How do I take care of my dahlia plant?

 

The most important thing when dealing with dahlia plants is to make sure that they are planted in well drained soil. After a heavy rain, there should be no remaining standing water around your plant. A rich loamy soil is best. You will want to amend clay soil with compost and organic matter to prevent the soil from compacting. Sandy soil will also need to be amended with compost. 

• Don't plant until after your last frost date, and when the soil warms to 60 degrees ( the same time you would plant tomato and pepper plants)
• You will want to dig a hole about 4-6 in. deep. Place one tuber per hole horizontally with the eye facing up. Cover with soil. 
• Do not water your tubers until they are about 6" tall. If you are expecting a lot of rain in the forecast, hold off on planting your tubers until dry days are coming. Too much rain or moisture could cause your tubers to rot before they even start to grow.
• Slugs love tubers!! We recommend using Slugo Plus sprinkled around your planting area and the perimeter of your garden to prevent the slugs from eating your tubers. You'll want to sprinkle once a month. 
• Once your plant is 6" tall you can start watering, soaker hoses work great and give the plants a nice deep watering. Do not over- water however, dahlias don't like their roots to be sitting in wetness for too long. 
• When your plants reach about 18" you will want to pinch them. Pinching will encourage the plant to branch out where you make the cut and will give you many more blooms. Find the center stalk and cut down 4-5 inches ( make your cut right above a leaf set). 
• You will want to stake your dahlia plant as they grow pretty tall and you want to protect them from wind.
• The more dahlia blooms you cut, the more blooms your plant will give you. Cut your blooms at about 12 inches long.