GROW DAHLIA INFO

STORING TUBERS/CLUMPS

~ Store tubers in a plastic container with peat moss or vermiculite surrounding the tubers to control moisture. Insert a few holes in the container to ensure excess moisture can escape. Tubers should have some moisture not to shrivel but excess moisture will lead to rotting.

~ Place tubers in the coldest spot you can find. Ideal temperature should be between 4°C-10°, not below freezing.

~ Inspect your tubers every 1 to 2 weeks to avoid shrivelling or rotting.

PLANTING 

~ Plant your Dahlia's in a spot that receives minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight.

~ Before planting, loosen your soil and add a layer of 5-8 cm rich, well-aged compost. Soil drainage is really important, as dahlia tubers do not like to sit in water for extended periods of time, especially heavy clay soils. Poor drainage leads to tuber rot, so be sure to check your soil drainage. If your soil drains poorly, create raised beds so that the excess water can drain well.

~ Dahlias are sensitive to cold so be sure to plant after the danger of frost in your area is past. A good safe guideline is that the soil temperature must be between 12-15°C.

~ Lay each tuber down horizontally in a hole that is 10-15 cm deep with the eyes facing upwards, if you can't see them don't worry they will still find their way out of the ground. Cover each tuber with a layer of 5cm of soil.

~ Space your large varieties 40cm apart and 35cm for smaller varieties.

~ You can slightly water your soil until moist, but do not give too much water at tuber planting stage,as this will cause the tuber to rot. It is important to only water your dahlia tubers again when you start seeing that sprouts emerge from the soil. This will be more or less 3-5 weeks since they have been planted.

WATERING

Now that your dahlia plant has grown into a strong plant with very active growth, you can water deeply 1-3 times a week depending on your soil and your weather conditions. Try to water at the base of the plant, as dahlias typically do not like too much water on their leaves