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Passionate about plants and gardening
Dog friendlyA Guide to Dahlia Tuber's
Dahlias are the highlight of the summer and autumn garden. Flowering for months, they mix well when planted amongst your perennials and annuals providing you with an abundance of flowerheads bringing something glamorous, stylish and distinct.
Growing dahlias from tubers is often faster and more reliable than from seed. By planting the tubers undercover in April it gives them time to grow in early summer. We also recommend that you start them off by growing them in pots, keeping them slightly moist, and cool but most importantly frost-free as they are tender, meaning they won't survive a frost. You can plant them out when the dangers of frosts have passed, usually in May and June.
Planting and Growing Conditions
Dahlias can be grown in both the ground and in containers, thriving in rich, well-drained soil in a sunny but if possible, a slightly sheltered position away from strong winds, but you can use plant supports where necessary.
Before you plant your tubers, give them a gentle squeeze to make sure you are planting nice firm tubers - make sure you discard any that are soft and squishy. Now you are ready to plant! To begin with, half fill a 3-litre pot with peat-free compost, place the tuber in the centre of the pot ensuring the stem is facing upwards, now cover with more compost.
Lightly water your newly planted dahlia and place it somewhere warm and frost-free, a greenhouse, cold frames, sheds, windowsills a greenhouse are great places to start. Now wait a couple of weeks for shoots to appear.
I personally have a war with slugs so once planted in pots or the ground I cover the surface of the soil with a generous layer of Strulch as this helps protect against any sneaky frosts but also is very good at reducing slug damage throughout the growing season.
Growing Dahlia's
If the foliage appears before the frosts are over it is very important to protect from frosts so use either a cloche or horticultural fleece, as this will keep the temperature a few degrees higher.
When there are three pairs of leaves growing from the main shoot, carefully cut or pinch out the tips
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Plant SupportWe recommend planning ahead by using plant supports early as it is much easier to grow through them rather than to thread the stems through later in the season. Staking dahlia plants is important during the season and is crucial in helping to achieve perfect blooms by helping the leafy stems rise to the sun and prevent damage to the flowers. We think that our rust effect, a single stake with a circular divided ring on top is excellent support for dahlias.
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