When can I plant sprouted dahlias. Dahlias planting and care in the open field in autumn. Features of growing dahlias from tubers

Dahlias are amazingly beautiful flowers that 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 the northern regions to the south. We are so used to them that we can’t even believe that we brought dahlias to our mainland from Central America, like potatoes, sunflower tobacco and other crops.

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

It is better for planting dahlias in your garden to buy in stores and markets not seeds, but rhizomes. Alternatively, you can order the desired planting material from catalogs in online stores - but there you will already have to deal with the goods that will be delivered, without the opportunity to see and touch them in advance.

And be sure to feel the tubers. This is the only way to feel how elastic they are or vice versa, dried up. This applies to those cases when they buy rhizomes in plastic packaging. Such bags, along with tubers, contain a small amount of substrate, so it may be difficult to identify shoots or buds, they can be covered. But even a simple touch 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 up while planting nearby and immediately tie the flower up.

Preparing root tubers for planting

Dahlias are perennials, but not all species are left in the soil for the winter. And in some varieties, it is even impractical to preserve tubers: this applies to semi-double and non-double varieties (short and medium-sized), easily propagated by seeds. Therefore, such dahlias are also called annuals. In these flowers, small nodules grow on the root system by autumn, they are suitable as planting material, but flower growers prefer to sow seeds for growing such varieties and then plant seedlings grown from them. If you have purchased tubers or will plant your dug out in the fall, they must first be prepared.

If germinated rhizomes are bought in plastic or paper cups, they will simply need to be planted in a flower bed. If the tubers are in a package with a filler, they must be removed from there and processed. Open the package carefully so as not to damage the dahlia tissue, then carefully remove the tuber and shake off the filler.

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

Dahlia tubers, which after digging overwintered at home from autumn to March, should be awakened to life before planting in open ground, and this should be done gradually. Planting material is stored in cellars and basements, in the cold. The rhizomes cannot be immediately brought into heat, stepwise temperature adaptation is necessary: first, dahlias must be brought from the cold storage to an unheated veranda or to another place where it will be a little warmer, but not frankly 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 overburden in which they were stored, each should be carefully examined for shrunken and rotten parts. These places are carefully cut out with a sharp knife or scalpel, and the cut points are sprinkled with charcoal or activated charcoal tablets crushed into powder. It is not necessary to remove last year's stem.

Before planting, the treated tubers are washed from coal and dried, added dropwise to a third with a nutritious soil substrate and, after watering, put in heat. Water the tubers as the substrate dries out. The sorting of the grown rhizomes is carried out after 2-3 weeks, depending on the germination, and the strongest shoots are transplanted into boxes to grow.

When to plant outdoors

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

relatively short growing season;
increased needs of plants in 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 it gets colder, covering insulation devices are placed over the plants - ordinary plastic bags, plastic cut bottles, and old buckets are suitable for this.

In the Urals

The warm but short Ural summer is best suited for early flowering dahlias that bloom in the first half of July. They are planted in the second half of May, but not before a constant warm temperature is established. If frost could not be avoided, a continuous film coating should be used.

Good rooting of dahlias is possible only in well-heated soil. The optimal conditions for planting dahlias in Siberia come in May, when the soil temperature reaches 10°C and the air temperature reaches 20-22°C. It should be borne in mind that the process of warming up the soil in this region is slow, 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 throughout the 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 (in case of unfavorable forecasts, the dates may be postponed to the first ten days of June).

Ukrainian flower growers start planting germinated dahlia tubers on beds and flower beds quite early when compared with central Russia: sometimes both the earth and the air are already warm enough by the end of April to start planting rhizomes. But more often it happens in the first decade of May, on the May holidays.

According to the lunar calendar 2019

For those who are guided by the phases of the moon during planting: 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 place, and the frequency of planting, and tillage. You need to be able to form a bush so that it reveals all the beauty of its flowering, and in time to process the soil and the plant from pests and diseases. And it is advisable to immediately draw a planting plan so that the ascended flowers please the eye with a whole harmonious composition, and do not create the impression of plants that have accidentally grown in the garden.

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

fruit trees;
protective plant strips of trees and shrubs;
buildings.

The site must be flat or on a gentle slope. Lowlands, valleys and hollows are not suitable for dahlias, as cold air “flows” there and flowers can suffer from late frosts there. 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 flower and park landscape, a place is chosen where they receive sunshine for at least half a day. It is impossible to plant tubers under trees with a spreading crown and in close proximity to any trees, since their root system will not be able to fight the woody one.

Groundwater should be no higher than 60 cm, otherwise drainage systems from the site are required.

It is necessary to dig up the site in the fall, while not leveling the dug up earth and not smashing large earthen clods with a rake. This soil structure:

delays snow in the spring;
contributes to the complete decay of small plant areas, which enriches the soil with organic fertilizers.

Under digging in the fall, compost and humus are introduced.

In the spring, the dug-up area is leveled with a rake, if necessary, the depleted soil is ennobled: 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. The acidity is removed by adding lime. The soil for this flower culture should be loose, lush, "breathing".

On the fluffy ground, holes are cut with the expectation that their diameter exceeds the diameter of the rhizome by 5 cm - the dahlia should not be cramped. The same applies to frequency: there should be at least 50 cm between the holes if they 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 added to each hole.

When planting, the neck can be deepened no more than 5 cm into the soil, otherwise the dahlia will not grow well or the whole will go into a bush.

Medium and tall flowers should be provided with support immediately when planting tubers: if a peg is dug in during planting, the dahlia root system will not be affected. A 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, bushes must be formed. In low-growing varieties, pinching is carried out at the stage of 3-4 leaves, and on seedlings of tall and medium-sized varieties, this process begins immediately after planting.

No more than three shoots should remain on the seedling. As it grows, shoots are pinched and the central inflorescence is plucked out.

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

When August comes, dahlia bushes should be spudded. And during the autumn flowering, the lower leaves are cut off and faded inflorescences are removed.

Fungicide treatment 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 and pests are affected - aphids, flower beetles, slobber-pennitsa. Insecticides are used against them.

Experienced flower growers are advised to divide (cut) 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 division is kept in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes and then planted.

Cutting causes a wound reaction and a subsequent sharp increase in protective functions and rejuvenation of the tuber.
When dividing the rhizome, you can fully see the damaged and non-viable areas, rotten and dried up.
This allows the variety to propagate.

Growing perennial dahlias - from planting: video

Caring for dahlias is simple, and much depends on the correct planting of this flower in the spring in the ground. Differences in technology are minimal, the subtleties depend on the region where the flowers are planted, and species characteristics (tall). When the tubers are provided with all the necessary conditions, a healthy and beautiful flower will grow, which will delight the eye and give a lot of positive emotions.

Dahlias are very showy flowers with large and bright buds. They bloom for a long time and have a special memorable aroma. The culture propagates mainly by tubers, which, by the way, are dug up for the winter and planted again in the spring. Therefore, planting in the spring is one of the key points in growing dahlias.

Features of growing dahlias from tubers

This is the most common way to propagate and grow perennial dahlias. Their rhizomes consist of several tubers fused at the stem. In some varieties, they are elongated and thin, like carrots, in others, they are rounded, like potatoes.

The rhizome of a dahlia consists of several tubers fused with root necks.

