Stately dahlias are one of the main decorations of the autumn garden. Large luxurious flowers are unparalleled in the variety of shapes and colors.
Almost the only disadvantages of this spectacular perennial are susceptibility to frost and the difficulty of storing tubers in winter.
How to ensure their safety, propagate your favorite variety, properly plant dahlias in the spring and care for them, you will learn from our article.
Content:
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Peculiarities
Large-flowered cultivar Myrtle's Folly
Dahlias are a genus of herbaceous plants of the Compositae (Asteraceae) family. Under natural conditions, these perennials grow in the mountainous regions of Colombia, Mexico and Guatemala.
Dahlias are characterized by long and lush flowering. Almost the entire color palette is present in the color of the inflorescences, with the exception of blue and blue shades.
Flowering dahlias
Every year, the aerial part of these plants with hollow stems and pinnate leaves dies off. The underground part is a large cone-shaped tubers, connected to the root collar, on which the vegetative buds are located.
These buds are absent on the tubers themselves, so the death of the neck leads to the death of the entire plant. For the winter, tubers need to be dug out of the ground and stored indoors.
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dahlias
- Location. Dahlias are thermophilic plants. They grow well in sunny areas, protected from cold winds, with good air circulation. Low and wetlands are not suitable for planting dahlias in open ground.
- illumination. The site in the daytime should be well lit for at least 6 hours
- Watering. Watering should be plentiful, but the soil should not be waterlogged. Dahlias do not tolerate both stagnant moisture and drought
- top dressing. Organic or mineral fertilizers are applied 1-2 times a month
- Priming. Any soil is suitable for dahlias, but the best option is rich garden loam enriched with humus. Fertilized sandy soil is also suitable.
- reproduction. Tuber division, cuttings, grafting or seed
- Bloom. For different varieties - from July to late autumn
- Pests. Aphids, slugs, earwigs, caterpillars, thrips, horsefly bugs, scoops
- Diseases. Mold, fungal diseases, viral mosaic, powdery mildew, Fusarium, gray mold, leaf spot
- Appearance care. It is necessary to remove faded flowers, stepchildren and fading lower leaves
- Usage. Dahlias are used to create borders, borders and flower arrays. Most varieties are used in free compositions and group plantings in flower beds. Dwarf varieties can be grown in pots and containers.Plants with long and strong flower stalks are great for cutting.
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reproduction
Flower garden with dahlias
Dahlias are propagated by tuber division, cuttings, grafting (rarely) or seeds. The peculiarity of these perennials is that with any of the methods of reproduction, plants bloom in the first year.
With seed propagation, the inflorescences of most new plants are of poor quality. During vegetative propagation, all qualities are transmitted from mother plants, so we will consider these methods in more detail.
Tuber division
healthy tubers
The division of tubers is carried out after their preliminary germination, shortly before being planted in open ground. For germination, they are transferred from storage to a warm, bright room, for example, to a greenhouse, and boxes are used that are filled with sawdust with a layer of 5-6 cm. Tubers are laid out on them, covered with sawdust to the root collar and regularly watered with warm water.
The air temperature must be maintained within 16-20 degrees.
As soon as the buds wake up and germinate, the tubers must be removed from the sawdust and divided into pieces. Do it in the following way.
With a sharp garden knife, cut the root neck lengthwise so that each separated part has tubers and at least two or three eyes. Slices are sprinkled with charcoal powder, crushed sulfur, or treated with brilliant green.
Bush with awakened buds
Separated tubers are kept for 2-3 days, and then again placed in sawdust for further germination or, if the time has come for planting dahlias in the spring, they are planted in open ground. As a rule, dahlia tubers germinate in April, less often in March.
The division of the bush
There is a start to germinate dahlias in March in boxes, pots or containers, such plants, before they are planted in the ground, have time to tie buds. It is necessary to transplant plants from pots carefully so as not to destroy the earthen ball.
cuttings
Cuttings are cut with a sharp knife
This is the most productive breeding method for dahlias. For cuttings choose the most healthy and viable queen cells. With this method, the tubers begin to pre-sprout in February. Before awakening of the eyes and the development of shoots 1-2 cm long, plants can be in conditions of limited illumination at an air temperature of 20-25 ° C.
