How to grow dahlias

Soil selection for dahlias

Dahlias grow best in loose, humus-rich and well-drained sandy soil. The best soil for planting potted dahlias is a mixture of garden soil, leaf mold, sand and dry manure. The soil is very sticky and it is best not to use soil that has become compacted, as it is prone to waterlogging and root rot.

How to water dahlias

Dahlias like water but avoid waterlogging. They are afraid of both waterlogging and drought. This is because dahlias have fleshy tuberous roots, and the roots are prone to rot if watered too much. However, they have lush branches and leaves, and the evaporation is large, so they need more water. Therefore, when watering, you should follow the principle of "water thoroughly when the soil is dry". Generally, during the early growth stage of seedlings, the water requirement is limited. On sunny days, water the soil once a day to ensure that the soil is slightly moist. Neither too dry nor too wet is suitable.

In the later stage of growth, the branches and leaves are lush and water consumption is relatively high. On sunny days or with northerly winds, it is easy to lack water at noon or in the evening, so the amount of water should be increased appropriately.

How to fertilize dahlias

Dahlia is a fertilizer-loving flower. Starting from the seedlings, generally apply thin liquid fertilizer once every 10 to 15 days, and again 7 to 10 days after budding. Stop applying fertilizer and water when the flower buds are translucent. It is not suitable to apply fertilizer when the temperature is high.

The amount of fertilizer to be applied depends on the growth of the plant. Light and thin leaves indicate a lack of fertilizer. On the contrary, if there is too much fertilizer, the edges of the leaves will become burnt or the tips of the leaves will turn yellow. Thick, green leaves are a sign that topdressing is appropriate. The concentration of top dressing should be increased each time to make the stems thicker.

How to prune dahlias

No matter how beautiful a flower is, it will eventually grow withering, so you must learn how to prune it. When pruning potted dahlias, you should prune them flexibly according to the variety. Generally, large varieties adopt the single-stem shaping method, and medium-sized varieties adopt the four-stem shaping method.

Single-stem shaping means retaining the terminal bud and removing all axillary buds to concentrate nutrients, forming a single-stem dahlia with a short plant and large flowers.

The four-branch shaping is to pinch the seedlings, retaining the two nodes at the base to form four side branches. Each side branch retains the top bud, and can become a potted dahlia with four stalks and four flowers.