These tubers are juicy and fragile. Hence the features and disadvantages of growing:

Protect rhizomes from mechanical damage that they can receive during digging, transportation, germination, division, planting.
Treat each wound on the tubers with an antiseptic or fungicide to prevent possible infection with rot and other fungi.
Do not allow waterlogging and drying out. In the first case, the tubers rot, in the second, they wither and mummify.
Both the roots and shoots of this plant are afraid of frost, which significantly reduces the growing season. Therefore, be sure to germinate dahlia tubers before planting.

However, it is still easier and more reliable to propagate a dahlia rhizome than cuttings, grafting or seeds. Inside each juicy tuber, a supply of nutrition and moisture is stored. If there is at least one bud on it, then the shoot will definitely grow, it will bloom already this year. Flowers will have all the characteristics of the variety to which they belong.

When is the time to plant tubers in spring?

They start planting dahlias when the threat of spring frosts has passed, and the soil warms up to +10 ... +15 ° C. In different regions, this period falls on different dates, for example, in the Krasnodar Territory it is the end of March - April, the Rostov Region - the beginning of May, the middle lane - the end of May - the beginning of June, Siberia, Primorye, the mountainous Urals - the beginning of June. Even within the region there are late and early springs, the dates can be shifted.

Some gardeners are guided by folk signs. Dahlias are planted after the bird cherry blossoms and at the same time or after the mass planting of potatoes, and then under a temporary shelter in case of a possible frost. If you want to do without shelter at all, then plant dahlias in early summer, and begin to germinate their tubers 1-2 months before that.

Proper tuber preparation

Dahlia rhizomes are taken out of cold storage at least 2 weeks before planting to awaken the buds and a maximum of 2 months for the germination of late varieties and early flowering of medium and late. If you buy planting material in a store or market, then do it in the fall, when the rhizomes are just dug out of the ground and still fresh. Store them on their own until spring. When buying tubers must be:

resilient, not flabby and not dried out;
without traces of rot or mold;
without damage;
with root collar and stem remnant.

Tubers that break off from the stem do not germinate. They don't have eyes like potatoes. The buds are laid only in the upper part, which they hold on to the stem (root collar).

One tuber can be planted, it will sprout if its upper part is intact - the root collar, it has a kidney

Stages of preparation of planting material for dahlias:

Bring the rhizomes from cold to warm gradually: first, hold for 1-2 days in a cool place, for example, in a corridor, near a balcony door, etc.
Rinse under running water at room temperature.
Etch in a solution of potassium permanganate, copper sulfate (1 tsp per 10 liters of water) or any fungicide according to the instructions. Let the water drain, dry.
For germination, prepare boxes, trays, plastic bags, basins, etc. Drainage holes are required to prevent stagnation of water at the bottom and rotting of tubers.
Sprinkle a thin layer of loose substrate, lay the rhizomes and cover from above so that the root collar remains open. Suitable wet sawdust, peat, coconut fiber, sand.
Place containers with sprinkled roots in a bright and warm place (+18 ... +20 ° C).
Moisten the substrate periodically, but do not flood.
After 2 weeks, the kidneys wake up, you can start dividing and planting.

Tubers are covered with a moist substrate and germinated in the light.

By the number of buds, it will be seen: how many stems each rhizome will give. Do not think that the more of them, the more magnificent the bush and the more abundant the flowering. Quite the opposite - numerous stems crowd each other, spend energy on competition for light, water and food, so flowering is scarce.

If 4-5 or more buds woke up on the rhizome, then it makes sense to divide it into parts with 1-2 buds on each. In this case, the cuts must be made, capturing the stem in order to preserve the root collars.

Too dense rhizomes can be difficult to divide without injuring the tubers. Powder all cuts with crushed coal or cover with green paint.

Video: division of dahlia roots

If the heat is still far away, you need grown shoots for early flowering, then plant the tubers temporarily in pots or buckets with nutrient soil mixture. Once every 10 days, but no later than a week before planting, feed with a complex universal mixture, such as Fertiki Lux.

Planting dahlias in open ground

A place for dahlias is chosen sunny or partial shade. Do not plant flowers under a blank fence or in a lowland where the earth dries out for a long time after rains and watering. The planting pattern depends on the variety. Tall ones are planted at a distance of 70–80 cm from each other, undersized ones - 30–50 cm, up to 1 m is left between rows. The exact scheme can be found on the Internet, in the description of your variety, or on the packaging if the tubers were bought in a store.

This package indicates the distance between plants - 30 cm

How to plant dahlias:

Make a hole the size of the rhizome.
Put 1-2 handfuls of humus on the bottom and mix with the soil.
Place the roots in the hole, while the lower part of the regrown shoots should be in the ground. Cover with soil, constantly shaking the rhizome so that lumps of earth fall between the tubers and there are no voids.
While you can see the borders of the rhizome, drive in pegs for garter tall bushes.
Water and add more soil if it has sagged.
Mulch the hole.

Video: planting sprouted dahlias

How to care after planting

In the heat, when there is no rain, dahlias should be watered 1–2 times a week so as to wet the ground to a depth of 30–40 cm. And if a mulch with a thickness of 5 cm or more is laid, then watering can be less frequent, as the soil dries up under it. You also need top dressing twice a month:

before the appearance of buds - with a predominance of nitrogen, it can be watered with infusions of mullein, droppings, nettles or a solution of urea, ammonium nitrate (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water);
from the moment the buds were put forward - complex with microelements, they are sold with a mark on the labels "for garden flowers".

Protect dahlias from diseases with fungicides, and from pests with insecticides. Tie and shape tall varieties:

Leave 3-4 stems in one bush, remove the extra (weak) ones.
Pinch the stems over 4-5 pairs of leaves.
When stepchildren appear, remove those that have grown from the two lower sinuses, leave the upper ones.

Prune dead buds during flowering. In autumn, after the first frost, cut the stems, dig up the rhizomes and store them in the cellar until spring.

Video: how to dig and store dahlias

Problems after landing or transplanting

Dahlias can wither, bloom poorly or not at all for several reasons:

Planted in the shade, the stems stretched out, the bushes do not have enough strength to bloom.
The roots are flooded with excessive watering or rain, rot, and behind them the bush dies.
It is hot, there is no watering, the bushes dry out.
They did not remove the extra stepchildren and stems, thickets grew from the tops, which absorbs a lot of nutrition from the ground, there is no longer enough time or energy for flowering.
The bushes were overfed with nitrogen fertilizers, there is food for the stems and leaves, but not for flowering.
Diseases and pests attacked, they pump out juices, plants do not heal.
There were not enough warm days: the variety is late, but the germination and planting were delayed.

These problems will not be if you follow the rules of planting and care already outlined above. As for the lack of flowering, it is usually expected until the end of summer - autumn, when it is too late to do anything. Identify your mistakes and do not make them in the future, then you will be able to grow real beauty.

Dahlias are demanding already at the landing stage. But from this they become even dearer and sweeter to the heart. If everything is done correctly, then the bushes will bloom for a long time and beautifully to the envy of all the neighbors and to the joy of you.