For further growth of shoots, plants require maximum illumination and a decrease in air temperature to 12-15 ° C. At this time, the watering of the queen cells is stopped, instead of them, frequent moderate spraying is carried out. This reduces the growth rate of shoots and prevents them from stretching.
When the sprouts reach 5-7 cm and form 2-3 pairs of leaves, they are carefully broken off or cut with a knife. Dense shoots with shortened internodes take root faster and better. Plants that develop from such cuttings begin to form high-quality tubers at an earlier date.
The stalk separated from the mother liquor
In place of the cut sprouts, new ones soon grow, but they are already less suitable for propagation. Therefore, as a rule, no more than 2-3 removals of cuttings from one place are allowed. For rooting, the cuttings are planted in cups or in boxes filled with ordinary garden soil with a layer of 7-8 cm, on top of which a 2-3 cm layer of well-washed coarse sand is poured.
Planting a cutting
Before planting dahlia cuttings in boxes, the soil is abundantly watered with warm water. Cuttings are planted to a depth of 2-3 cm, making a distance of 5 cm between them. Planting should not be thickened, as this leads to plant losses. The seedlings are sprayed with water, the boxes are covered with glass or film and shaded with white paper from the direct rays of the sun. However, it should be remembered that sufficient light intensity is needed for the formation of roots.
When planting cuttings, do not forget to sign the name of the variety
The soil temperature for the first 7-10 days should be maintained within 20-22 °C, and the air temperature should be 17-19 °C. After 7-10 days, the paper is removed from the glass. Within 5-7 days, the boxes are regularly ventilated by moving the glass, and then they remove it completely. Drafts should be avoided. After 10 days, the substrate temperature is reduced to 17-18 °C, and the air temperature to 14-15 °C. This will allow not to create imbalances in the development of roots or vegetative mass.
Dahlia cuttings in cups
For rooting, you can also use perlite with a granule size of 3-5 mm. It provides sufficient moisture and air supply necessary for the rapid development of the roots. In addition, perlite creates sterile conditions under which the cuttings are less exposed to fungal diseases.
When cutting in late April - early May, it is better to use a mixture of perlite with well-weathered peat as a substrate. For each part of perlite add 2-3 parts of peat. This contributes to less damage to young roots when transplanting cuttings. Such a substrate is leveled, lightly tamped and moistened with water.
Young plant transplanted outdoors
The largest cuttings of the January and February harvesting periods are best planted immediately in pots filled with half fertile soil and sand on top. In pots, such cuttings take root better and subsequently the plants develop well. Delenki are planted in open ground when the threat of return frosts has passed.
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Digging the soil
The soil for planting dahlias has been prepared since autumn. It is dug up to a depth of 25-30 cm and left in clods until spring.
In early spring, the site is fertilized with well-decomposed humus. (2-3 buckets per 1 sq.m.) and compost (1 bucket per 1 sq.m.). Good results are obtained by adding mineral fertilizers for flowering plants to organic matter at the rate of 50-70 g per 1 sq. m. After fertilizing, the site again needs to be dug up and raked.
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Planting dahlias with tubers
Planting dahlias in the ground
Dahlia tubers are planted in open ground after the threat of spring frosts has passed, and the soil warms up to a depth of 20-25 cm. To exclude the possibility of freezing of the planted plants, the shoots can be sprinkled with soil, sawdust, or covered with cardboard boxes at night.
Pegs next to grown dahlia bushes
Dahlias are planted in such a way that the soil layer above the root collar does not exceed 5-6 cm.Before planting the tubers, pegs are driven into the bottom of the pit. They are needed in order to tie the stems of adult plants to them in the future. The tubers are leaned with root collars against the pegs, covered with soil and watered with warm water. Labels with variety names can also be attached to the stakes.
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Watering dahlias
Care for dahlias after planting in open ground during the growing season is as follows:
- As soon as the shoots reach 30-40 cm, they need to be tied to stakes
- In order for the stems to be stable and the inflorescences to be large, usually no more than 2-3 shoots are left, and the excess should be removed
- In many varieties, stepchildren are formed in the axils of the leaves. They need to be pinched at the very beginning of development (pinching)
- Withering lower leaves of plants are cut off
- Also remove the lateral buds of the flowering shoot
- Further care comes down to weed control, loosening the soil, watering and fertilizing.
