climate, deepened areas for planting dahlias are often arranged, which are surrounded by earthen ridges on all sides in such a way that the area can be flooded with water from an irrigation ditch, water pipe or well at night.

Dahlia, variety “Natal”. © Cillas

The soil in the area intended for planting dahlias must be structural, moisture-absorbing and at the same time permeable. A significant portion of the failures encountered in growing dahlias are the result of poor soil preparation.

The structure of the soil is improved by adding organic matter to it. Such additives can be manure (fresh or rotted), humus (leaf or manure), composts of various contents, peat, turf soil, straw cuttings and other organic materials that easily decompose in the soil. To increase the water permeability of heavy, floating clay soils, you can add sand (especially coarse-grained), gravel, peat, peat and coal ash, and even fine (pre-sifted and washed) coal slag, as well as other neutral materials that improve water permeability.

In deep sandy soils, which even with frequent and intensive watering do not retain moisture in the upper layers of the soil, it is recommended to add peat, clay, vermiculite and other moisture-intensive materials. In passing, it should be noted that the presence of gravel and small stones in the soil usually does not prevent the normal development of dahlias.

Dahlia, variety “Prince Valiant”. © Loic Evanno

If the soil on which dahlias are to be planted is not structural and sufficient quantities of organic substances that improve the structure are not available at the given time, temporary local improvement of the structure in the pits is carried out.

Gardeners and amateur flower growers usually encounter difficulties in preparing the soil for planting dahlias when developing newly allocated plots in collective gardens. Such plots are allocated, as a rule, on field, meadow or forest lands. In such areas, most often the arable layer is thin, or the soil is virgin soil (or fallow land) with a thin layer of humus and podzolic or clayey subsoil at a depth of 10-15 cm. Such soils very often have strong or very strong acidity (pH 5-4 ). Although dahlias tolerate excess and lack of acidity in the soil, they grow and bloom best in slightly acidic and neutral soils. Dahlia development is inhibited by highly alkaline soil. The best thing for beginning gardeners is to test the soil for acidity. At pH 4-5, it is necessary to add slaked lime in an amount of 30 to 100 kg per 100 m2 of area. Soils that are highly alkaline with a pH greater than 8.5 need to be acidified. It is best to add peat for this purpose.

For forest and meadow podzolic soils, good results are obtained by adding leaves to the soil during autumn digging and lime during spring digging. It should be noted right away that the simultaneous application of fresh manure or unrotted leaves and lime is undesirable, since freshly slaked lime inhibits the activity of soil bacteria and prevents the rapid decomposition of manure or leaves. The area intended for planting dahlias is plowed or dug deep (30-35 cm) in the fall. In the spring, 2-3 weeks before the date for planting dahlias, the area is plowed or dug up again with careful loosening and harrowing.

Dahlia, variety “Fabel”. © CillasDahlia fertilizer

The need of dahlias for organic and mineral fertilizers largely depends on the soil on which they are supposed to be planted. To determine the need of dahlias for mineral fertilizers, it is necessary to conduct a chemical analysis of the soil at least once every two to three years. Soil analysis is carried out in soil-agrotechnical laboratories at regional agricultural departments or branches of the Society for Nature Conservation, as well as in state and collective farms where there are agricultural laboratories. According to the analysis, the soil's need for mineral and organic fertilizers in the coming years is determined. Soils that have received organic fertilizers rich in humus for many years in a row are less in need of these fertilizers than recently developed soils that have not previously received organic fertilizers.

Fertilizers are applied to dahlias in three main ways:

• when plowing (digging) a plot
• when planting plants in holes
• root and foliar feeding.

Dahlia, variety “Karen”. © Loic Evanno

Fertilizers can act on plants in different ways: effective, ineffective, and even harmful. It all depends on the lack or excess of a particular substance in the soil (as determined by chemical analysis), its acidity, the presence or addition of necessary microelements in the soil, the development of beneficial soil bacteria and the timing of fertilization. When plowing (digging) in autumn, organic fertilizers, especially insufficiently decomposed ones, are applied first, for example, manure, peat feces, and various composts; during spring plowing - wood ash, peat (seasoned), superphosphate. Sometimes, especially when there is a shortage of organic fertilizers, a flower mixture or other fertilizer mixtures are added. Manure and composts are applied in quantities of approximately 3 to 6 kg per 1 m2, peat feces and bird droppings - from 1 to 2 kg. It is not advisable to fertilize the soil with ammonium and other nitrates, urea (synthetic urea), potassium salt, potassium chloride and similar easily soluble chemicals when digging (ploughing), since they are easily washed out of the arable layer and are not used by dahlias. However, it is recommended to add potassium to clay soils.