Currently, there are more than 40 natural species of dahlias. On their basis, breeders around the world have bred several thousand very beautiful hybrid varieties with unusual inflorescences. Of the most common varieties grown in garden plots, the following can be mentioned:

Astro-shaped dahlias - inflorescences have several rows of extreme flowers and a middle, which is formed by elongated, large tubular petals. Their diameter can reach 10 centimeters, height up to 1 meter. The inflorescences have several rows of extreme flowers and a middle, which is formed by elongated, large tubular petals.
Spherical dahlias - inflorescences have a terry flattened shape and reach from 10 to 15 centimeters in diameter and from 80 to 120 centimeters in height. The inflorescences have a terry flattened shape
Peony dahlias - inflorescences consist of a large number of extreme flowers, arranged in several rows, the core is tubular. The diameter ranges from 12 to 17 centimeters, and the height ranges from 70 to 120 centimeters. The inflorescences consist of a large number of extreme flowers
Cactus dahlias - a double inflorescence formed by numerous narrow and pointed petals has a diameter of 8 to 10 centimeters and a height of 90 to 150 centimeters. A double inflorescence is formed by numerous narrow and pointed petals

Dahlias can be annual or perennial. According to the size of the bush they are divided into:

Giant - above 25 centimeters; ;
Large - from 20 to 25 centimeters;
Medium - from 15 to 20 centimeters;
Small - from 10 to 15 centimeters;
Dwarf - below 10 centimeters.

For growing dahlias, you should select a flat place, well lit and protected from the winds. Therefore, they are best planted near buildings or small shrubs. Neighborhood next to large trees that will draw a large amount of nutrients and moisture from the soil is not recommended.

The soil in the selected area should be loose, well permeable and contain a sufficient amount of nutrients. This is required for abundant flowering and the formation of full-fledged tubers. If the soil is heavy, then when digging it is necessary to add humus, peat and coarse sand to it. If it is, on the contrary, sandy, then its composition is improved with the help of clay and compost.

How to plant dahlias with tubers

For growing dahlias, you need to choose tubers with a large number of eyes and no signs of mold and rot. They should be of medium size, as large specimens are old and small specimens are quite weak. Such tubers may not give a full-fledged bush with abundant flowering.

Although tuber-grown dahlias are considered perennial crops, they do not tolerate overwintering in the soil in most regions. Therefore, after the first frosts come, the stems of dahlias are cut off, leaving about 10 centimeters above the surface.

Then, in the morning or evening of a sunny day, you need to carefully dig the plant out of the ground, clean off the remaining soil from the tubers, rinse, soak them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, Bordeaux mixture or fungicide for about half an hour and dry thoroughly for one week.

Before sending them to the room in which they will be stored, they are sprinkled with crushed activated carbon.

For growing dahlias, you need to choose tubers with a large number of eyes.

To store dahlias in the winter in the cellar or basement, you can use various methods:

Dried and processed tubers are placed in one layer in wooden boxes or cardboard boxes filled with sand or coniferous sawdust, and completely fall asleep on top;
Wrap each tuber in cling film and place in boxes or on racks;
Place the tubers in special parchment bags filled with storage compounds;
If several varieties of dahlias are stored for storage, then it is recommended to sign the name on the containers;
The basement or cellar should be dry with good ventilation, air temperature from 1 to 10 degrees and humidity from 50 to 80 percent.

If the tubers will be stored in the apartment, then you need to make a special shell for them. To do this, melt 400 grams of paraffin and 100 grams of wax in a water bath and cool slightly. After that, dip each tuber in the resulting composition and allow the coating to harden.

The prepared planting material should be laid out in plastic bags, sprinkled with sawdust or peat, and stored in a cool place, for example, in a refrigerator in a vegetable box.

In this case, the paraffin-wax shell will prevent the evaporation of moisture from the tubers, and the low temperature will prevent them from germinating for a long time.

Division of tubers for propagation of dahlias

Dahlia tubers are not recommended to be planted as a whole, as the plants grown from them lose their decorative effect. Planting material with a sharp knife is divided into parts, each of which must contain a peephole. Sections are treated with wood ash and left to dry for several days.

After that, they are sent for germination in boxes filled with special moist, sterilized soil, this can be:

Sand with peat;
coconut substrate;
Sand with sawdust.

The laying of tubers for germination is carried out from the end of February to the beginning of May, depending on the climatic conditions of the region.

Preparing a place for dahlias

It is advisable to prepare beds for dahlias in the fall. To saturate the soil with useful substances, you need to enrich it with mineral and organic fertilizers, for example, add 30 grams of superphosphate and 2 buckets of manure per square meter.

It is also necessary to ensure that the reaction of the soil is neutral or slightly acidic. To reduce acidity, 300 grams of slaked lime is applied per square meter of soil.

After that, the site is dug up to a depth of at least 30 centimeters and carefully leveled.

It is advisable to prepare beds for dahlias in the fall

In the spring, before planting in the ground, you need to apply 30 grams of potash fertilizer per square meter of soil and loosen it deeply.

Germinated dahlia tubers are planted in the soil after the spring frosts have ended and the soil warms up to 10 degrees.

With early forcing, the first inflorescences bloom as early as June, and with good care, flowering can continue until mid-autumn.

In order to carry out the correct planting of germinated material, the following recommendations should be followed:

On the prepared site, holes are dug with a depth of 10 to 15 centimeters, depending on the size of the seedling, then they are shed with warm water;
The distance between single landings should be from 60 to 100 centimeters;
Tubers with sprouts are carefully removed from the box, placed in a hole, covered with soil;
After planting, the beds are well watered.

Flowers from seedlings

In order to grow seedlings of dahlias from seeds, you should:

Fill seedling boxes with peat-sand mixture and slightly moisten it;
Spread the seeds evenly over the surface of the soil and lightly cover with the substrate;
Landings should be covered with polyethylene film or glass and placed in a warm room with good lighting;
Boxes with seedlings should be regularly released for several hours from shelter;
With good seed quality, the first sprouts should appear a week after sowing;
After the appearance of the third leaf, the seedlings are picked into individual containers filled with a soil mixture of equal parts of soddy soil, sand and peat. It is best if they are peaty. In this case, there will be no need to remove the seedlings from them, you just need to place them in the holes along with the pot, which will dissolve in the soil.

Boxes with seedlings should be regularly released for several hours from shelter

Planting seedlings of dahlias in the soil is carried out as follows:

Two weeks before planting in open ground, dahlia seedlings begin to harden. To do this, it is taken out into the street and left for 10 minutes, gradually increasing the time to several hours;
2-3 hours before planting dahlias, seedlings are watered abundantly;
On the site, holes are prepared with a depth of 7 to 10 centimeters at a distance of at least 50 centimeters from each other;
Seedlings are distributed over the holes, covered with soil, compacted and moistened.

And from cuttings

Dahlia cuttings allow you to get a large number of seedlings from one tuber. To do this, it is planted in a box with sand and peat and moistened regularly.

After the sprouts that have appeared reach a height of about 15 centimeters, they must be carefully cut with a sharp knife above the first internode.

After that, new eyes will appear on the tuber, and new shoots will begin to grow from the sinuses of the remaining parts of the shoots, which will be ready for cutting in a few weeks. In this way, up to 30 cuttings can be obtained from one tuber. There are other cutting methods.

Dahlia cuttings allow you to get a large number of seedlings from one tuber

Cut cuttings are rooted in the usual way in seedling boxes with a nutritious soil mixture. Also, for the formation of roots, you can put the cuttings in a container of water, in which a growth stimulator is added. With the onset of suitable weather, rooted cuttings are planted in open ground.

