Taking care of Dahlia flowers

Some tips to take care of Dahlia flowers and flower bulbs 

a) Fertilization:

Providing proper nutrition will encourage prize winning blooms in the garden. Apply liquid organic manure bi weekly after the plants are established. Soak the ground thoroughly before applying liquid manure to ensure its proper penetration into the soil. Apply foliar spray of urea one table spoon per gallon of water once a week until bud initiation begins. Apply 5-8 gm of NPK (like 14:28:14) as booster feed to increase the plant growth, floral quality and yield of tubers. Avoid excessive application of N as it may encourage foliar growth at the expense of flowers and impair the keeping quality of tubers. It is recommended to discontinue fertilization when the buds begin to show colour.

b) Watering Dahlia flowers:

Water slightly at the time of planting. Once the plants emerge from the ground, watering becomes necessary during the whole growing season. Dahlias prefer deep watering around their roots every few days rather than frequent light watering. Over watering may cause rotting of the tubers. The frequency of watering depends upon the climate & the nature of soil. e.g. in cool and humid climate water once in 10 days whereas during hot spells watering twice a week may be essential.

c) Pinching Dahlias:

This is done to encourage branching in bedding dahlias. When the plant attains a height of 25-30cm and develops 4-6 pairs of leaves, the growing point is pinched or soft pruned. This gives rise to side branches and bushy look to the plant. Pinching increases the number of flowers but reduces the size and delays flowering. Usually one pinching per plant is sufficient.

d) Disbudding Dahlia Flowers:

The purpose of disbudding is to obtain large size flowers, often with a longer stem. Dahlias have 3 flower buds at the end of each branch. When the 3 buds reach “pea” stage, the central or “crown” bud is retained for blooming while the two side buds are removed. Disbudding also includes deshooting i.e. removal of some of the side shoots arising from the leaf axil. For exhibition type large blooms, remove all the side shoots except 2-3 shoots on each flowering stem. Thinning of shoots will result in fewer numbers of flowers but of decorative quality.

Dahlia flowers - season and cycle

Tuberous roots require 8 to 12 weeks to flower from date of planting, with most cultivars requiring 10 to 12 weeks.  In the plains, tubers are planted during June, but this should be delayed for sometime in heavy rainfall areas. Flowering in plains starts from November and continues till the end of February. In the hills, tubers are planted in March-April and flowering occurs during June – September. Root tubers live only one season. The mother tuber dies after flowering and it is replaced annually by the formation of one or more full sized tubers. These daughter tubers are lifted and stored for planting the next season.