How to plant dahlias?

The dahlias at the end of the last century were, perhaps,the most popular flowers in rural front gardens. Perhaps that is why the firm reputation of "village" colors was strengthened. Then about the dahlias somehow absolutely undeservedly forgotten for a couple of decades, and now they are experiencing a new surge in popularity. Now dahlias are one of the most fashionable colors, especially since recently breeders have brought out a lot of stunning with their beauty varieties, quite unlike their Mexican progenitors. The variety of their forms and colors simply amazes - globular, anemone, pomponous; pure white, golden yellow, purple and lilac; one- and two-color - each florist will find among the 15 thousand varieties the one that suits him. Cultivate the same dahlias is not so difficult as it might seem at first glance. It is enough only to carefully follow the simple rules.

How to grow dahlias: rules and advice

Looking for a place to plant dahlias,consider that these are light-loving flowers and they need fertile soil. Dahlias will please you with luxurious flowering, if you provide them with space and regular abundant watering. Dahlias - plants are southern, so in our latitudes they are grown only as annuals, since they can not tolerate wintering in the ground. The tubers are carefully excavated with the onset of colds, thoroughly cleaned, dried and stored in a cool place, for example, in the cellar until the very spring. For better preservation, they are poured with sawdust, sand or peat.

How to plant dahlias? There are two main ways of planting - seedlings or sprouting tubers. They, of course, have their differences in the process of preparing dahlias for planting. Let's talk about each of them in more detail.

How to plant dahlias from sprouted tubers

1. First of all, we must remember that the dahlias do not tolerate the cold at all and are afraid of spring frosts. Therefore, to start landing is best in mid-May.
2. Two weeks before the planned day of tuber plantingyou need to get it out of the vault, look through, sorting out the damaged ones, then drop them in a box filled with moist peat or sawdust, and put it in a warm room on a light sill. In 15 days on the tubers buds will bud.
3. Now we need to remove the tubers from the box, alternately rinse them with warm water and cut with a sharp clean knife so that on each part with the neck there were 2-3 healthy kidneys.
4. Sections must be sprinkled with charcoal.
5. Divided tubers should be grown in boxes with peat, and it will be possible to proceed to planting.
6. Plant dahlias must be prepared andfertilized with autumn soil. For each tuber, a hole about 30 cm in diameter and about the same depth is excavated. The distance between individual plants should be at least half a meter.
7. Before planting dahlias, the hole should beadd a handful of manure mixed with soil. Then, on top of it, the germinating tuber is laid horizontally and covered with earth so that the neck is covered by a layer of earth in 4-5 cm. If the soil is slightly moist, then additionally water the tubers until it is necessary.

How to plant dahlias seedlings

1. This method is more difficult thanprevious, but it is optimal for areas with a cold climate, since it allows to achieve an earlier flowering. To obtain seedlings, the tubers begin to germinate already in the first days of April in the same way as described above.
2. Then after a couple of weeks they are divided into parts and germinate further until short sturdy sprouts appear.
3. After this, each plant is placed in a separate large plastic glass or a special pot for seedlings, filled with a mixture of peat and garden soil.
4. In order for seedlings to turn out healthy and strong, it needs a lot of light with minimal watering. Otherwise, the shoots will be pale and strongly elongated.
5. Ready-to-use seedlings along with the whole clod of earthplanted in the prepared wells in mid-May, but in this case, young plants will have to cover for the night with film (the threat of frosts), or in early June, when the dahlias are no longer afraid of the cold.

Care for dahlias

1. Young plants should be bored to improve the development of roots.
2. Dahlias should be watered abundantly about once a week.
3. It is important to remove stepsons. In order for flowers to be large, you must leave on the plant only two, a maximum of three stems.
4. Tall dahlias must be tied to the support.
5. Soil around the plants should be regularly weeded and gently loosened.