How to grow dahlias from seeds the seedless way

In a seedless way, annual varieties of dahlias are planted. To do this, the seeds are sown directly into the ground after warm weather is established. Usually landing is carried out from mid-May to early June.

To do this, a flower bed is formed on the prepared site, shallow grooves are made on it, the seeds are evenly distributed over them at a distance of about 20 centimeters from each other, covered with a thin layer of substrate and gently watered.

The flowering of annual dahlias grown in a seedless way occurs in early August.

Caring for planted dahlias

Watering is essential for growing healthy and well developed dahlia bushes. Both perennial and annual species of these flowers need to be watered abundantly, but only after the soil dries out. With excessive waterlogging, various rots of the root system can develop, which, without timely treatment, often leads to the death of the entire plant.

For tall varieties, you need to install supports and fix growing stems on them. Otherwise, they will break, and the plant will become unsightly. As a support for dahlias, both ordinary wooden or metal stakes and decorative elements for a garden plot can be used.

Watering is essential for growing healthy and well developed dahlia bushes.

For good growth and abundant flowering, dahlias need to be regularly fed once every fortnight. In this case, the alternation of mineral fertilizers and organic matter is recommended. To do this, you can use a solution of superphosphate at the rate of 50 grams per 20 liters of water.

For organic feeding, 1 kilogram of mullein is bred in 10 liters of water, or 1 kilogram of bird droppings is dissolved in 20 liters of water. Under each plant, 1 liter of the indicated nutrient compositions is poured.

It is recommended to water the plants a few hours before fertilizing.

In rainy weather or with dense planting, dahlias may begin to rot the root system. Outwardly, this can be seen from the withering stems with traces of rot. In this case, the affected leaves and other parts must be removed from the plant.

After that, you need to spray the bushes with a fungicide solution and spill the soil on them. Also, dahlias are often damaged by aphids, thrips and Colorado potato beetles, which suck out a large amount of nutrients from them.

If insects are found, it is necessary to immediately treat the plants with an infusion of garlic or onions. In especially severe cases, an insecticide solution is used.

pasynkovanie

In order for the dahlia bushes to have an attractive compact appearance, they are stepchildren

In order for the dahlia bushes to have an attractive compact appearance, they are stepchildren, leaving three shoots and two buds on each peduncle on the plants. In tall varieties, side shoots are removed. This contributes to the formation of larger and brighter inflorescences.

Of course, dahlias cannot be called completely unpretentious plants. But, having studied the rules for their maintenance, you can continue to spend a minimum amount of time and effort on caring for them. At the same time, many modern hybrid varieties of these plants make it possible to create the most diverse and original compositions on the garden plot.

Source: https://babushkinadacha.ru/cvety/sadovye/kak-sazhat-georginyi.html

Planting dahlias in the spring in the ground

dahlia flowers

If your collection does not yet have dahlias, then I advise you to immediately purchase them. Dahlia will decorate any plot or flower bed, will delight you with long flowering and chic flowers.

The plant responds to care and care with grateful growth and an abundance of buds.

In the assortment of stores you can always find for yourself any color and size of a flower, the volume of buds, the height of the bush, and the easy care and unpretentiousness of the dahlia will make it your favorite.

Preparation of dahlias before planting in the spring in the ground

A few words about how dahlias are grown in our climate. In our latitudes, dahlias are grown as a seasonal plant. There are annual and perennial dahlias. Dahlias do not tolerate sub-zero temperatures and even a temperature of 0 ° C negatively affects them.

The tubers of the plant are dug up in autumn and stored until spring in basements, cool rooms, balconies, or in the spring they purchase planting material in stores. Planting material is tubers (rhizome) or seeds. Consider each option for preparing dahlias before planting.

In the Southern regions, dahlias can be planted in open ground without germination. It is enough to treat the tubers with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dry for several days. If the rhizome is large, it must be divided, processed sections and dried wounds for a week. How to properly divide dahlia tubers, read the article below.

Dahlias are planted in open ground after the threat of the last frost has passed, therefore, we begin germination 2 weeks before the expected planting date.

Preparation for planting overwintered dahlia tubers in pots or containers, sawdust, etc.

If you got dahlia tubers from your friends who overwintered in a box, pot or in any other way indoors, you are most likely tormented by the question of what to do with them next.

Dahlia tubers

You need to start preparing and germinating dahlia tubers in the spring from early April to mid-May, depending on the weather conditions in your region.

Step one: Inspect and process dahlia tubers

Planting material you have to prepare for landing in the ground. To do this, remove the dahlia tubers and inspect them. Remove any missing tubers, remnants of earth and old roots. Old roots are not needed, the plant renews the root system (grows a new one) every season.

If you doubt the health of dahlia nodules, treat them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. To do this, we make a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate and immerse all planting material in it for 30 minutes. Then dry the tubers on paper until completely dry.

If you notice worm bugs and characteristic damage on the nodules, treat additionally with pesticides.

Step Two: Preparing Dahlia Tubers for Sprouting and Dividing

Now the dahlia tubers are ready for further action. If the rhizome is large and has already awakened buds on the basal necks, such a bush can already be divided.

If the dahlia rhizomes are not divided for a long time, varietal characteristics degenerate, the flowers become smaller.

If there are no buds on the tubers, you need to wait for them to appear and only after that we proceed to the division of dahlia tubers. To do this, we place the processed tubers in a warm, lit place. For germination, we select a container or box and pour peat, garden soil or sand into it and lay the tubers on top.

Dahlia tuber before dividing

If the tubers are dry, you can wet the cloth and wrap the tubers in it and moisten the cloth. When sprouts appear, we proceed to the division of the tuber. We germinate at a temperature of about 20 ° C.

What to do if dahlia nodules are purchased in a store

Before buying a plant, make sure that the dahlia tuber is suitable for planting. Through the transparent packaging, inspect it for rot or shrinkage. There should be no sprouts on the dahlia tuber. in the process of preparation, they are easy to break, they may not survive until the planting season (if you purchase the plant in advance).

As a rule, such tubers do not require treatment from pests and fungi. Producers complete individual nodules, they do not need to be divided. If the season has come, feel free to send them for germination, to a bright place with constant moistening of the nodules. If the purchased tuber turned out to be very dry, wrap it in a damp cloth.

We germinate at a temperature of about 20 ° C.

Germination of dahlia tubers

You can not soak dry tubers in water and wait until they "get drunk" and become dense.

Division of dahlia tubers. How to properly divide a dahlia tuber

The division of the rhizome of the dahlia contributes to the rejuvenation of the bush and its resistance to diseases. A large rhizome will give a lot of shoots, which will lead to a dense bush at the expense of flowering.

The division of dahlia tubers begins after the appearance of buds, i.e. after sprouting dahlia tubers at home or if you bought a large rhizome with awakened buds in the store.

You need to share with a disinfected sharp instrument. We divide the tubers so that there are 2-3 nodules per 1-2 buds. This will be enough to feed the plant.

Then this tuber, like a potato tuber, will disappear, and the plant will form new ones, and they will accumulate nutrients for the upcoming wintering. Sections after dividing dahlia tubers should be treated with brilliant green, garden pitch or crushed with an activated charcoal tablet.

After division, nodules with eyes can be sent further for growing or, if the weather permits, immediately to a permanent location in the open field.

