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Post by (DahliaMan) Cornish Paul on May 24, 2011 18:55:54 GMT
As some of you may know, I am also Secretary of The West Cornwall Dahlia Club. Several years ago I commenced creating advice sheets and these are readable via my website. As much as I love exhibiting dahlias and the complexities therein, I am fully aware how there are many people who just want to grow dahlias for the pure pleasure of the flower and all it has to offer. I created one such sheet chiefly for visitors to our plants sales to take along with their purchases, and I wish to share this with you here. Of course if you wish to try exhibiting then I would be happy to offer advice also, and I am positive that those wishing to do so are very well catered for within the pages of this site already. So here then is my advice for the non-exhibitor who with a bit of basic gardening know how can produce blooms to wow the neighbours. Regards, Paul
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Post by (DahliaMan) Cornish Paul on May 24, 2011 19:03:58 GMT
PLANTING
Your dahlias will have already been hardened off and can be planted now (from 4th week of May, weather dependent). I will assume that you have added a top dressing fertilizer to your plots such as Gromore, Fish Blood & Bone, Chicken Manure pellets etc. Having thoroughly watered the plants the night before planting, insert a single bamboo cane for each dahlia at 18"-24" spacing. Dig a hole close to each cane deep enough so the root ball will be just below the soil surface level. Add a small handful of multi purpose compost to the base of each hole (I prefer Bulrush multi-purpose). I usually remove the bottom pair of leaves and insert the plant in the hole so the soil level is at the next pair of leaves up. Backfill with soil, planting firmly and leaving a depression around each plant for future watering. Water with Maxicrop Original. Don't water again for about 12 days (thus encouraging the dahlias to make a firm anchorage and not become shallow rooted). Add slug pellets.
WATERING
Commence watering about 12 to 14 days after planting (weather dependant). However, if it has rained between planting them out and now, then job done. Otherwise, water each plant every 2 to 3 days, starting with about 1 pint at each watering, increasing the amount so that by August each dahlia is receiving about 1 gallon of water per visit.
STOPPING (removal of centre bud)
Two or three weeks after planting your dahlias should be established. Now pinch out the centre (crown) bud of each dahlia, say around mid-June, consequently encouraging bushiness and as a result more blooms.
GROWING ON and FEEDING
After a few more weeks your dahlias will require additional support, so insert 2 further canes thus creating a triangle of canes around each plant and using string tie around the canes at 12 inch intervals thus creating a kind of cage of cane and string. The dahlia will grow up through the middle of this cane/string support. Feeding is more a matter of choice. About 4 weeks after planting I suggest to commence feeding with a balanced feed according to the maker’s instructions (I do not believe high nitrogen feeds are generally necessary), using say Liquid Gromore, Chempak No.3 or Maxicrop Balanced Feed. After a further few more weeks, around mid July, and when buds are forming, I suggest you change to a high potash feed, say Phostrogen, Chempak No.4 or any Tomato Feed (preferably with a seaweed additive such as Tomorite).
Deadhead as necessary, same as for many other flower types to continue the blooming period.
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