Many gardeners prefer perennial ornamental plants. These include dahlias. These magnificent flowers amaze with a variety of bright colors and long flowering. Depending on the variety, dahlia flowers can have different shapes, sizes, and heights.
They bloom in late August and continue to delight the eye until October, if there is no frost. Many lovers of dahlias will be interested to know when and how to plant them in the spring? We will talk about some of the features of planting and storing dahlias in our article.
Royal flowers
Dahlias are perennial thermophilic plants. They are very easy to care for, but the only problem is planting them outdoors and storing the tubers. There are more than 12,000 varieties of dahlia cultivated, although there are no more than 15. Dahlias have root tubers that live for 3-4 years. In the process of development, they form new thin roots. The tubers are easily separated and then ready for further planting.
Since the flowers are a thermophilic species, they cannot adapt to our climatic conditions in the winter season. They need warmth, so already in September, before the onset of frost, their tubers should be dug up and stored until next year.
There are many hybrids among the variety of species and varieties of dahlias. The plant has erect, hollow and numerous stems, from 30 to 190 cm high. Deciduous mass can be green, reddish-brown... At the end of the stem are basket-shaped inflorescences with a diameter of 3-30 cm. The abundance of varieties allows you to choose the most suitable flowering time:
- early dahlias (early May);
- medium (from the second half of June);
- late (from the end of August).
For successful cultivation, they need to create certain conditions and then they will delight others with their bright and catchy colors.
Preparing tubers for planting
Already in April, preparatory work begins before planting dahlia tubers in open ground. In preparation much depends on climatic conditions... In some regions, tubers begin to be cooked only in May. Dahlias breed in several ways:
- cuttings;
- seeds;
- tubers.
Most often, gardeners use the latter of the breeding methods. To germinate good planting material tubers must be brought into a warm room... Spread them on a shelf and sprinkle with a mixture of peat and sand, leaving the root collars open. With good moisture, the eyes will hatch in a couple of weeks.
After that, the tubers must be divided into several parts with a sharp knife, leaving 2-3 eyes on each part. If the tuber is long, it should be shortened so that it takes root as soon as possible and new tubers begin to appear during the growth process. Slices must be dried a couple of days and sprinkled with wood ash. After that, the tubers are germinated in pots or boxes in a warm and well-lit place. In the second version, the tubers are separated by partitions so that their roots do not intertwine.
As the processes grow, weak buds are removed, no more than 1-2 of the strongest ones remain. This will allow them to develop more actively, the shoots will have adequate nutrition.In the future, the bush will give more inflorescences, and the tubers will be stronger and will be able to winter well.
How to plant tubers in open ground?
The most successful place for planting dahlias is a sunny and protected area from strong winds. In order for the tubers of flowers not to die, they should be planted only in warm ground, when there is no probability of spring frosts. It is best to plant them in the middle of May.... The soil should be loose, slightly acidic or neutral, with good drainage. Before planting, mature non-deciduous compost, wood ash is introduced into the site. It is advisable to fertilize the planting site with compost or humus even in the fall. In order to prevent infection with diseases, it is best to plant dahlias in a new place every year. You can not plant dahlias in the area where the asters grew before.
After preparing the site, it is necessary to dig holes for the tubers. They should be more spacious than the planting material. They contain manure or rotted compost, and a small layer of earth on top. After that the tubers are placed in the holes and sprinkled with loose earth with a layer of 3-4 cm... For tall dahlias, you will need to put a support. Damp soil after planting tubers can not be watered immediately. If the first leaves have already appeared on the dahlias, then the hole is slightly moistened with water. After planting, it is advisable to mulch the soil. For this use:
- sawdust;
- small tree bark.
They need to be mixed with compost or peat and sprinkled on top of the earth. To protect against frost, you can cover the dahlias with insulation.
Further care
Dahlias are unpretentious flowers to care for. For normal development, they need timely watering, weed removal and soil loosening. You also need to pinch and cut the stems... Flowers need regular watering, best done twice a week. Lack of moisture will negatively affect the development of dahlias.
Flowers need good feeding, there should be at least 2 of them per season:
- in the budding phase - in the composition of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium 2; 1; 1;
- at the beginning of flowering - potassium and phosphorus 1: 1.
Only tall varieties of dahlias pass by, removing lateral shoots up to the 4th pair of leaves from below. In the second half of summer, the lower shoots are removed. The main stem spuds to a height of 10-15 cm... If you carry out pinching, the flowers of the dahlias will be largest. Extra buds will not allow everyone to develop normally, they will be thin and not so beautiful. When tall varieties reach 50 cm, the stems are tied to supports.
Storage of tubers
With the onset of the first frost, the dahlia stems are cut, leaving up to 10 cm, and the root tubers are dug out. They must be cleaned of the remnants of the earth and dried well. Then they are stored in a greenhouse or other warm and well-ventilated area. After that the stem is shortened to 4 cm and all roots are cut... The cut points on the roots should be sprinkled with slaked lime. In this form, they need to be stored for another week at a temperature of 19-25aboutC. Throughout the winter, the tubers are conveniently stored in the cellar or basement; some gardeners manage to keep the dahlia tubers in the apartment.
If the humidity of the room is 70%, then it is best to store root tubers in coniferous sawdust, sand or peat. When stored in an apartment, tubers are placed in plastic bags with vermiculite, peat or perlite. They are laid and sealed in a bag.... As such, they can be stored in a box covered with a thin layer of earth and paper.
If stored in a cellar or basement, then the temperature there should not be higher than +7aboutC. The tubers themselves are sprinkled with sawdust, so they are stored all winter. Check roots periodically and remove rotten parts... When stored properly, in spring they can be germinated and planted back in the flower bed.