How to divide a dahlia tuber

Propagation of dahlias by cuttings in spring

To get dahlia cuttings in the spring, a tuber that has not yet been divided must be placed in a container with a prepared sand mixture. To do this, take 2 parts of sand and 1 part of earth, mix and pour into a container. We place the tuber in the container and drop it to the root collar. We leave the root neck with buds above the soil surface.

Planting dahlia tubers on cuttings

To obtain cuttings, they begin to germinate from the end of January and continue to take cuttings until these tubers are planted in open ground. Cuttings that have reached 7-8 cm are carefully separated at the very base of the root collar and rooted in a separate container or individual containers or cups.

Dahlia cutting for rooting

For vegetative propagation of dahlia, as a substrate, purchased soil with the addition of humus is suitable. In the container for the cuttings, first we pour the soil, and then with a layer of 3-4 cm sand, into which we deepen the cuttings.

For better rooting, we cover the containers with a film or use a disposable transparent bag to create a greenhouse effect. The temperature for seedlings is about + 20 ° C.

When you have prepared enough cuttings, the uterine tuber must be removed from the container and divided and prepared for planting in open ground.

Rooted cuttings are planted outdoors after the threat of night frost has passed.

Planting dahlia seeds for seedlings

Dahlia can be propagated by seeds. To get dahlia seedlings from seeds, you need to start therefore in the month of March. Seeds are propagated if the varietal characteristics of the plant are unprincipled, there is a desire to breed a new variety or simply “sporting interest” in growing with seeds. For sowing seeds, nutrient soil is prepared.

To do this, take equal parts of garden soil, sod land, humus, peat. Sow the seeds in a container and sprinkle with earth. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle and cover with a bag or glass. Dahlia seeds germinate fairly quickly. After the appearance of two true leaves, the seedlings dive into disposable cups.

Young plants are watered and grown in cups until suitable temperatures, after which they are planted in open ground.

In the southern regions, we allow sowing seeds immediately in open ground. Sow seeds in mid-April. Before sowing, the seeds must be soaked in water for a couple of days.

Dahlia - planting and care in the open field

Prepared tubers or rooted cuttings are planted in open ground when the daytime temperature does not fall below + 14-15 ° C. Prepare in advance the place where the flowers will grow.

It is desirable that the place be new every year. So spores of fungi and rot will not accumulate and infect tubers.

Dig a hole 30 cm in size so that the rhizome is free. At the bottom of the hole, you can add humus to feed the plant and sand for better drainage. For tall bushes, we pre-install a support to which the bush will be tied. The depth of the hole should be such that 5 cm remains from the neck of the tuber with buds to the top of the hole.

The tubers are arranged horizontally, sprinkled with earth on top with a layer of 4-5 cm. When dahlia shoots appear, leave 2-3 strong sprouts, carefully remove the rest. If you leave all the shoots, this will lead to an increase in green mass and thickening of the bush to the detriment of flowering.

Two or three shoots will develop better, the trunks will be thicker and flowering will be abundant.

For rooted dahlia cuttings, it is enough to make a hole slightly larger than the container in which they are located. Add humus and sand to the bottom of the hole, mix with the soil from the hole and slightly compact. We take out the stalk along with a clod of earth from the container and place it in the hole.

It is not necessary to deepen it, we place a clod of earth almost on a level with the top of the hole in order to lightly sprinkle it with earth. We install a support for a garter of a dahlia. Water well and after the water is completely absorbed, sprinkle a thin layer of dry earth on top. If the weather has not yet settled, the plant needs to be sheltered from the cold at night.

To do this, use any means at hand, or until the dahlias get stronger, for the first time, you can install a shelter made of non-woven fabric, which are sold in specialized stores or build yourself. To do this, stick wooden twigs or metal tubes around the hole with the plant and stretch a piece of non-woven fabric around them.

You can fasten the edges together using a regular stapler or a needle and thread. Top dressing starts 2-3 weeks after planting.

If there are many rhizomes for planting, we plant according to the following scheme: between tall bushes we leave a distance between bushes of 60-80 cm, between undersized 30-40 cm.

Follow-up care consists of watering and keeping the soil moist. Mulching the soil will have a good effect on the condition of the plant.

Attention! After planting, be careful with weeding and other work near the hole. You may not notice the unsprouted sprouts underground and damage them.

Large-flowered varieties require pinching. Proper pinching of dahlias will reveal all the beauty of varietal flowering. If we neglect this, we get a large number of buds to the detriment of the size of the flower.

Top dressing dahlia

Feeding dahlias begins 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 introduce ammonium nitrate into the soil (15 grams per 1 sq.m). Before flowering, we stop applying nitrogen-containing fertilizers, replacing them with potash and superphosphate ones.

When to dig up dahlias? How to store dahlias in winter?

As described earlier, it all depends on the region. Even if it's cold outside and the calendar says it's time to dig, but the plants feel good, green and vigorous, it means it's too early to dig. We dig up the tubers when the tops turn black from frost or fade on their own. We cut off the trunks, leaving stumps of 10 cm.

We clean the tubers from the ground and soak in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. We dry the tubers for a week or two at a temperature of about + 10 ° and high humidity. It is better to store dahlia tubers in the winter in the basement, where the temperature does not fall below 0 ° and the average air humidity. If there is no basement, you can store the tubers on the balcony or loggia, moistening them if necessary.

Dry sawdust can be poured into a container or bag in which the rhizomes will be stored.

Storage of dahlia tubers

Important! No need to tie a bag or cover a container with nodules, air access is your best friend in the prevention and control of mold and rot.

Diseases and pests of dahlia

Most of all, dahlias are susceptible to the following diseases: fungal, viral, bacterial.

Black leg - a dark coating forms at the base of the stem and the stem becomes thinner. To prevent disease, dahlia tubers are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate before planting.

If the plant grows in one place for the second year, it is recommended to process the soil in the hole and next to it.

If you find the first signs of the disease, you urgently need to shed the bush with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or another drug for fungal diseases.

Dry rot - this disease can affect the tubers of the plant during the growth or storage stage. If most of the tuber is affected by the disease, the dahlia tuber must be removed completely, if the lesion is small, only part of the tuber should be removed to a healthy place and treated with any drug for this disease.

Powdery mildew - appears as a white coating on the leaves of the plant. Appears from unfavorable growing conditions, such as dry air or sudden changes in temperature.

To get rid of the disease, a soapy solution along with copper sulfate will help you. For 1 liter of water we take 20 grams of laundry soap and 2 grams of copper sulfate, spray it on the sheet.

Repeat spraying in a week.

Insect pests: It is affected by aphids, nematodes, slugs, thrips, bedbugs, wireworms.

To prevent damage to the plant by slugs, you need to carefully monitor the thinning of dahlias. In time, remove the lower leaves and extra stems. We do not recommend thickening the plantings. this creates a moist environment favorable for slugs to breed.

Garlic infusion helps well against aphids, spray it on the leaf with this solution. If plant damage is severe, insecticides should be used.

Formation of a dahlia bush video

Source: https://cvety-tyt.ru/vyrashhivanie-klubnevyh-rastenij/posadka-georginy-vesnoj-v-grunt/

How to plant dahlias in spring

Before planting dahlias in open ground, it is necessary to carry out a number of preliminary measures. It is necessary to plant dahlias only when steady heat sets in, and unprepared plants can bloom late. Tuberous dahlias are popular perennials, and the question of how to plant them properly is of concern to many.