- It is useful to mulch the soil under dahlias using humus as mulch. In this case, it is enough to water the plants once a week at the rate of one bucket of water per bush.
- After the plants bloom, the watering rate should be increased.
- Top dressing is a necessary part of caring for dahlias after planting. The first top dressing is given to plants a month after planting in the ground. It is especially needed during budding. Feed dahlias with organic or mineral fertilizers should be 1-2 times a month
- In autumn, dahlias are recommended to be protected from the first frosts with a smoke screen. Thanks to this technique, the plants will continue to bloom until the end of October.
- Dahlias are demanding on soil and air moisture. The soil must be constantly maintained in a moist state, preventing it from drying out and waterlogging.
- On a hot summer day, moisturizing irrigation is carried out using a sprinkler or special nozzles. This allows you to increase the humidity of the air for a short time.
- In late August - early September, plants are spudded with soil by 12-15 cm. This protects the base of the stems from possible damage by low temperatures during frosts.
- In varieties with a strong development of the vegetative mass, the lower leaves are cut off at a level of 30-40 cm. This technique improves air exchange near the plants and prevents the growth of a thick stem at the base of the root collar, which impairs the storage of tubers
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In order not to confuse varieties, dahlia tubers must be signed
Dahlia tubers are harvested from the beds in the fall, after the leaves of the plants turn black from frost. It is better to dig them in the morning, in dry weather.
Before harvesting, the stems must be cut, leaving about 10-13 cm. When digging tubers, dahlias should not be held by the rest of the stem, so as not to damage the root neck.
The dug out tubers need to be slightly shaken off, having cleared of surpluses of the earth. Until the evening they are left in the garden, allowing to dry. Then, within 7-10 days, the rhizomes are dried in a well-ventilated dry room. Dried tubers will keep better.
After drying, the cut stems can be coated with a solution of lime. This will protect them and the root collar from rotting.
All tubers with suspected disease are culled and destroyed. Damaged, rotten and dead parts are removed. Tubers that have received mechanical damage during digging are cut and sprinkled with charcoal powder.
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Undersized (border) dahlias
Dahlia tubers are sprinkled with sand and stored in a cool, dry place protected from the cold - for example, in the basement. For storage of tubers, the relative humidity of the air is not higher than 60% and the temperature is from 3-5 to 7 °C. The room must be well ventilated to prevent mold.
Many flower growers complain that in warm basements, dahlia tubers often dry out and die. In this case, they should be stored in slightly damp sand. With this method of storage, eyes will sprout. This does not bring much harm, and sprouts that have reached 10-15 cm should be removed.
Another method of wet storage is as follows. The dug out tubers are washed with water from a hose, and then immersed for several minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate and stored in wet sand. With this method of storage, sprouts will also appear, which must be periodically removed.
When to germinate dahlia tubers
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dahlias
When growing dahlias, gardeners sometimes encounter problems, the solution of which we will talk about.
The flowers open only partially and lean to the side.
The reason for this may be bed bugs. Black spots under the flowers serve as confirmation. Spray the plants with a systemic insecticide.
The plant looks weak and develops slowly
Thus, there may be a lack of lighting. If the bushes grow in containers in shady areas, put them in a lighter place.
Young plants turn yellow
Yellowing of the foliage is possible due to waterlogging. If low-growing dahlias grow in pots, the drainage holes should be checked to prevent stagnant water.
Dahlia leaves turned yellow
The flowers have a gray coating
This is a mold that plants need to be sprayed with a fungicide.
Silvery stripes are visible on the leaves, flowers are damaged
Small insects - thrips - can fly around plants. To get rid of them, you should spray the plants with an insecticide.
The young plant turns yellow, the leaves are pale, but the soil is not waterlogged.
The plant may need to be fed. Fertilize every 10 days. You can reduce the interval between top dressings, but the concentration of fertilizers should not be increased.
Rounded lesions were found on the leaves, flower buds were eaten
Plants damaged by caterpillars. Carefully inspect the bushes, collect insects and destroy them.