If the soil prepared for planting dahlias is sufficiently fertile, it is advisable to apply fertilizer not to the entire area, but only to the holes during planting. The most suitable fertilizer for this purpose is manure or leaf humus and compost mixed with wood ash or stove soot. Add 3-4 tablespoons of ash to a bucket of humus or compost, mix well and pour about 1/4 bucket of the mixture into each hole, mix it with the soil and plant dahlias. Some breeders add fresh horse manure to the holes when planting dahlias as fertilizer. This is done as follows: stakes are installed in the previously dug area in the places designated for planting, a hole measuring 40X40X40 cm is dug at each stake, 1/3 of a bucket of horse manure is placed at the bottom of the hole, it is sprinkled with earth and compacted well with a foot. Light humus soil is poured on top of this soil (from leaf and manure humus with the addition of up to 20 g of superphosphate and a tablespoon of ash to each hole). This mixture is mixed well, a hole 15 cm deep is made in it and filled with water. When the water in the hole is completely absorbed, pre-grown dahlias are planted.

Dahlia, variety “Kennemerland”. © CillasPlanting dahlias in open ground and caring for plants

The timing of planting dahlias in open ground depends on the climatic conditions of the area. In the middle zone, dahlias are planted in open ground after June 1-10 with grown plants. Dahlias can be planted earlier, as soon as the soil warms up sufficiently, from about May 15-20, with ungrown, divided tubers with clearly defined eyes. After two weeks, shoots appear from the ground. It is necessary to monitor the air temperature and cover the plants if there is a threat of frost.

To obtain early flowering dahlias, some gardeners plant grown dahlias in the ground ahead of schedule. In this case, prepare shelters from frost

Plants (both cuttings and those grown from divided tubers) are planted in pre-prepared areas with stakes placed and holes dug around them. The approximate distance between plants is set to half the height of an adult plant (from 60 to 100 cm in a row), the distance between rows is at least 100 cm. The stakes must be strong, 160-180 cm high. Coniferous stakes are more durable. To preserve them for a long time, it is necessary to impregnate the lower part of the stakes with special compounds, for example 7% iron sulfate, and paint the stakes themselves with green paint. Metal stakes are more durable and convenient. To do this, use old unusable pipes or pieces of reinforcing steel with a diameter of 12-20 mm. The stakes are driven to a depth of 40 cm. After this, a plant is planted closer to the stake (with water added to the hole) so that the neck of the tuber is 4-5 cm below the ground level.

Dahlia, variety “Mary Eveline”. © Luis Garcia

Cuttings and hybrid seedlings are usually planted deeper, up to 8-10 cm. It is better to plant cuttings with two plants for each stake. In this case, it is necessary to take into account plant growth. When planting dahlias on ridges in two or three rows, they try to select plants according to their height. Low varieties are planted in the first row, medium height in the second, tall and very tall varieties in the third, and the shape, color and size of dahlia inflorescences are also taken into account.

It is recommended to plant plants in cloudy weather or in the evening. Cuttings or plants grown from divided tubers are first heavily watered before planting, and then carefully, with a lump of earth, trying not to damage the plants or break the lump, they are planted in the prepared hole. Ring-shaped holes are made around the planted plants or the holes are left incompletely filled to ensure ease of watering. Later, when cultivating the soil, the hole is gradually leveled, and furrows are made for watering. Planted plants are immediately tied to stakes (depending on the height of the plant in 2-3 places or more). As the plants grow, the garter is continued. Immediately after planting, a label with the name (or number) of the plant is attached to the top of the stake.

Dahlia, variety “Sieckemanns Feuerball”. © Loic Evanno

In the days following planting, the plants must be watered regularly and abundantly. The frequency of watering is adjusted depending on the temperature and humidity. In dry and hot weather, watering is done daily in the first week after planting, then less frequently, but in such a way that the soil under the dahlias always remains moist. Lack of moisture, especially in dry, hot weather, leads to slower growth, lignification of the stem, deterioration of flowering and loss of decorativeness of dahlias, which is usually restored slowly only with the onset of cooler and rainier weather.

The soil under dahlias must be kept loose and free of weeds at all times. Typically, loosening is done after each watering or fertilizing (liquid or dry). After the formation of buds and the closure of the green mass of plants, loosening stops. After stopping loosening, it is recommended to mulch the soil with humus or peat. Mulching protects the soil surface from crust formation, retards the development of weeds, and reduces the number of waterings.

At the beginning of September, before the onset of autumn frosts, it is recommended to check the presence of labels and the correct names of dahlia varieties, and write down a brief description of the variety in the journal (if you have not done this before). With the onset of cold weather, dahlias need to be earthed up. When planting in depth, hilling may not be necessary. Hilling protects dahlias from the first autumn frosts. The hilling height should be 15-20 centimeters.

Dahlia, variety “Karma Amanda”. © Loic EvannoFormation of a dahlia bush

For dahlias grown from a tuber, it is recommended to leave no more than two shoots, the strongest ones, all others are removed as early as possible. In cuttings, as a rule, one stem is left, but sometimes, to make the bush fuller, the top of the plant is pinched above the third node, and the plant develops into two stems.

Dahlia, variety “Seattle”. © Cillas

Pompon, collared, dwarf and all small-flowered varieties of Georgia are not planted.