Spring work consists of certain stages. Bought or own
planting flower material is checked for the presence of buds, then the roots are divided. Then they are planted in the substrate for growing. The process of landing in the garden is also carried out according to certain rules.

We get dahlias from storage

Some gardeners want to make life easier in the spring and do not touch the dahlias until the very landing. Unprepared plants bloom late - closer to autumn. For some varieties, and even with heavy maturation of the root system, this option is not suitable.

Dahlia tubers stored in the underground or basement (this is how they and chrysanthemums winter in many in our country) are taken out in the last decade of March or early April (in the conditions of the Middle Stripe and areas similar in climate).

Purchased seedlings of flowers until this time are stored in the cellar, refrigerator - at low positive temperatures, without excessive dampness. As a rule, by the beginning of April, even in the cellar of dahlias, they are already waking up and small seedlings near the stem become visible.

If pale shoots stretch out early, then they are broken out - after that new buds will definitely wake up.

Rejection of dahlia tubers

All rot, small dry pieces, as well as tubers hanging on damaged connecting roots are removed from the roots. Wounds can be cauterized with pharmaceutical greenery.

The most important place in a dahlia is the root collar. It is in the area of \u200b\u200bthe border of the stem and root that shoots wake up and grow. If there is no root collar or it is rotten, it is hopeless

dead creature of nature. Shoots do not grow from nodules.

Thickened tubers are also important - as a store of valuable substances. If all the tubers are rotten or hanging on broken roots, then they will no longer work. But with a strong root collar and a living thickening from below, the seedling is able to survive - if only at least one bud of the flowers wakes up.

Awakening of the buds on the roots

Heavily dried, wrinkled planting material is dead, but not always.

It makes sense to try to reanimate it: keep it in a solution of a reliable stimulant (Epin Extra, Zircon, HB-101), and then sprinkle it with a moistened substrate (coconut fiber, peat, moss, vermiculite, scalded sawdust, sometimes with the addition of sand) and keep warm ( from +20 degrees and above). They do the same if the buds on outwardly healthy roots have not yet awakened. As a rule, they hatch within a couple of spring weeks.

If the roots of dahlias were laid perfectly mature, were treated with paraffin, and retained turgor, then to awaken the kidneys, it is enough to keep them in a warm room for some time without any powder, periodically sprinkling them with water.

Root division

Huge "splashes" with a large number of awakened buds should not be planted in their original form. The optimal number of shoots on one plant is one or two, then they will be powerful.

Armed with a sharp knife, large flower roots are cut in such a way that each division has a part of the root collar with at least one bud (two or three are allowed).

Wounds are dusted with crushed charcoal.

They do otherwise with fashionable low-growing dahlias, in particular, with a modern series
Gallery. They are divided only for the purpose of reproduction.

Growing

Seedlings moved to a spring garden or country beds with already grown shoots form buds earlier and delight in flowering longer. Therefore, in April (or at the end of March), the roots of dahlias are laid for growing.

Each plant is placed in a separate container. If a large common box is used, then it is separated by partitions. The roots are sprinkled with a moist, loose substrate (as for awakening the kidneys) no higher than the level of the root collar.

Keep in a bright place, keeping the temperature at least + 20 degrees.

If three stems “shoot” from one point, then the central one (as a rule, it is shorter than the others) needs to be broken out - it is not needed. When the remaining shoots (or the only shoot) grow four pairs of leaves, pinch the tops for better branching. At
the need for reproduction, young shoots of dahlias are separated for cuttings.

When and how to plant dahlias in open ground

The timing and rules of planting are in many ways similar to tomatoes. If we plant flowers under shelter from frost, then in the second or third decade of May. Without shelter - after the tenth of June. At first, they protect (shade) from sunburn.

The day before the flowers are planted

It is desirable to plant dahlias in the wild with strong green sprouts about 10 cm high. Before that, it is advisable to carry out a weekly hardening at a temperature of +10 +15 degrees. A day before moving under the open sky, it is useful to spray the plants with a stimulant such as Epin Extra.

Planting dahlias

For low-growing varieties growing in pots, their own, special technologies operate. But now we are talking about the traditional, ground placement of dahlias in a summer cottage.

These flowers should not be planted in damp, swampy, too acidic areas. They definitely need a space that is well lit by the sun. It is even better if this place is protected from cold winds.

The distance between low-growing varieties is a quarter of a meter, medium-sized - half a meter, high - up to a meter.

Planting pits (in the form of a conditional cube measuring thirty centimeters) for flower tubers are filled with: dolomite flour (if the soil is sour) and wood ash - a handful, mature humus - a couple of good handfuls, complex mineral fertilizer (such as Fertik, 50 grams) and a little extra superphosphate (tablespoon). It would be nice to add a little sand to the loam. All this is well mixed.

We plant dahlias in such a way as to deepen the root neck by five centimeters, to hide the first internode of the stem. Then we water the earth (it is useful to add Kornevin or Gumi to the water), after a while we mulch. The best temporary shelter from the cold and the scorching sun is a covering material. It is better to throw it on some kind of support so that there is a good air gap.

(0 , average: 0 out of 5) Flowers for the garden, photos and names Storage of lily bulbs Flowers against the sky and clouds Japanese anemone, planting and care

It is not in vain that dahlias have earned the love of flower growers all over the Earth. This amazing embodiment of the sun in a plant form, loving warmth and distinguished by a variety of colors, can be planted by everyone on their site. The main thing is to find a suitable place and comply with all conditions during landing and further proper care.

And nothing complicated

Planting dahlias in open ground in the spring will not be difficult for you. The main point in this case is the competent preparation of tubers before planting. Dahlias are divided into early, middle and late. Early and medium dahlias can be planted in the ground as early as mid-March. However, this land is in a container, and not on the site, since it is still too early to plant in open ground - it is usually still cold outside at this time, and the dahlia is a heat-loving flower. By the way, the land for planting will need loose and nutritious.

With proper care, dahlias turn the site into a flowering holiday meadow.

It is thanks to planting in a container that you can count on early flowering, in contrast to direct planting in open ground. Dahlias should be planted here no earlier than May, but even here you need to be guided by the weather. Some mid and late varieties may not need to be planted in containers. They are characterized by landing straight into open ground - then they will bloom on time. Provided that the disembarkation deadlines are met.

Planting dahlias in spring (video)

It all starts, of course, with the preparation of tubers. These tubers are dug up in the fall and stored until spring, and now in the spring they are cleaned of rotten parts, after which the entire node is divided into parts, each of which consists of two tubers with sprouts. So you can get a plant with a large supply of vitality, which in the future will give a lot of buds. If the number of nodules is increased, the shoots will become smaller and will interfere with each other during growth, which will affect the result. Slices at the nodules should be sprinkled with charcoal.

E If at least one of the tubers is damaged or rotted, it can be safely disposed of so as not to endanger the rest of the tubers. Such a tuber is separated with a sharp knife, and healthy nodules are immersed for half an hour in a weak manganese solution.

After this procedure, the tubers are left without action so that they can get used to the ambient temperature and awaken the growth of new buds. This is done if the sprouts have not yet appeared. Fresh loose earth is mixed with sawdust, moistened with high quality, and the tubers are sprinkled with this mixture. Containers with tubers during this period are kept in or outdoors, avoiding direct sunlight. At night they are transferred to the house.

