Planting and caring for dahlias at their summer cottage

In order for your flower garden to be decorated with magnificent dahlias, planting and growing must be done according to all the rules. Lush bushes are suitable for the center of the flower bed composition or as a decorative screen between the zones of the summer cottage. The dwarf varieties can be used for curbs and are grown in pots to decorate interiors. Breeders have bred varieties with all kinds of petal shapes and flower structures; it is difficult to list all the shades of dahlias: from snow-white to almost black.

There is one point in which the plant shows character: its inflorescences do not want to take on a blue color. Both experienced breeders and amateur flower growers are fighting over this problem, but there is no solution yet. Try to experiment: pollinate, graft, use different varieties of seeds, you may be able to create an unprecedented color.

Receiving seed

How to choose the right course in the sea of ​​sizes, shapes and colors of dahlias? First of all, think: do you want to dig up tubers every fall, store them in the right conditions, and plant in the spring? Please note that the main work will have to be done at the most difficult time: it's time to harvest potatoes, cabbage, beets, prepare the beds for the new season - and flower tubers also cannot stay in the ground, the first frosts can destroy them. The warm time has come, when, according to the proverb, one day will feed the whole year - and the roots are already asking for the ground. Do not be afraid of difficulties - a perennial variety at your service. If additional concerns are not to your liking, annuals from seeds will help out.

If you want the site to be decorated with annuals - grow flowers from seeds. You can sow grains in the spring directly into the ground, but then the flowerbed will be colored with a flowering carpet by the end of summer, and in Siberia and the northern regions the plants may not have time to bloom. This method is suitable if plants are planted on the lawn that bloom from May to July. How to plant dahlias so that a colorful composition will delight the eye all summer? Grow flowers through seedlings.

In April, take containers with disinfected sand, pour a bag of seeds onto the surface and cover with a sand layer. Pour well, cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and place in a warm place with a temperature of 25⁰ to 27⁰. Seedlings will appear in about 2 weeks. When the third true leaf comes out, cut the seedlings into separate cups and grow until planting in the flower bed.

Tubers of perennial species must be divided into parts every spring. Rhizomes grow strongly during the season, and many roots can be separated from one bush for planting. When tubers germinate, many lateral shoots appear, which growers cut off. They can be rooted and planted in open ground. Therefore, the reproduction of perennial dahlias can be carried out in three ways:

1. From seeds the same as annuals.
2. By dividing the rhizome.
3. Cuttings.

Planting dahlias in open ground

Before looking for an answer to the question of how to plant dahlias, choose the right place for planting. These flowers do not tolerate stagnant damp air; they must be planted in a ventilated area. Just do not arrange a flower bed in a narrow gap between buildings: these flowers will not grow in a draft or in places where the sun rarely gets. Excellent conditions for them will be on an open light lawn or on the south side of the house, where dense bushes hold back strong gusts of wind. It is advisable to change the landing site every season, and only after 3 years it will be possible to return to the previous site.

The soil should be with a neutral reaction, a slight deviation towards the acidic side is allowed. Check the pH, if the value is below 5, add lime to the soil, if more than 7, add peat. When digging in autumn, put half a bucket of compost or humus on 1 m²... In the spring, you can also add compost and some ash. Do not overdo it with alkaline dressings, they can be poured safely only on very acidic soils.

Tubers for planting should be started in early spring, in April. Inspect the rhizomes, separate diseased, dry and damaged parts, and treat with a disinfectant. Fill the containers with nutritious soil, plant the tubers so that the tops rise slightly above the ground. Place the boxes in a bright, warm place, moisten the soil and watch for the plants to bud. Then cut the rhizome so that each part has a nascent shoot.

Bury the planting material again in boxes with the ground, and before planting in open ground, leave the central sprouted bud, and cut off all lateral shoots. If you need a lot of dahlias, stick the cut sprouts in the sand, remove in the dark and keep the soil moist. When the shoots take root, they are planted in a permanent place.

In open ground, tubers and seedlings from seeds in the middle lane are planted in early May. In the Urals, Siberia and the northern regions, you need to be guided by the weather: the soil should warm up well, and the threat of frost should be avoided. Before planting, pits are prepared for planting tubers. They should be 40 cm in diameter and in depth. Cover the bottom with compost or rotted manure, lightly sprinkle with earth on top. Bury the rhizome so that the lower part of the sprouts is buried a few centimeters in the ground. For tall bushes, set up the garter pegs immediately. Water the plantings with cold water and add a layer of mulch of at least 5 cm.