In many varieties of dahlias, due to the nature of their budding, it is necessary to remove not only side shoots, but also excess buds, especially when dahlias are grown for cutting or for display at exhibitions. Typically, dahlias produce buds on the flowering shoot in groups of three, of which the middle bud develops faster, but it often has a shorter peduncle, sometimes not very suitable for cutting. In such cases, the middle bud must be removed, then the side buds grow longer flower stalks with lush inflorescences. In dahlias of vigorous development, regardless of their height, in addition to the stepsons, part of the lower leaves is removed if they cover the root collar. This promotes better ripening of tubers and prevents strong thickening of the trunk.

The formation of the bush begins after the appearance of stepsons or pinching of the top after the fourth pair of leaves.

To obtain low-growing dahlia bushes, the tubers, divided into parts, are planted in pots with nutritious soil at the end of February and placed in a bright place with a temperature of 15-20°. When shoots appear, the strongest ones (one or two) are left, the rest are broken out into cuttings. When the fourth pair of leaves appears, the top is pinched, two stems grow, and above the second pair of leaves, the top of these stems is pinched again, from one or two initial stems four or eight develop. With this formation, the height of the bush usually does not exceed 1 m, although its varietal feature is a height of more than 160 cm. Plants are formed in the same way for exhibitions. Pruning is carried out in the usual way, as in other plants.

During the flowering process of dahlias, faded inflorescences that have lost their decorative appearance appear on the bush. They spoil the beauty of the bush. Such inflorescences must be removed daily.

Dahlia, variety “Pink Giraffe”. © Ulf Eliasson

Materials used: Dahlias. Edited by Professor N.A. Bazilevskaya. Moscow University Publishing House. 1984

Guatemala and Mexico are considered to be the birthplace of these beautiful flowers. Dahlias appeared in the Old World in the 18th century, where they began to be successfully planted and cared for in open ground. The flowers were immediately given two names - dahlia and dahlia. The plant received its first name in honor of the famous botanist from Sweden - A. Dahl, and the second - a scientist from St. Petersburg - I. G. Georgi.

Flower varieties

Dahlia is a gorgeous flower. In addition to the variety of shapes, it is distinguished by a variety of colors. Today, scientists have identified about 30 species and approximately 15,000 varieties of dalia.

Botanists divide the flower into the following groups:

1. Simple.
2. Anemone-like.
3. Collared.
4. Peony-shaped.
5. Decorative.
6. Globular.
7. Pompons.
8. Cactus (needle-shaped).
9. Semi-cactus.
10. Nymphaeaceae.
11. Mixed - other varieties that are not included in the previous groups.

Colorful, magnificent dahlias of different colors (white, burgundy, scarlet, pink, cream and many others) are the decoration of our summer gardens.

A blue dahlia is a breeders dream. However, the efforts of botanists have not yet been crowned with success.

However, these delicate flowers do not tolerate harsh Russian winters, so those who want to enjoy the beauty of their bright buds all summer should plant tubers annually. So, in the Moscow region, you can plant dahlias in open ground in mid-May. But in its homeland - in Latin America - this amazingly beautiful flower is a perennial.

Planting dahlias in open ground

The most convenient and effective method of growing dahlias is planting and caring for them in open ground.

Land preparation

The soil for flowers is prepared in advance. The soil for planting dalia should be prepared before the onset of winter frosts. In the fall, the soil is dug up and fertilizer is added to it - either compost or humus, which is added to the soil at the rate of 4 kg per 1 m2.

In spring, the soil is enriched again with a mixture of compost and ash, which are scattered over the entire area of ​​the flowerbed. Then the soil must be loosened with a rake. Fertilizer can also be added to holes prepared for planting.

Dahlias are planted in spring in soil with a loose structure. Gravel, river sand, and crushed coal slag will help increase its water permeability and fertility. Such drainage will protect the crop from excess moisture, which causes destructive mold and rot.

Dalia quickly deplete the soil, so they should not be planted in one place for two years in a row.

It is desirable that the soil reaction is slightly acidic or neutral. Slaked lime is added to the peroxidized soil, and a little peat is added to the alkaline soil.

Tuber preparation

Dahlia tubers intended for planting in open ground require special care. With the onset of April, transfer the root tubers from the cellar to the greenhouse and remove rotten areas. Place in boxes, cover half with fresh turf soil, peat, sand, sawdust. The root collar is left open. Water the substrate periodically. After about ten days, the eyes will appear. Remove the root tubers from the soil, shake them off, and place them on a hard surface.

A thin knife blade must be sterilized with a manganese solution or calcined in a fire. Using a vertical cut, divide the stem into four parts (quarters). Each division must have several root tubers and at least one renewal bud, otherwise it will not be able to germinate. The cut is sprinkled with crushed activated carbon. Keep the tubers in the greenhouse until they take root.

Approximately 30 days before planting, planting material is removed from storage. The tubers are cleaned of damaged tissue by sprinkling the cut area with activated carbon. You can treat the culture with foundationazole, or hold it for 17–18 minutes in a weak solution of manganese. Next, the processed tubers are placed in low containers with a mixture of soil and river sand.