Depending on the variety of dahlia, the time of its planting in open ground also changes.

As soon as the temperature on the street is stable within 10-15 degrees, the time will come for planting dahlias in open ground. For planting, you can dig small grooves where the tubers will be planted at an equal distance from each other, or holes. The second option is simpler and more convenient to implement.

The distance between the bushes is selected depending on the expected growth of plants. So, for undersized dahlias, a distance of 30 cm is suitable, and for the tallest - 80 cm.

The hole is made 10 cm deep. Too much deepening of the sprouted tuber is not required. If the land is dry, it must be watered right before planting. A nodule is placed horizontally in the hole - so the dahlia can develop a good root system.

Spring flower care

Planted dahlias - give them time to adapt and do not bother over trifles. Only periodically remove weeds that pop up nearby - there is no need for competitors to flowers. Even simple watering is not required from you now. Yet in the spring there is still enough moisture in the soil. The only exception in the month of May should be made if the weather is too hot and stable. After watering, loosen the soil over the planted tubers so that they receive enough oxygen and can safely grow greens.

As soon as the shoots grow up, you have to leave only two shoots - the strongest and tallest.

Stepping will have to be carried out regularly until flowering itself - this contributes to the formation of powerful buds.

In the spring, you should not get carried away with top dressing of flowers - greenery will grow enough, but the flowers will be too small.

Photo gallery of dahlia varieties

Here are just a few of the many garden products on the market.

Variety "Midnight Moon" - pompom dahlias Variety "Lucky Nambre" ("Lucky Number") - spherical dahlias Variety "Mingus Gregory" - lace dahlias Variety "Musetta" - decorative dahlias

Some important conditions

When choosing a location, it is important to remember that shaded areas should be avoided. Of course, dahlias will grow in the shade, but at the same time they will stretch out decently and bloom poorly. And the tubers will not receive the necessary supply of nutrients and strength that will be useful next year.

Dahlias are undemanding to the soil, exposing only two conditions - a high content of nutrients and well-permeable soil.

Another important rule is that dahlias, although they are not against water, but its excess will only harm, and even more so, you can’t plant them in places where water stagnates.

Dahlias do not like neighbors with a highly developed root system. Those are able to take the substances necessary for flowers from the soil, depriving dahlias of the opportunity to fully grow and develop.

The place for dahlias should be sunny, water should not stagnate on it.

Look for a place to plant dahlias in the fall. Dig up the soil and add compost or rotted manure to it. With the onset of spring, the soil is loosened with a pitchfork, and bone meal is added to it. To protect flowers from pests such as wireworm and onion root mite, apply insecticides in the form of granules to the soil.

A solution of copper sulphate, potassium permanganate or formalin can be used if roses or fruit crops that have undergone any diseases have grown in this place up to dahlias.

Subject to all conditions, dahlias will grow strong, will not waste all their energy on greenery and will delight you with large buds that will look beautiful both on the site and in the cut. After a successful result, the dahlia will surely become one of your favorite flowers and will be included in the list of annual plantings.

Flowers dahlias (lat. Dahlia) Aster family - one of the most beautiful and long-blooming garden flowers, represented by the widest palette of colors and variety of forms. They bloom from July to the very frosts, and this is the most important thing, besides beauty, the dignity of dahlias. The first dahlia tubers were brought to Europe from Mexico at the end of the 18th century. The dahlia received its name in 1803 from the botanist Karl Wildenau, who named the dahlia plant in honor of the famous botanist, ethnographer and geographer from St. Petersburg, academician Johann Georgi. There are about thirty species and about 15,000 varieties of dahlias.

Listen to article

Planting and caring for dahlias

Landing: from the second half of May to the second half of June.
Digging: autumn, after the first frost.
Storage: at a temperature of 3-5 ˚C and air humidity of 60-70%.
Bloom: summer and autumn.
Lighting: bright sunlight.
The soil: any, but fatty garden loam of a slightly acidic or neutral reaction is preferred.
Watering: plentiful, 1-2 times a week.
Top dressing: organic and mineral every two weeks alternately.
Garter, hilling, pinching: required for tall varieties.
Reproduction: seeds, tubers.
Pests: slugs, earwigs, slobbering pennitsy, flower beetles, aphids.
Diseases: powdery mildew, bacterial canker, growth, smut, gray mold and virus mosaic.

Features of growing dahlias

The shapes, colors and varieties of dahlias are so diverse that they can be used to decorate not only flower beds, but also border lines, as well as solo, even potted plants. Dahlias are dazzlingly beautiful, but at the same time completely unpretentious. The main thing that is required for their successful growth and lush flowering is to choose the right planting site, provide the necessary soil composition, timely watering and top dressing.

You need to buy seedlings no earlier than mid-spring, and the tubers should be fleshy and strong, with already noticeable, but not tall sprouts. Soft or dry tuber is better not to take.

How to grow

Growing dahlias involves labor-intensive digging and responsible storage of tubers, but if these chores scare you, you can grow annual dahlias from seed. annual dahlias they are just as beautiful and unpretentious in culture as perennials, and their choice is quite wide: Coltness Hybrids up to 50 cm high with abundant non-double flowers of various colors; bronze leaf Redskin; terry small Rigoletto; early Figaro ... You can buy seeds and sow them in open ground in mid-May, but then they will bloom only by mid-August. If you want to achieve earlier flowering, you will have to germinate the seeds.

To do this, in the first days of April, you will need to sow dahlia seeds in greenhouses or plastic containers, using calcined sand as soil: seeds are poured onto a layer of sand, which are again sprinkled with sand on top, moistened well and covered with transparent polyethylene. It takes about ten days to germinate the seeds at a temperature of 25-27 ° C, then the sprouts need to dive into separate pots. The soil mixture should be moisture-intensive and loose, you can buy it, or you can cook it: one part of peat and sand and two parts of leafy soil. Three days before picking, the soil must be treated with a hot solution of potassium permanganate (70 °) of a dark pink color. After picking, the seedlings are watered as the soil dries. In mid-May, it can be planted in the ground.

Where to plant

You need to start preparing with landing site selection. The dahlia flower hates drafts, but requires a well-ventilated and lit place, so you need to plant dahlias in a sunny area, protected from the wind. The soil on the site should be well-drained, permeable and nutritious. Dahlias can grow in soil with a lack or excess of acidity, but a slightly acidic or neutral environment will be optimal for them. If the soil on the site is too acidic (pH 5-4), add slaked lime to it, but if the pH is more than 8.5, you can "acidify" the soil with peat.

In the fall, when digging, enrich the area allotted for dahlias with humus and compost (3-5 kg per 1 m 3). In the spring, before planting, again scatter mature compost (not leafy) and some wood ash on the site and rake it. To save dahlias from diseases and prevent them from degenerating, it is advisable to change the planting site every year, allowing the soil to rest from dahlias for at least three years. Do not plant dahlias where asters or plants prone to fungal diseases grew before them.

