If you keep a close eye on the weather forecast, you can often already assume that it won't be freezing anymore in May. It depends from place to place, of course, but usually you can get started a little earlier than the classic ice-havens. And that's good news, because it means the dahlia bulbs can finally be put in the ground. How to do that and what to consider, you will read below.
The right place for your dahlia bulbs
Dahlias originated in Mexico. So you understand that they like a sunny place to grow. The sunnier, the better the dahlia tubers like it. Dahlias don't grow in shade; you want at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Provide soil that drains water well. On heavy clay soil, dahlia bulbs can grow, but they cannot overwinter in it.
Preparing the ground
Dahlia bulbs love a nutritious soil. You can use well-digested farmyard manure or horse manure for planting, but a good layer of compost is still most effective. You don't need to give extra fertilizer afterwards in the open ground. You want flowers, not an abundance of leaves. Again, a healthy plant starts with a healthy soil. This applies to dahlia bulbs, but also to all other plants in your garden.
This is how to plant dahlia tubers
Place a tuber every 30 to 40 centimeters. Feel free to move your plants a little closer, they will find support from each other. You plant the tuber until it is just below the soil, but where the dry stalk from last year is still just above the soil. The deeper you plant the tuber, the more susceptible to mold and rot. Water the dahlia tubers vigorously, unless it rains, then let Mother Nature do her work.
Snails love dahlias
Beware of snails, because dahlia tubers that you do not first pull forward in pots are more susceptible to snail infestation. This is because they can level the newly emerged shoots with the ground overnight. If there are many snails, you can control them with nematodes. Those nematodes or soil nematodes are living organisms and the natural enemy of the slug. You can order them online and by dissolving them in a watering can with water, distribute them over the soil surface. Very effective to control slug infestations and give your dahlia bulbs some rest.
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In this video, Angelo shows you how to plant dahlia bulbs in the garden.
Give your dahlias extra support
If your dahlia tubers finally start producing shoots within two to three weeks, then it is advisable to provide support at that time already. After all, you don't want your plants to topple over when they later become large and heavy due to the many flowers on the plant. That can be done with concrete netting that you place horizontally on a number of poles, with bamboo sticks and even with rope. As long as your plants stay upright. Plants that fall over can also damage the dahlia bulbs. So better avoid it.
Watering Dahlia bulbs
After you put the dahlia bulbs in the ground, it is important to give extra water - especially when it is dry for long periods of time. Usually there is still plenty of rain that time of year, so often you won't have to do it. During the summer months, everything depends on the weather. This is because Dahlia bulbs do not like extreme drought and can use some extra if it really does not rain for weeks. Experience has shown that during times of extreme heat and drought they go into a sort of growth halt and only resume when it gets colder and wetter.
