Let’s Talk Dahlias
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Dahlias are grown from tubers, which are essentially “bulbs”. The plant makes more tubers throughout the season that can become next year’s tubers.
Dahlia tubers are a lot like potatoes - you plant one tuber and end up with many more at the end of the season. We don’t recommend eating them though!
At the end of the season, if you need to dig up your tuber because you live in zone 7 or below, you can actually carefully cut apart the bunch of tubers that developed. Each tuber that has an “eye” can grow into a whole new plant.
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Dahlias peak from Mid-Summer, which is later than a lot of other flowers making them a great way to extend your summer flower displays.
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Dahlias bloom best when they are planted in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. The tubers should also be 12-18 inches apart.
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Dig a hole 4” deep, add approximately 2 inches of soil back to the hole. Plant the tubers, keeping the stem(s) or sprouts upright. The top of the tubers, where the sprout emerge, should be positioned no more than 1-2” below the soil surface. Backfill the hole with soil.
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The best is to water deeply once or twice per week. Mulching around the base of the plants will help reduce moisture loss and keep the roots cooler.
Some say dahlias are heavy feeders when it comes to fertilizer some say differently. The best is to have as much organic matter in your soil. Its been studied that is where they thrive the most.
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There are two crucial steps to ensure maximum bloom development.
A.) Pinching. From the ground up cut the top of the plant off at the 4th or 5th set of leaves. This will trigger the plant to produce more side branches and in result more blooms.
2.) Deadheading. Dahlias are EXCELLENT cut flowers for vases and arrangements so be sure to cut your blooms. Be sure to remove any blooms that are showing signs of dying throughout the season to prevent the plant from redirecting its energy into making seeds instead of flowers. .
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For some of you yes! For some no…
If you live in hardy zone 8 or higher you can leave your tubers in the ground as your winters are not cold enough to damage them.
If you live in zone 7 or lower you will need to dig up your tubers each year since the winter months are too cold.
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When you dig up the tubers is the a good opportunity to cut apart the individual tubers so you have even more dahlias next year. Just store your tubers in a cool dry space that stays around 40-45ºF, such as a garage. Put them in wood or plastic crates with ever so slightly moistened vermiculite, sand, wood shavings, or shredded newspaper. Keep them separated within the crates and check to make sure there is some moisture in there a few times throughout the winter.