In the photo: Reproduction of dahlias by dividing the tuber

Preparing tubers for planting

In April, dahlia roots (tubers) should be prepared for planting: clean them from dry roots, remove damaged areas, treating all sections with brilliant green. Then the tubers are planted in a container with nutrient soil or peat so that the dahlia tubers protrude 2-3 cm above the surface, and keep them for two weeks at a temperature of at least 18 ° C in good light. As soon as the buds appear, the tubers are cut into pieces so that each has a bud with a root collar. Sometimes one tuber produces five such parts. The tubers divided into parts need to be germinated for some time in a box, and then, after removing the side shoots that have reached a height of 10 cm, planted in the soil. Cut shoots can be used as cuttings: planted in the soil, placed in a dark place and watered well. The accustomed cuttings are planted in a permanent place. The division of tubers and cuttings is carried out to increase the amount of planting material and prevent the degeneration of the plant. If you do not have such a need, you can not divide the tubers.

Planting dahlias in open ground

You can plant dahlias in the ground when the earth warms up, usually this is done in late May or early July. Holes for dahlias should be three times larger than a lump of roots (40x40x40) so that the roots of the dahlia sink into them completely and another 5-7 cm remain. Lay a layer of rotted compost or manure on the bottom of the hole, then sprinkle the manure with earth so as not to burn the roots of the dahlia , lay the germinated tuber and dig it so that there are several centimeters of the stem underground. If you have chosen a variety of tall dahlias, install and secure immediately a support for the future stem. After planting, water the seedlings abundantly with cold water, and mulch the soil around them with a five-centimeter layer of fine tree bark or sawdust, after mixing them with peat or compost.

Dahlia Care

How to care

Site mulching with dahlias, in addition to protecting plants from slugs, will give you the opportunity to abandon such tedious work as weeding and loosening the soil, and also will not allow the soil to dry out quickly on hot days. Watering dahlias should be plentiful 1-2 times a week (if it doesn’t rain), but do not let moisture stagnate in the roots: dahlia tubers are prone to rotting. In extreme heat, hilling after watering helps to retain moisture. Before the next watering, the soil from the stems must be raked, watered, and then spud again.

Dahlia fertilizer

In the process of growth, dahlias need to be fed every two weeks, alternating mineral fertilizers with organic ones: ammonium nitrate (15 g per 1 m 3), mullein tincture 1:10 or bird droppings 1:20. With the advent of the first buds, superphosphate and potash fertilizers begin to be applied at the rate of 30 g per bucket of water (enough for 8 bushes).

support for dahlias

Since the dahlia has a hollow stem and strong wind or rain can break it, it is necessary tie up dahlia to the base peg. If the stem is still broken, try putting a tire on it: attach a strong branch to the stem, secure it and support the stem so that it does not lean. Timely and careful care of dahlias can save even a broken shoot, which will reward you with beautiful flowering for your care.

Pruning dahlias

If you are not interested in the quantity, but in the quality of the inflorescences, do not leave more than three shoots in the bush, otherwise the inflorescences will be smaller in size and not so decorative. On each peduncle you need to leave 1-2 buds. Remove faded buds so that they do not delay the formation and growth of new ones. Throughout the season, try to remove the lower side shoots of high-grade dahlias, these processes can then be used as cuttings. In undersized (pompom, cactus) and single dahlia bushes, side shoots can not be removed.

Pests

Young juicy stems of dahlias attract slugs, and buds attract earwigs, so when the first signs of pest aggression appear, treat the bushes about once a week in the evening with decoctions of wormwood or celandine. In hot weather, spray dahlias with systemic insecticides for thrips, aphids, mites, and caterpillars. Most of all dahlia pests love aphids. Try the old-fashioned way to deal with it: spraying plants with soapy water.

Harvesting dahlia tubers

After the first frost dahlia tubers need to be dug up, cut off the remaining foliage and pagons, leaving only five to ten centimeters of the stem. Some gardeners cut the stems and leaves a few days before digging up the tubers, but if moisture gets on the cut part, the base of the stem can rot, so immediately cover the dahlias with aluminum foil after cutting the stems. The neck of the tuber is especially fragile, so start digging up the tubers in the morning, in dry weather, so that they have time to dry in the air and become less "brittle". In addition, soil residues are more easily removed from dried tubers.

Digging up the tubers

Dig the plant on all four sides about 30 cm from the stem to cut off the long conductive roots, run a fork under the earth ball and push it out of the ground. Carefully clean the clods of earth from the tubers and turn them over to dry. When you dig up all the tubers, rinse them from a garden hose from the soil, which contains microorganisms that carry diseases. Do not be late with the harvesting of tubers, because after the first frost, warming may occur, and the buds sleeping in the tubers may wake up and begin to germinate, which is detrimental to plants at such a time.

How to store dahlias in winter

Proper storage of dahlias in winter is 90% success in growing them. The tubers left for winter storage should not dry out too much, because in spring they give weak shoots. Insufficient drying leads to the fact that the roots rot during storage. If any mechanical damage is found on the tubers, they need to be cut, and then sprinkled with charcoal. Root necks, so that they do not rot during storage, are powdered with ash or chalk.

The best way to store dahlia tubers at a temperature of 3-5 °C at an air humidity of 60-70% in a well-ventilated area. A dry basement is fine, but vegetables stored nearby can create high humidity, increasing the risk of rot and fungal diseases in the tubers. You can put the tubers in a box on a layer of dry peat and sprinkle with peat, you can use softwood sawdust or sand instead of peat. If suddenly the tubers begin to dry out or fade, the insulating material is slightly moistened. If there is no ventilation in the basement, you will have to turn on the fan three times a week for half an hour.

In the photo: Storage of dahlia tubers in plastic bags

If you don't have a basement or cellar, and you have to store dahlia tubers in your apartment, place the boxes of tubers in the coolest place (next to the balcony). You can put the tubers in plastic bags with insulating material (sawdust, sand, dry peat) and tie tightly. Some flower growers, wrapping each tuber in a newspaper, put them in a plastic bag, which they put in a cardboard box and put in a cool place, for example, on a glazed loggia. Only in this case, you will have to monitor the temperature outside all the time so that a sharp cold snap or frost does not destroy your planting material.

Warm and humid rooms are the least suitable for storing dahlia tubers, but you can save them even in such unsuitable conditions if you cover the tubers with paraffin. Melt the paraffin in a water bath, immerse the tuber in it for a second, let the film harden for a few seconds and again lower the tuber into liquid paraffin. After the waxing procedure, place the tubers together with dry peat, sand or sawdust in a plastic bag and tie it tightly. Before planting, these tubers will need to be rubbed lightly to crack the film.

During the winter, do not forget to inspect the tubers in order to be able to eliminate the likely appearance of rot in time. Affected areas should be cleaned to healthy tissue and treated with hardwood charcoal powder or brilliant green.

Types and varieties of dahlias

Dahlias are classified according to the shape and structure of inflorescences, in modern culture there are 12 main classes of dahlias, but as new varieties appear, new classes also appear.

So, the most popular varieties of dahlias:

Simple

Dahlias, having one row of flowers, reaching a diameter of 10 cm, in height from 45 cm to 60 cm. Simple dahlias include yellow Hammer varieties, pink Princess Marie Jose, reddish-orange Orangeade

Anemone

From one or more rows of marginal flowers, elongated tubular flowers in the middle. Inflorescences reach a diameter of 10 cm, a height of 60 cm to 90 cm. The most popular varieties are bronze-colored Vera Higgins, yellow-lilac Lucy, red Comet.