Dahlias turned black
Young plants turned black
Blackening occurs if the bushes have suffered from frost. In spring, it is imperative to protect dahlias from low temperatures.
Small spots appear on young plants, which gradually increase
This develops sooty mold - a fungal disease. Every week you need to spray the plants with Bordeaux mixture from a spray bottle until it is cleared.
Rounded lesions and small holes in the petals appear on the leaves of dahlias.
The plant was damaged by earwigs. It is necessary to treat the soil with a solution of karbofos.
Leaves, flowers and buds are eaten away, small holes and traces of mucus are visible on them
Such damage is caused by slugs or snails. It is recommended to place anti-slug preparations around the plants, using them according to the instructions.
Dahlia pests
Small insects are visible on shoots, buds and flowers
These pests are aphids. Spray the plants with a solution of karbofos every week until it is cleared of aphids.
The flowers have drooped
This happens when the soil is too dry. Plants should be watered immediately. The soil should be moist, but not waterlogged.
Thematic video:
How to plant dahlias / Proper planting of dahlias
Dahlias: planting and care in the open field, description of the 10 most beautiful varieties (100 Photos & Videos) + Reviews
DAHALHAS / How to SAVE until spring, how to SEPARATE and how to PLANT
Dahlias: planting and care in the open field, description of the 10 most beautiful varieties (100 Photos & Videos) + Reviews
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needle dahlias
The number of varieties is so great that dahlias are divided into groups according to the shape of the flowers. Plants from the "Mignon" group are varieties with simple flowers.
Among them there are miniature forms with bushes less than 30 cm high. Peony and anemone dahlias, together with collared dahlias, belong to the semi-double group.
Terry dahlias do not have a core - it consists entirely of reeds of flowers. In cactus (needle) varieties, these tongues are long and pointed. In globular, pompon-shaped and nymphal dahlias, the tongues are folded like a spoon and give the flower a neat ball shape.
Description of varieties
The main classification by which dahlias are divided is the classification according to the structure and shape of the inflorescences. There are currently 10 classes of dahlias in it.; as new varieties appear, the classification expands.
Consider the existing varieties:
Dahlias simple
simple dahlias
- These plants have one row of petals, so sometimes they are also called single row.
- From the side, the flowers look completely open, flattened.
- Flowers can be up to 10 cm in diameter.
- Usually, in the middle of the flower there are several tubular elements, which in fact are modified stamens.
- In turn, within this class, dahlias are divided by growth into dwarf, medium and tall, however, most simple varieties have a height of 30 to 50 cm.
The most popular varieties:
- Orangeade
- Princess Maria
- Cupid
- Colleret
anemone dahlias
anemone dahlias
- According to the name, these varieties of dahlias look like anemone flowers.
- Their petals are terry, arranged in a flower in several rows (usually no more than 3).
- In the center of these dahlias there are also many modified tubular stamens.
- The plant can have many shades - from bright white to rich pink.
- The color of the "core" of the flower is always yellow. The diameter of the flowers is from 5 to 10 cm, the height of the stems is from 60 to 120 cm.
The most famous representatives of the varieties of anemone dahlias are as follows:
- comet
- Polka
- inca
- mambo
- Lambada
Peony dahlias
Peony dahlias
- They have large, double or semi-double flowers resembling peony flowers.
- Altered stamens are also densely located in the center, but they are relatively short compared to other subspecies of dahlias.
- Most often they have a three-row arrangement of petals, while their size decreases as they approach the center of the flower.
- There are also incredibly dense specimens with a number close to ten.
- Also, like peonies, peony dahlias have a huge flower size: its diameter can reach up to 20 cm. The bushes are tall, from 80 to 130 cm.
Popular varieties include:
- red coat
- Opera
- Bendall Beauty
- Chic En Rouge
collared dahlias
collared dahlias
- The structure of the flower is such that the two rows of petals that form it create the illusion of a collar.
- Short inner petals seem to be framed by long outer ones.
- In many representatives, the first and second rows have different colors, contrasting well with each other, which further enhances the illusion.
- They have medium flower sizes: up to 10 cm in diameter. The bushes are also low, up to 70 cm.
