How to Plant a dahlia tuber
Hello Gardeners!
The night-time & soil temperatures are a consistent 10c, the tubers are sprouting in storage, and the garden (and gardener) is ready to grow things. If you plant your tubers within the next few weeks, you’ll get blooms from August-October!
Here are a few things you might need to know before you get started:
Your plant will become 3-4’ tall and it will need about 1.5 square feet of space in your garden. It will need a support structure like a tomato cage or a stake (place these at planting time), and a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Once it starts to grow, you will need to water it deeply 3 time a week, and for best results, apply an organic liquid fertilizer once a month.
You’ll need a little organic compost & fertilizer (head to Borden Mercantile for lots of options), a small shovel/trowel, a label of some kind, and a support structure (Canadian Tire has cheap basic tomato cages that work perfectly).
Hot Tip: Cutting your dahlia blooms will encourage your plant to grow even more flowers, so don’t be shy! Bring them inside to enjoy them there, or gift home-grown bouquets to friends all summer long. Cutting ‘deeply’ encourages the plant to make more long, strong stems. Count down the stem 2 leaf sets from the flower and cut right above that second set…16” stems are what you’re aiming for….blooms for days!
How to Plant a Dahlia Tuber:
1. Choose a sunny spot in the garden that has about 18” around the center point.
2. Dig a 6” deep hole that’s wide enough to lay your tuber down horizontally.
3. Place a handful of organic compost and organic fertilizer into the hole and mix it into the soil.
4. Lay your tuber down inside the hole on top of the amendments you added. If your tuber has a sprout, aim it upwards…that’s a future stem!
5. Backfill the hole with the soil you dug out and top with a little more compost.
6. Add your plant tag/label so you know where you planted it!
7. Put your support structure in place right after you plant it. Tomato cages will be virtually invisible once the plant grows up through them. Stakes will need to be at least 10” deep into the soil to support a full-sized plant.
8. Wait to water until you see sprouts emerging from the surface. The caveat to this is if your soil is extremely dry and dusty, which means you should water it at planting time. Dahlias need a moist environment to grow, but don’t need much water until there are leaves. Don’t overdo it, just make sure the soil is moist. Rain is fine.
Happy growing out there!
xo - Renée
PS…If you’re still in need of some tubers, you can find some great deals on ‘Mystery Tubers’ at our farmstand right now! 1841 Haultain Street - Open: Wed-Fri 11-7, Sat-Sun 9-7
