All varieties of dahlias known to us are perennial herbaceous plants with hollow stems from 50 cm to 2 m high. Dahlias, the cultivation and care of which have their own characteristics, are an exciting experience for lovers of these flowers of various shapes and colors. Variety of dahlias with double flowers are most loved by gardeners. Among them distinguish pompon, decorative, chrysanthemum, cirrus and other forms. Consider the secrets of planting, propagating dahlias by dividing tubers, cuttings, seeds.
The root part of dahlias is large elongated cone-shaped tubers that attach to the root neck, on which there are vegetative buds. The tubers themselves do not have these buds. The death of the neck leads to the death of the entire plant.
Dahlia tubers are planted in the flower garden after spring frosts have passed. Shoots emerge from the earth very quickly. The first flowers open in July and lasts until frost.
How to grow dahlias from parts of tubers
Dahlias are easily propagated by dividing tubers, cuttings, grafts and seeds. With any of these methods of propagation, plants bloom in the first year. During vegetative propagation, all qualities are transmitted from parents to descendants. With seed reproduction, the inflorescences of most plants are of poor quality.
Division of tubers is carried out after preliminary germination of them shortly before planting in the ground - it is easier to determine the best places for cutting. So do with overgrown dahlia tubers.
About a month before dahlias are planted in open ground, they are placed in boxes or boxes with sawdust. The layer of sawdust above the tubers should be at least 5-6 cm. Dahlias are watered with warm water, preventing the sawdust from drying out. As soon as you notice that the eyes are hatching, you can begin the process of division. In doing so, proceed as follows.
Tuber dahlias should be divided into several parts, so that each has 2-3 eyes. It should be cut from above with a sharp clean knife. Places of cuts, slices sprinkled with crushed activated carbon silt sifted ash. Parts of the root tub are slightly dried and planted either in open ground or germinated in sawdust.
In the middle zone, dahlia tubers are germinated in April, and in the Kuban in March. In the latter case, planted in open ground, they bloom in May-June.
Dahlias from cuttings, reproduction
Cuttings are the most effective way to breed dahlias. With this method, in January, the roots are previously germinated in sawdust, as described above. In March-April, when the sprouts that have appeared reach a height of 5-7 cm, they are carefully broken off or carefully cut with a knife. Cuttings that were cut with a piece from the root neck are rooted best. In a professional language, such processes are called sprouts with a heel. They take root better, give stronger plants.
Then, in those places from which the sprouts were cut, new ones grow, but they are not so strong anymore, their quality is much lower. You can, of course, also use them for propagation if you have some rare variety. But more than two to three times to cut sprouts for rooting is not recommended.
Cuttings cut from the heel are planted in a container with earth, which is shed well with warm water before planting. Until the sprouts hatch, the containers are covered with glass or a transparent film, not forgetting to periodically ventilate.
There is one secret when growing dahlias from cuttings: rooted cuttings should be transplanted into not very loose dishes - plastic pots, cans. The tubers will form plump, compact. And if they are left in the boxes, then the tubers will grow elongated, thin. The quality of plants grown from such tubers is not high.
It may happen that the sprouts intended for rooting have grown, grown too long. Do not despair - you need to root such sprouts not in the ground, but in water. After planting in open ground, such seedlings are no different from those that were obtained from seedlings of normal size.
Growing dahlias from seeds
Often questions arise about the reproduction of dahlias by seeds. Is it possible? Yes, but this is not a quick way; breeders are more likely to use it to get new varieties and hybrids. But ordinary flower growers can also use it. You can plant the seeds immediately in open ground, or you can grow seedlings first.
Seeds are planted in seedling boxes with nutrient soil flat, falling on top of them with sand or loose soil no more than 0.5 cm. As soon as 2-3 real leaves are formed at the seedlings, they are planted in open ground. The distance between the seedlings is 5-7 cm.
Caring for seedlings grown from seeds is not quite ordinary. Firstly, the soil before planting seedlings is not fertilized. Secondly, in the process of growth they do not give any fertilizing. Why create such spartan conditions? And so that young dahlias show how decorative they can be, beautiful in the worst conditions. That's when they bloom, then they choose the best, and you can remove the rest from the flowerbed.
Dahlias are planted in the spring, and the ground in the flowerbed, where flowers will grow, is prepared in the fall. Be sure to dig a shovel on a bayonet without breaking the lumps. After the first frosts, fertilize the flowerbed with decomposed humus and dig it up again.
Planting and caring for dahlias, when and how
Dahlias are planted in the Kuban usually in the second half of April, when the soil warms up to a depth of 20-25 cm. They are planted so that the root neck is 5-7 cm covered with soil.
Show your imagination when planting and arranging dahlias of different varieties in the flowerbed. Consider the height. coloring flowers. Dark-colored dahlias will look good next to varieties of lighter colors. Try planting a burgundy next to white or cream, red - with yellow or pink, purple in different shades.
How to care for dahlias? There is nothing complicated about caring for dahlias. Varieties with high stems necessarily require garter. If you want to have large inflorescences, then 2-3 shoots with buds are left on one bush, and the rest are removed. Many varieties are prone to pinching. Therefore, so as not to fade flowers, stepsons pinch immediately after their appearance. Do not forget to remove the lower leaves when they begin to wither and dry.
During flowering, the soil under dahlia bushes is abundantly watered, and it is not allowed to dry out. From the moment buds appear and throughout flowering, plants begin to feed. You can use special fertilizers for flowers, for example, Kemira plus or home-made herbal infusion.
Around October (in the Kuban) dahlias bloom. This is the first digging signal.