Popular varieties include the following:
- Night Butterfly
- Pomegranate
- Heart of Danko
- Mona Lisa
Spherical varieties
Ball-shaped dahlias
- The flowers of these subspecies look like balls of various sizes.
- There are both flattened forms of the flowering part, and almost perfect spherical ones.
- The flowers are quite heavy, so the stems of the plants are powerful.
- The size of the flowers is the most diverse: from small, with a diameter of 7 cm, to giant, more than 20 cm.
- The height of various subspecies is also different: from 30 to 150 cm.
- Coloring ranges from pale pink to purple, however, approximately 75% of varieties have shades of red.
Popular varieties of ball dahlias include:
- White Aster
- bayadère
- Kenora fireball
- Gypsy Knight
pompon dahlias
Pompom dahlias in different colors
- In fact, the same spherical, but more flattened and slightly different in the shape of the petals.
- In addition, unlike spherical ones, these dahlias have a gradient or tricolor color.
- The size of the flowers is also different: basically, these are small specimens, no more than 8 cm, but the stems can also be high: up to 1 m 20 cm.
Popular varieties of pompon dahlias:
- Rocco
- viking
- Amber Queen
- Little William
Dahlias cactus
cactus dahlias
- They have densely double petals, which are distinguished by a very original shape. They are so folded into tubes along their entire length that they resemble an impromptu needle.
- Thanks to this, the plant takes on the appearance of a bristling hedgehog or cactus.
- Among cactus dahlias, there are often those whose color of flowers consists of 5-6 different, often contrasting shades, which is why the plant makes an indelible impression.
- Of particular note is that cactus dahlias have the largest size of the flowering part, sometimes even exceeding the size of peony dahlias.
- The diameter of the flowering parts of cactus dahlias with proper care can reach 35 cm.
- Their very strong stems are capable of holding many huge flowers at heights of more than 2 m. Cactus dahlias are one of the most popular subspecies of garden dahlias.
Cactus dahlias with thin leaves
The number of varieties of cactus dahlias is huge, we list the most popular:
- Black Wizard
- Blackbury Ripple
- Star Surprise
- Favorite
- Princess Park
- Klondike
Semi-cactus varieties
Semi-cactus dahlia variety Santa
- They are plants in which some of the petals, as a rule, are external, have a cactus shape, and the rest of the flower looks like some other variety.
- The vast majority of semi-cactus varieties have terry petals, and, in the "needles", as a rule, they are twisted by about half the length.
- These flowers are smaller than cactus, however, all the same, among other dahlias they are not equal in size. The diameter of the flowering part is 8 - 30 cm, and its height reaches 2 m.
- However, semi-cactus also have almost dwarf species with a stem less than 30 cm long and a flowering part of about 6 cm.
Semi-cactus varieties include:
- Meteor
- Just Pichi
- Island Delight
- Papers Pink
Nymphaeous dahlias
Nymphaeum dahlia
- Petals terry, large area. Outwardly, the flowers look like lotuses or lilies.
- The flower part is medium in size. The diameter of the flowers can be from 7 to 18 cm, the height of the stems of the plant is from 70 to 140 cm.
- The color is varied, but almost always in the plant there is a bright white or pink color. Many nymph varieties are characterized by ray symmetry.
Typical representatives:
- Kens Flame
- Twinnie
- Rapallo
- Glory Hamited
decorative dahlias
Decorative dahlia varieties Duet
- Plants that have some kind of specially bred feature. For example, the shape of the outer petals or the color of the staminodes. As a rule, they are a hybridization of a variety in order to improve its survival or decorative effect.
- Usually, these are medium or large plants with a flower part diameter of 12 to 25 cm, and a high stem - from 100 to 150 cm.Another feature of decorative dahlias is the darker shape of the stem and foliage.
- In terms of the richness of hybrids and varieties, decorative dahlias surpass even their cactus counterparts.
Popular varieties are:
- Ringo
- Caballero
- New Orange
- Purple Pearl
- heatwave
There is also a group of dahlias that is not included in this classification. As a rule, these are hybrids of different groups or technical hybrids. Traditionally, the designation “mixed flowers” is used for them.
It is welcome to marvel at such a fine practice!
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