Initially, the containers are kept in a warm, shaded place, with moderate watering. When the sprouts reach a height of more than 2 cm, they are transferred to a lighted place. You rarely need to water the sprouts; it is advisable to just moisten the soil. They are planted in the first ten days of May. No need to cover.

When is the best time to plant dahlias in open ground in spring? The planting time is related to the climate of the region. For central Russia, this is the third ten days of May. For the southern regions - April. For the northern ones - the beginning of summer.

Planting and caring for dahlias in open ground in Siberia should be carried out in the second ten days of June.

Preparing the site

This culture loves warmth, so it is important to choose the right place. The flower bed should be located in a sunny area that is not exposed to drafts.

Some varieties have a fairly tall stem that can easily break off from a strong gust of wind. These varieties require support - wooden stakes 1.5–2 meters high. It is advisable to install them in advance.

Ideal location: near the wall, on the south side of the building. It is recommended to plant flowers next to a group of bushes and trees, in a sufficiently lit place. However, trees located near flowers should not provide dense shade, since dahlias love light. These freedom-loving flowers are not suitable for cramped conditions and impenetrable thickets.

First, the area is leveled, then the holes are prepared. The tubers are planted in open ground, then they are covered with a few centimeters of soil. The tubers should be provided with enough sun and light watering.

There is another method of propagating this crop - cuttings. But this is a very labor-intensive and responsible task. And if you are worried about these troubles, then you can grow an annual plant from seeds, this is:

• ColtnessHybrids;
• redskin;
• Rigoletto;
• Figaro.

Seeds are sown in open ground in mid-May and bloom by mid-August. To get early flowering, the seeds will have to be germinated.

Collection and storage of root tubers

Dahlias planted in open ground in the fall also need care. Before frost, the bush should be hilled up and the leaves on the lower part of the stem should be removed. It is recommended not to rush into digging up the tubers! When the above-ground part dies, it is cut off and the tubers are left in the ground. Over the course of two weeks, their peel will thicken and starch will form. And only after the first frost (before the onset of big frosts) should the root tubers be dug up and washed. This is done in the morning so that they dry in the air during the day.

Planting material is stored in the cellar, in a box with a mixture that includes soil, vermiculite, sand, sawdust, and peat. The optimal room humidity is 60–70%.

Ventilate the storage area periodically.

In January, it is necessary to re-inspect the tubers in order to separate large ones. If affected areas are found, it is necessary to remove them, and treat the cut areas with a brilliant solution of brilliant green (can be lubricated with crushed activated carbon).

Dangerous pests

The most important enemies of the plant are:

• slug;
• flower beetle;
• caterpillar;
• earwig;
• etc.

To combat slugs, the ground is sprinkled with metaldehyde. For aphids - dip the shoots in a soap solution or spray them with a 0.2% solution of chloroethanol. Hot weather favors the development of spider mites, which infect the lower part of the leaves. They turn yellow, dry out and die. The diseased crop is irrigated with keltan (0.2%). A decoction of celandine and wormwood is also used against pests.

So, magnificent dahlias are distinguished by a variety of shapes and colors, lush and long flowering. If you follow the above recommendations, you can easily grow these gorgeous flowers in your garden.

All about planting dahlias in open ground - video

Dahlias are very beautiful and bright flowers that are used to decorate flower beds, flower beds and border lines. In order for dahlias to actively grow and develop, the plant must be planted correctly, starting from preparing the tubers before planting them in a permanent place. How to properly prepare, germinate and plant perennial dahlias in open ground in the spring will be discussed in this article.

Types of dahlias

Currently, there are more than 40 natural species of dahlias. Based on them, breeders around the world have developed several thousand very beautiful hybrid varieties with unusual inflorescences.

The following types are distinguished according to the shape of the flowers:

• Anemone-shaped – height up to 70 cm, inflorescence size 4-10 cm.
• Borateaceae – inflorescence diameter 10 cm, height up to 120 cm.
• Peony-shaped – medium inflorescences, up to 15 cm. There are tall ones up to 120 cm and medium heights up to 70 cm.
• Lotus-shaped flowers are one of the most beautiful forms of flowers of this species. The diameter can reach 20 cm, height up to 120 cm.
• Decorative – the richest variety in colors, the size of the inflorescences is up to 25 cm; plant height 90-95 cm.
• Spherical and pompon-shaped - the size of the inflorescences is 8-15 cm, usually used for cutting. Height from 90 to 120 cm.
• Cactus is the most original variety. The diameter of the inflorescences is 20-25 cm, the height of the bushes is 100-150 cm.

When to plant dahlias in spring

The most suitable place for planting dahlias is a sunny area protected from strong winds. To prevent flower tubers from dying, they should be planted only in warm soil, when there is no chance of spring frosts. It is best to plant them in mid-May. The soil should be loose, slightly acidic or neutral, with good drainage. Before planting, mature non-deciduous compost and wood ash are applied to the site. It is advisable to fertilize the planting area with compost or humus in the fall. To prevent infection with diseases, it is best to plant dahlias in a new place every year. You cannot plant dahlias in the area where asters grew before.

