How to care for dahlias in summer
Today's focus is on how to care for dahlias in summer and the related topics of growing dahlias, including management points. Next, let me introduce to you.
Dahlias are beautiful plants that bloom in summer and autumn. If you want to cultivate them, you usually buy tubers to grow. Their tubers look very much like sweet potatoes, and some people call them sweet potato flowers. You can plant them in the garden or in pots after the weather warms up in spring.
In summer and autumn, dahlias can produce bright flowers. Their flowers are particularly large, with many petals and beautiful colors, and they come in different shapes and colors. Now many horticulture enthusiasts especially like this kind of grand dahlias.
Through the continuous cultivation of horticulture experts, there are more and more varieties of dahlias, with rich flower shapes. They look like chrysanthemums, with tubular petals extending in all directions, and there are single-petal and double-petal varieties. Apart from blue dahlias, almost all other colors are available, and there are even bicolor varieties.
If you want dahlias to bloom better, you must plant them in a sunny location with at least 6 hours of sunlight every day, the environment should be ventilated and well-lit, and it should be properly sheltered from the wind.
How to care for dahlias in summer
The tubers of dahlias look very much like sweet potatoes. When choosing, buy some healthy ones without damage. You can plant them after the weather warms up and there is no frost. The tubers are usually planted 15~20 centimeters below the soil, and the planting location should have good drainage.
After planting the tubers of dahlias, there is no need to water them. They can grow well with natural rainwater because dahlia tubers are afraid of being soaked in water. Excessive water can cause rot, so the soil should have good drainage. You can add some river sand or perlite to the soil to enhance its breathability and drainage.
In areas with more rain in the south, you usually have to wait for the young buds to sprout before watering. When planting dahlias, maintain an appropriate spacing. Do not plant them too densely, or the number of flowers will decrease and they are more likely to be infected with fungal diseases.
To ensure that dahlias can bloom better, with larger and brighter flowers, it is important to regularly apply fertilizers high in phosphorus and potassium, and supplement with some organic fertilizer water. Usually, fertilization starts a month or two after the tubers are planted underground, and during the growing season, it is usually supplemented with organic thin fertilizer every two to three weeks.
If you want the dahlias to produce more and more flowers, it is important to pinch the top regularly. Generally, when they grow 4~5 pairs of leaves, remove the top tender buds to promote the growth of more branches. The more branches there are, the more flowers will bloom.