How To Grow Dahlias
It took me two years to work out how to grow dahlias easily
Dahlias first came to my attention on Instagram. I saw all of these people growing incredible Cafe Au Lait dahlias the size of dinner plates and decided to have a go growing them for myself, because they are insanely beautiful!
This year I experimented with dahlias at home and had some success, but I took away a whole heap of learnings that will make it easier to grow a tonne of gorgeous dahlias at home next time. If you want to know how to plant dahlias yourself, here are 6 useful tips:
#1 Dahlias grow from a tuber (not seeds)
When I first received a dahlia tuber in the mail I was like what on earth do I do with this thing that looks like a gnarled potato?! I was straight on to google to ask how to plant dahlias! While it seems improbable, that one tuber grows into one huge dahlia bush with many stems and flowers.
#2 Plant tubers on their side/sideways
The main thing to know is that you plant tubers on their side, not vertically. Dahlia pro’s say to plant with the “eye” facing upward, but in my experience, the plant always finds its way up to the surface of the soil anyway so I don’t worry too much about this. Tubers can be planted in a pot or 30cm apart in the garden. Make sure you label them!
#3 Don’t water until a shoot comes out of the ground
While you wait for the tuber to come to life and for a shoot to push it’s way to the surface of the soil (it can take around 3 weeks), it’s important to know that you shouldn’t water. This is so the tuber doesn’t get soggy and die while it’s underground. Once the shoot is out of the ground, water normally every day.
#4 Plant Dahlias around November/December in Australia
As well as being asked ho to plant dahlias, I’m also asked when to plant dahlias. These are a heat-loving flower (it’s the floral emblem of Mexico which should give a clue) so most people plant their tubers in November or December when it starts to get hot. The flowers arrive in March/April.
#5 Dahlias need to be pinched
Dahlias need to be “pinched” and what that means is that you cut back the main stem of the plant around the 1 month stage to encourage the plant to create more shoots from the side to give you lots of extra blooms. If you don’t pinch, you’ll end up with one huge broom-stick-like bloom at the centre of the plant and nothing else.
#6 Dahlias need to be supported
As I said, you plant dahlias around November/December and get the blooms in March or April. This is a 4 month project. The reason you wait so long is that dahlias can grow up to a metre or even 2 metres high depending on the variety and have gorgeous heavy flowers on them, so this means they need support throughout these months. I put a 1.5m stake next to each dahlia and tie some string around it as it grows.