When to plant dahlias in 2019

According to the Lunar calendar, favorable days in 2019 for planting dahlia tubers:

• 1,2, 3, from April 21 to 30;
• 1, 2, 3, from 21 to 30 May;
• 1, from 17 to 29 June.

Buying dahlias, how to choose the right one

If you are faced with such a task for the first time, it means that you did not grow the tubers yourself, but purchased them. It is important to choose exactly those that are needed to implement your landscaping idea, since the flowers must correspond to the basic concept of the garden or flower bed.

It is better to buy dahlias at specialized retail outlets that have documents for a particular variety. Most often, tubers are packaged in sealed plastic bags with holes, which makes it possible to clearly examine and touch them. They should be elastic, quite strong and quite weighty. If the tubers are wrinkled and dry, and also very light, most likely they are dead and are not suitable for planting.

How to prepare dahlia tubers for planting

All winter and until spring, dahlias are stored either in a paraffin or clay shell, vermiculite, sand, sawdust, peat... There are many options, depending on what is more convenient for you. Since dahlias do not tolerate frost very well, they are planted in open ground no earlier than mid-May. But they are planted not directly from their winter “shelter”, but prepared.

Preparing dahlia tubers for planting should begin 3-4 weeks before this event. It is in early to mid-April that dahlia tubers are taken out, dry roots are removed, damaged areas are removed, and they begin to germinate.

Germination of dahlias can be done in different ways - in the ground, wet sawdust, peat. In fact, the nutritional value of the substrate is not particularly important at the moment, because the nodules, deprived of suction roots since the autumn planting, will still not “take” anything from the substrate. They feed the buds, at first, from the reserves in the nodules. What is more important here is the increase in temperature, the presence of sunlight and humidity - this is what the kidneys react to, this is why they awaken.

Dahlias are sprouted on the veranda, balcony, loggia - a place where it is not very cold, but there is sunlight. It is very important that the tubers are surrounded by moist material, be it sand, sawdust or any other material. To avoid excessive evaporation, you can cover the tubers with polyethylene with small holes and ventilate them from time to time. If frosts occur, planting material must be covered or brought indoors.

When buds or even small sprouts appear on dahlias, you can start planting them in open ground.

Planting dahlias in spring in open ground

The process of planting dahlias in a permanent place of growth can be described in stages:

• Before planting annual dahlias in a previously prepared area, you should dig holes for the bulbs. The depth of the holes should be approximately 10 cm, and the distance between individual recesses can range from 30 to 80 cm, depending on the specific crop variety and the height of the bush. In the holes intended for planting, it is advisable to make a drainage layer.
• In each such hole you will need to plant 2 tubers - this will allow you to achieve beautiful lush bushes with bright, abundant flowering. It is not recommended to plant more than 2 bulbs in one hole.
• When the weather is warm outside and the ground warms up to 10°C, dahlia tubers can be dug into the soil. If the soil is not moist enough, it is recommended to water each hole with a small amount of water before planting flowers. The bulbs need to be buried in the soil so that they are positioned horizontally - this will allow the root system to develop to its full potential.

Care after planting dahlias in spring

An important condition for the normal growth and development of a flower is to constantly keep the soil in which it grows moist. Drying out is unacceptable, as this can lead to the death of the plant. Watering is carried out using a watering can with a spray nozzle for 10-15 minutes. This promotes uniform absorption of moisture into the soil and increases air humidity, which has a beneficial effect on the plant.

If the vegetative mass is high, leaves should be removed to a height of 30 cm from ground level. Such care does not allow the stem to grow at the root collar, which will subsequently simplify the storage of tubers in the off-season.

After each watering or rain, the surface of the soil under the bushes must be loosened to prevent the formation of a soil crust. If this is not done, the root system begins to lack oxygen, which in turn negatively affects the development of the entire plant.

Attention! After watering and loosening, make sure that the tubers are not exposed. If this does happen, you need to add soil to the base of the bush, that is, to sort of hill it up.

Feeding dahlias

Dahlias begin to be fed 2-3 weeks after planting in open ground. Feed every 10 days, alternating organic and mineral fertilizers. During the period of rapid growth of dahlias, when a lack of nitrogen is possible, we add ammonium nitrate to the soil (15 grams per 1 sq.m.).

Before flowering, we stop applying nitrogen-containing fertilizers and replace them with potassium and superphosphate ones.

Dahlias are a luxurious decoration for any flower bed. Bright, large flowers attract with a variety of shapes and colors, despite the fact that planting dahlias and caring for them in the open ground is not very difficult.

Bright and elegant dahlias are a wonderful and demanding garden decoration

Choosing a suitable location

When choosing a place where dahlias will settle in the future, you need to take into account the purpose of their cultivation - decorative or propagation for sale. If you plan to sell dahlia tubers, then the planting scheme will differ from that when growing these flowers to decorate the site.

