If you keep a close eye on the weather forecast, you can often assume that it will no longer freeze in May. Of course, this depends on the location, but you can usually get started a little earlier than the classic Ice Saints. And that is good news, because it means that the dahlia tubers can finally go into the ground . How to do this and what to take into account, you can read below.
The right place for your dahlia tubers
Dahlias originate from Mexico. You can imagine that they like a sunny spot to grow. The sunnier, the better the dahlia tubers. Dahlias do not grow in the shade, you want at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Provide a soil that drains well . Dahlia tubers can grow on heavy clay soil, but they cannot overwinter in it.
Preparing the ground
Dahlia tubers like a nutritious soil. You can use well-rotted stable manure or horse manure to plant, but a good layer of compost is still the most effective. You do not need to add extra fertilizers to the open ground afterwards. You want flowers, not an abundance of leaves. Again, a healthy plant starts with a healthy soil . This applies to dahlia tubers, but also to all other plants in your garden.
How to plant dahlia tubers
Place a tuber every 30 to 40 centimeters. Feel free to place your plants a little closer, so they can find support from each other. Plant the tuber until it is just under the ground, but where the dry stem from last year is still just sticking out above the ground. The deeper you plant the tuber, the more susceptible it is to mold and rot . Water the dahlia tubers well, unless it rains, then let Mother Nature do her work.
Snails love dahlias
Beware of snails, because dahlia tubers that you do not first force into pots are more susceptible to snail damage. They can namely level the newly emerged shoots with the ground in one night. If there are a lot of snails, you can combat them with nematodes. These nematodes or soil eels are living organisms and the natural enemy of the snail. You can order them online and by dissolving them in a watering can with water, distribute them over the soil surface. Very effective to keep snail plagues under control and give your dahlia tubers some rest.
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In this video Angelo shows you how to plant dahlia tubers in the garden.
Give your dahlias extra support
If your dahlia tubers eventually start producing shoots within two to three weeks, it is advisable to provide support at that time. After all, you do not want your plants to fall over when they become large and heavy due to the many flowers on the plant. This can be done with concrete mesh that you attach horizontally to a number of posts, with bamboo sticks and even with rope . As long as your plants remain upright. Plants that fall over can also damage the dahlia tubers. So prevention is better.
Watering dahlia tubers
After you have planted the dahlia tubers in the ground, it is important to give them extra water, especially when it is dry for a long time. There is usually still enough rain at that time of year, so you will often not have to do it. During the summer months, everything depends on the weather. Dahlia tubers do not like extreme drought and can use some extra water if it does not rain for weeks. Experience shows that they come to a kind of standstill in times of extreme heat and drought and only start growing again when it gets colder and wetter.