Flower care

In hot, dry weather, dahlias should not be made to suffer from thirst. Watering can be infrequent, enough 2 times a week, but the amount of water should be sufficient to saturate the soil to the planting depth. If the soil is not covered with mulch, hilling will help reduce evaporation. Before watering, rake a mound around the stem, level it with the ground. Moisten the soil and then spud the flowers again.

For lush flowering, dahlias need good nutrition, before the buds appear, feed them 2 times a month. First, apply complex fertilizer, after 2 weeks pour with slurry. When flower buds appear, dilute 30 g of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in a bucket of water and distribute this amount to 8 plants.

If you want to have a bright flowerbed, covered with many inflorescences, dahlias do not need to be pruned. The flowers will be smaller, but no one will notice this defect in the total mass. For bouquets, it is important that each flower is large and even. Choose on each shoot no more than 2 of the largest and highest quality buds, remove the rest. Do not let the plants release the lower shoots that take away the strength from the main stem, cut off the appearing shoots. Flowers that have begun to fade continue to use nutrients that could be used to form new buds. Notice that the petals begin to dry out - immediately cut off the inflorescence. Annuals from seeds do not need to be cut off.

Problems with growing dahlias

If dahlias are not tied up in time in spring, wind or heavy rain can break fragile stems. Do not rush to throw away the fallen appendage, provide it with the same help as with a bone fracture in animals or humans. Take a sturdy splinter and tie it to the stem so that it is in the correct position. Tie the plant well to a peg so that the damaged shoot does not sway or tilt. With the correct and timely garter, the shoot will recover and soon begin to develop in the same way as intact plants.

The succulent stems and leaves attract many pests. Who can attack flowers?

• slugs,
• earwigs,
• caterpillars,
• thrips,
• ticks,
• aphid.

If you spot parasites, treat the entire flower bed with insecticides.

Council. If there are not too many pests, try to deal with them without chemicals. In the evening, you can spray the bushes with decoctions of bitter herbs: celandine, wormwood. A solution of laundry soap helps well against aphids.

Wintering tubers

Tubers do not tolerate cold and will die during wintering in open ground. If there is a threat of frost, they need to be dug out of the soil and stored. The first frost is not terrible for rhizomes, but after it usually comes "Indian summer". Plants can mistake temporary warming for the warm season and start sprouting. After that, next year, you can not wait for a full-fledged flowering bush.

Take your time to cut the aboveground part: the cuts are very sensitive, they can rot from dew and rain. Choose a warm, sunny day so the rhizomes can dry out in the fresh air. The succulent stem breaks easily, and if you put the tubers in transport bags right away, half of them will be damaged. In the morning, cut off the entire aerial part, leaving a part of the stem no more than 10 cm high.

At a distance of 30 cm from the root collar, use a shovel to cut through the top layer of soil around the plant. Cut through the soil with a full bayonet to cut off long root outgrowths. Gently pick up the tubers with a pitchfork and uproot them. Remove large lumps of earth with your hands, and then rinse the rhizomes with a hose. During the day, the tubers will dry out, become less fragile, and they can be transferred to winter. In the storage, carefully inspect each rhizome, remove diseased, rotten and damaged parts, and treat the cuts and root collar with crushed charcoal.

Tubers winter well in a ventilated place with a temperature of + 5 + and a humidity of about 70%. To absorb excess moisture, they can be buried in dry peat or sawdust. Inspect the rhizomes periodically, and if they start to dry, slightly moisten the peat. It is not always possible to find a storage facility with good ventilation, and without ventilation, dahlias will rot. To save the planting material from stagnant humid air, blow a fan for half an hour every other day.

Council. If there is no suitable storage facility, dip the rhizomes in molten paraffin and put in a bag, sprinkling with dry sand. The film will not allow the tubers to dry out or rot. Squeeze or rub the tuber lightly before planting to crack the coating.

Output

In order for your site to be decorated with lush dahlias, cultivation and care must be carried out in accordance with all the rules. Annual species grown from seed require less attention than perennials. They are short, these flowers do not need support. In the fall, you just need to dig up and destroy the faded plants, and plant new seedlings next spring. These types are well suited for framing a flower garden, borders, small flower beds. Your task is to water and feed the plants on time, and a bright carpet will be provided.

Perennial varieties can also be grown from seeds or cuttings, but the simplest flower propagation is rhizome division. Such species are more diverse and beautiful than varieties growing from seeds one season, but they also require more attention. In winter, it is necessary to ensure proper storage of the tubers, periodically inspect and remove rotten areas. Choose according to your time and possibilities, which varieties you will grow, whether you can provide the necessary care for dahlias. In any case, both dwarf flowering plants and tall bushes will decorate the summer cottage.