The recommendations below for planting dahlias and caring for them in open ground are relevant for central Russia and the CIS countries (Primorsky, Altai Territories, the southern part of the Khabarovsk Territory and Western Siberia, the Southern and Middle Urals, the Baltic states, Belarus, the northwestern part of Ukraine) . When growing in more southern regions and countries, it will be necessary to make adjustments to climate conditions, shifting planting and harvesting dates, as well as changing agricultural techniques.

When choosing a place to grow dahlias, you need to take into account their features, including:

• high need for water (the higher the air temperature, the more water is needed);
• short growing season;
• the need for support and garter due to the fragility of the stems.

It is important to create an optimal microclimate that will allow you to obtain the maximum decorative effect of dahlias in a relatively short period. The landing site should be protected from cold northern, northeastern and northwestern winds and drafts, and warm up well. In combination with low air temperatures (from +1 to -4 degrees), strong winds can cause dahlias to freeze, especially if they were recently planted from greenhouses and did not have time to receive the necessary hardening.

In the southern regions, the danger is posed by hot winds - northeast, east and southeast winds carrying heated dry air. They dry out the soil and the above-ground part of dahlias, causing burning of young foliage and the top of the plant.

To protect a flower bed with dahlias from the winds, the area is surrounded by trees, regular or fruit, and fences or protective strips are used. Often the site is given a slope - southern or south-eastern for the middle zone and northern or north-western for the southern regions.

Important! Lowlands, basins, and valley areas, where cold air usually accumulates and late spring frosts often occur, should be avoided.

In the shade of trees or fences, dahlias grow well and remain highly decorative if the sun illuminates them for at least half a day. However, you should avoid planting these flowers in the zone of action of the root system of large tall trees, since they will not be able to bloom normally and form viable root tubers.

When choosing a site for planting dahlias, great attention should be paid to the issue of groundwater occurrence. They should not rise above 60-70 cm from the ground surface. If the water rises higher in the area, you should artificially raise the flower bed with dahlias to protect their root system from rotting.

In hot southern regions, on the contrary, flower beds with dahlias are often arranged in a depression surrounded by earth banks. At night, this depression is filled with water to ensure sufficient moisture supply to the roots.

Soil preparation

Dahlias prefer moisture-absorbing, structured soil, which at the same time has high water permeability. Wrong choice of soil very often causes the death of dahlias. You can improve the soil structure using organic additives:

• humus;
• fresh or rotted manure;
• peat;
• straw cutting;
• compost;
• turf soil and other materials that are easily decomposed in the soil.

In heavy, clayey soils, to improve water permeability, add:

• coarse river sand;
• gravel;
• ash (peat or coal);
• peat;
• coal slag (fine, sifted and washed).

If the site is dominated by sandy soil that does not retain water well and is easily eroded, you can add to it:

• vermiculite or perlite;
• peat;
• clay and other materials that help retain moisture.

Tip: there is no need to clear the soil of gravel or small stones; such additives in any type of soil will not interfere with the normal development of dahlias.

Dahlias are not too picky about soil acidity and can tolerate too much or too little of it, but they show best results in slightly acidic or neutral soils. But highly alkaline soils inhibit their development and growth. Before planting dahlias, you can conduct an acidity analysis in order to then bring it to the desired levels:

• when the pH value is 4-5, slaked lime is added to the soil (30-100 kg per 100 sq. m.);
• at a Ph level of 8 and above, the soil is acidified by adding peat.

The place where dahlias will grow is plowed deeply in the fall - 30-35 cm. Then, 2-3 weeks before planting the flowers, the soil is dug or plowed again, paying special attention to harrowing and loosening.

Planting dahlias

When exactly to plant dahlias in open ground in spring depends, first of all, on the region. As a rule, in the middle zone this is done after June 1-10, when the last night frosts disappear. At this time, already grown tubers are planted. You can plant them earlier - around May 15-20, as soon as the soil warms up enough. Unsprouted tubers with clearly visible eyes are planted. Shoots appear within 2 weeks. When planting this way, it is necessary to constantly monitor the air temperature and, if there is a threat of frost, cover the flower bed with dahlias.

This is interesting. To obtain even earlier flowering in May, you can plant already grown tubers, but in this case they will need constant shelter from frost and cold air.

Before planting dahlias, you need to prepare seats for them. Holes are dug in the soil next to the stakes driven into the ground. The distance between plants should be equal to half the height of an adult plant - approximately 60-100 cm, between rows - at least 1 meter.

The stakes for supporting dahlias must be strong and high - at least 160-180 cm. It is better to make them from coniferous wood, they will last longer. To increase their service life, they are treated with a 7% solution of iron sulfate and painted. Metal stakes - made from old pipes or fittings with a diameter of 12-20 mm - will be even more durable.

The stakes are driven to a depth of 40 cm, then the sprouted tubers are planted in the hole, placing them closer to the support. The root collar of the tuber should be 4-5 cm below the soil level. If the seedling was obtained from a cutting or is a hybrid seedling, it is planted deeper, 8-10 cm.

