Five tips for more dahlia flowers
Everyone’s dahlias are blooming beautifully and the most stunning photos appear on social media. But yours produce only a few flowers or grow way too tall? In short, you expected more from your dahlia tubers? There are many factors that can influence the result. For some, it goes well effortlessly, while others need to put in a bit more work. If your tubers are still healthy after the season, you can store them over winter and try again next year, using your new knowledge to make them bloom even more abundantly. With these five tips, your dahlia garden will flourish more richly!
1) Check your tubers
When you dig up the tubers in autumn, you’ll immediately see how they look. A dahlia starts from an eye on the old tuber and produces new roots each year and then the new plant starts to grow. The tubers should feel firm, if they’re soft and you can squeeze them they’re probably rotten.
2) Prevent slugs
Slugs are often the reason your dahlias bloom late or don’t come up at all. Even before you see the green leaves appear above the soil, the slugs may already have eaten them. If you look closely you’ll see the emerging leaves have been chewed. If the tuber later does get a chance to grow into a plant, it often blooms only late in summer. To avoid this, it’s better to pot up your dahlia tubers early in spring. That gives them a head start and the slugs get less of a chance. Read the blog on starting dahlias early. Want to fight slugs, read more in this blog.
3) Avoid heat stress
In recent years the summers have been quite hot and that causes some dahlias to get stressed. Even though they love full sun, during a tropical summer they can stop growing and blooming. Some varieties tolerate heat better than others. Is the plant staying small, not producing many buds and flowers and/or are you seeing yellow leaves? Then the tuber is thirsty. Extreme heat or drought can send dahlias into a sort of summer sleep, during which they save their strength and hardly grow. Dahlias can handle warmth, but not drought. So give them water now and then. Not too much, because they don’t like wet feet.
TIP: Water the plants at the base near the stem, don’t pour or spray on the plant. This way the roots can absorb the water and you avoid fungus on the leaves.
4) Change location
Check if the dahlias are maybe in a spot that’s too wet or too shady. Dahlias want as much sunlight as possible during the day. If the ground is too wet or you have clay soil, make it more airy by mixing in some sand or potting soil. If the tubers are still healthy (see point 1) then plant them in a different spot next spring, maybe they’ll do better there. If you’ve had a lot of trouble with slugs, it’s also smart to put them somewhere else next year, as slugs often follow fixed routes.
5) Feed them
Dahlias are easily pleased. You don’t need to fertilise them, on the contrary, if you give them too many nutrients, they’ll grow uncontrollably tall and you’ll get fewer flowers. If you think your plants still need a bit extra, you can sprinkle some lava meal to improve the soil. You can also add some extra organic fertiliser, this contains the right amount of nutrients for dahlias. Use 1 kg per 10 m². Rake it into the soil after you’ve planted the tubers or during the blooming season. With pure manure or dried manure pellets, always be careful not to apply it just before planting as the fertiliser is too strong for the plant. Our organic fertiliser can be used all year round except during frost.
If the plant is not blooming abundantly then add some Flower Energy to give them a flower boost!
Dahlias are very rewarding plants that give flowers all summer long
Sometimes it just takes a bit of experimenting to find out how to get the best bloom in your garden.
Each spring you can plant them again and apply your new experience. Good luck!
A selection from our dahlia collection:
Our dahlias are available to order from January 1st until the end of May. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed!
If your dahlias could use a little extra nutrition:
When to choose which fertiliser
Organic fertiliser pellets are for direct use during or after planting and have a long-lasting effect of about 4 months. They benefit both soil and plant.
Lava meal & probiotics are long-acting minerals for soil improvement and can be added at any time.
Instant Flower Energy (NPK) is for use during the flowering period from July onwards when plants are not growing or blooming well.
and then Add to Home Screen.