It is better to plant dahlias with tubers in the spring in cloudy weather or in the late afternoon, so that the plants are not damaged by the sun and have time to get used to their new location. Before planting, seedlings obtained from cuttings or divided tubers are shed generously with water and then placed in the hole, being careful not to break the lump or damage the plant itself. For ease of watering, ring-shaped holes are made around the planting hole or the hole is simply not completely filled. Over time, it will become equal to the soil level, and furrows are made for irrigation.

Immediately after planting, dahlias are tied to stakes in 2-3 places, depending on the height of the plant. Labels with the name of the variety are attached to the top of the support. The first few weeks after planting, dahlias need regular, abundant watering. The frequency depends on the temperature and humidity of the air - in dry and hot weather, the plantings are watered daily.

Caring for dahlias

Dahlias are quite demanding regarding planting conditions and further care. To achieve a highly decorative flower bed, you will have to provide the plants with the most suitable conditions.

Watering, loosening, mulching the soil

After the seedlings have settled into their new location, watering is reduced, but the soil under the dahlias should always remain moist. With a lack of water, the stems quickly become woody, growth slows down and flowering deteriorates. It is quite difficult to restore the decorative appearance of dahlias after this - it returns slowly after the onset of cool, rainy weather.

To provide dahlias with optimal air humidity, moisturizing watering is carried out using sprinklers (with small holes). 10-15 minutes of such watering allow you to temporarily increase air humidity in hot weather.

It is very important to keep the soil under dahlias loose and regularly clear of weeds. It is usually loosened after each watering or fertilization. After buds appear on the dahlias and the green mass of the plants closes, loosening stops, and the soil is mulched with peat or humus. This is done to slow down the growth of weeds, prevent crusting of the soil and reduce the amount of watering, since mulch allows the soil to remain moist longer.

Recommendation: if the vegetative mass develops excessively, the lower leaves of the bushes are cut off to a height of 30-40 cm to improve air ventilation. This avoids the formation of a thick stem at the root collar, which impairs the preservation of tubers.

After the onset of stable cold weather, dahlias are earthed up. This will protect the roots from the first frosts, while the hilling height should be 15-20 cm. If the plants were planted deep, then hilling can be omitted.

Feeding

The need to apply mineral or organic fertilizers to dahlias depends on the type of soil in which they are planted. Fertile soils that are regularly fertilized with organic matter and humus need it less. You can determine which fertilizers dahlias need on a particular soil by submitting samples to an agricultural laboratory for chemical analysis. It allows you to plan the application of fertilizers for the next 2-3 years.

Fertilizers are applied in three ways:

• when plowing the soil before planting;
• when planting in each hole;
• foliar or root feeding.

If fertilizers are selected incorrectly, they may be ineffective or even harmful to plants. That is why it is recommended to regularly, once every 2-3 years, conduct a chemical analysis of the soil.

In the fall, when digging, as a rule, organic fertilizers are added - manure, composts, especially if they have not had time to decompose sufficiently. In spring, wood ash, superphosphate and aged peat are plowed into the ground.

It is not recommended to add easily soluble chemicals to the soil, as they are easily washed out of the soil and are not used by dahlias for their intended purpose. Among these substances:

• ammonium and other nitrates;
• potassium salt;
• urea (synthetic urea);
• potassium chloride.

The latter is recommended to be applied to heavy clay soils. Before planting, fertile lands are not additionally fertilized with dahlias, but fertilizing is applied only to the planting holes. To do this, use humus (leaf or manure) mixed with wood ash or stove soot. Add 3-4 tablespoons of ash to a bucket of compost, and add a quarter of a bucket of the mixture to each hole.

During the period of growth and flowering, dahlias are regularly fed with organo-mineral fertilizers - once every 12-14 days. To do this, use diluted cow manure or chicken droppings (for 10 liters of water, 1 liter of manure solution or 0.5 liter of chicken droppings solution) with the addition of potassium (15 g) or ammonium nitrate (10 g), superphosphate (15-20 g) and potassium sulfate (10-15 g). A bucket of feeding mixture (10 l) is divided between 4-5 plants.

Such fertilizing continues until mid-July, then they are replaced by phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. And after the second half of August, preference is given to phosphorus fertilizing. After each application of fertilizer, the bushes must be watered with a sprinkler.

Important! Lack of water, phosphorus and potassium can slow the transfer of nutrients from the stem and leaves to the roots in the fall.

Preparing for winter

Dahlias do not overwinter in open ground. In the fall, after the above-ground part dies off (usually after the first frost), the root tubers are dug up and placed in storage.

You need to dig up the tubers on the first day when the air temperature is above zero, because if there is a delay, the buds may wake up and cause the tuber to rot. Before digging, the stems are cut with garden pruners at a distance of 3-4 cm from the root collar, and then the nests are removed from the soil using a fork or shovel. The tubers are laid out in boxes and placed in a cool, damp room for several weeks (+8 degrees with a humidity of 80%).

After 2-3 weeks, the nests are cleared of small roots and old tubers, the cuts are processed, and placed in boxes for storage. The bottom of the boxes is covered with a 3 cm layer of earth, then the tubers are laid out and covered with earth. Store the boxes at a temperature of 1-7 degrees Celsius and high air humidity (80-100%).

You can also store tubers by treating them with a clay mash. Cleaned root tubers are washed under running water, dried in the sun, dipped in a mash and dried again. The resulting “dragées” are sent for storage until spring.

Bush formation

In the case when dahlias propagated by tubers, it is recommended to leave the two strongest shoots of each seedling, removing all the others as early as possible. Cuttings are grown, as a rule, in one stem, sometimes pinching the top above the third internode to make the bush fuller.

For large-flowered varieties, a mandatory measure is the regular and complete removal of all stepsons formed on the stem - side shoots in the leaf axils. This is done as early as possible and as close to the stem as possible. If the stepsons are not removed, especially on the lower part of the stem, then the growth of dahlias slows down, flowering is reduced, and the size of the flowers decreases. In addition, stepsons located close to the ground often break off, and fungal infections can easily occur at the break site, which will cause the death of the entire plant.

Removal of stepchildren is carried out regularly, from the moment of planting until the buds are formed. The side shoots are removed up to the internode preceding the one where the bud formed.

Important! Dwarf, pompom, collared and small-flowered types of dahlias do not take stepson.

Quite a few types and varieties of dahlias require removal of not only stepsons, but also buds. This is especially true for those plants that are grown for further cutting or participation in exhibitions.

As a rule, buds on dahlia stems are formed in groups of three. The middle bud usually develops faster than the others, but at the same time it has a short peduncle, which is not very convenient for cutting. Therefore, the central bud is removed, after which the remaining two develop faster, have a longer peduncle and are distinguished by lush flowering.

During the flowering period, to preserve the decorative appearance of the plant, faded inflorescences, which spoil the appearance of the bush, should be removed daily.

Formation of low-growing bushes

Almost all varieties of dahlias are tall - from 160 cm and above. If you need to get a low-growing plant, you need to follow this algorithm:

1. At the end of February, parts of the tubers are planted in nutritious soil and placed in a well-lit place at a temperature not lower than +15-20 degrees.
2. After the appearance of shoots, 1-2, the strongest ones, are left. The rest can be used as cuttings.
3. Above the fourth pair of leaves of the bush, pinch the top.
4. As a result, two stems develop from one, each of them is pinched back again after the second pair of leaves.

With this pinching system, the bush does not grow more than 1 meter in height. The planting of such dahlias is carried out according to the general scheme.

Reproduction and preparation of tubers for planting

Dahlias are propagated by seeds, cuttings or parts of tubers. Since it is quite simple to grow dahlias from tubers, getting 3-5 new ones from one tuber, this method is the most common. Root tubers dug up in the fall begin to be prepared for planting in early April. To do this, they are kept for 10 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate and left in a warm, well-lit room for about a week.

As soon as sprouts 7-9 mm long appear on the tubers, you can begin dividing. One medium tuber can usually be divided into 3-5 parts. It is important to ensure that there are at least 2 buds left on each division. For division, use a sharp knife, acting very carefully so as not to damage the root collar.

The prepared parts of the tubers are planted for germination in boxes with a mixture of sawdust, peat, river sand and humus. They sit in these boxes until the onset of stable warmth without return frosts, when they are transplanted into open ground.

Propagation by cuttings

It is recommended to replace old tubers with new ones obtained from germinated cuttings every two years. Cuttings of dahlias allows you to renew planting material while preserving the varietal characteristics of the mother plant.

For renewal, the healthiest tuber that best matches the characteristics of the variety is selected and planted in nutritious soil at a third of its height. After some time, shoots begin to appear. When they reach a height of 2 cm, they are cut off and placed for rooting.

You can root cuttings in water or in a substrate. To speed up root formation, it is recommended to treat them with stimulants. Pots or containers with cuttings are covered with film and placed in a warm, bright place.

Important! The mother tuber will produce new shoots after some time. In total, up to 30 cuttings can be taken from it.

Propagation by seeds

As a rule, dahlias are grown from seeds as an annual crop. They can be planted as seedlings or directly sown in open ground.

To obtain seedlings, seeds are sown in early April in loose soil, the containers are covered with film or glass. Shoots appear already on days 4-7. Two weeks after the emergence of seedlings, they are planted in separate pots. Strong and pre-hardened seedlings are planted in open ground after the end of night frosts, keeping a distance of 20-25 cm between plants.

When sown in the ground, the seedlings will need to be thinned out to provide the plants with room to grow. Dahlias are sown in May, after the threat of night frosts has passed. The crops will bloom only towards the end of August.

The most striking representatives of annuals are pompon dahlias, varieties “Gellery”, “Sylvia”, “Jolly Fellows”; they are grown from seeds using the same technology.

Despite the fact that dahlias require quite a lot of attention and participation from the gardener, their bright and lush flowering will decorate any flower bed. With some effort, you can admire the luxurious inflorescences until the first frost.