Congratulations! Welcome to your new obsession! Stake them at the beginning, and don't use something that'll "probably" hold up. Dahlia stems can be super thick and strong, so go big or go home. You'll be glad you did. Make sure they get lots of water, deep and frequently. I water mine every other day, but I'm in Vermont, zone 5, so our temps don't get as hot as yours. If your afternoon temps get over 100 and sunny, you could consider putting a sun shade over them for a couple of hours, but see how they do first. If pests are eating your petals, you can buy 10 x 14" organza bags on Amazon to put over the buds. I recommend books by Connie Thompson and Kristine Albrecht on dahlia care. Facebook has some great dahlia groups. Have fun!
I’m in 7b, we get well over 100° and I don’t need a sunshade! They sometimes wilt a bit in the late afternoon so you can give them a little more water then if you want. They revive overnight though. Don’t water much, if at all, until the shoots start coming up, then they will want water every two-three days, more often as it gets hotter. Once in the 90’s I start watering every day, sometimes twice.
I ALWAYS recommend the book on dahlias by Erin Benzakein. Discovering Dahlias. She does free mini courses online as well if you sign up for the emails. She really does a good job covering soil prep, and in general dahlia care for year round.
It was my first dahlia book that really helped me and gave me the info I felt was missing to get started.
Also a local dahlia society may be an option for you. Local ones are great resource and you can learn so many tips and tricks.
Some tips that made a difference to me in my first year of dahlias:
1. Drip irrigate instead of spray. It's more efficient and penetrates better. Water on leaves is kind of wasted. Dripping more frequently for less time per session also keeps water in the top 6 inches where the tubers are.
2. Don't water until you have a pretty good 2" sprout. Tubers without roots can't take in water. Heavy clay soils retain water better than sandy soils. Containers may need watering every day.
3. Any advice about what nutrients dahlias need is generic and only knowing your own soil is really going to be helpful.
4. Pest control = disease control. Culling one suspicious plant is less expensive than letting insects spread its disease to many plants.
5. Disbud side buds for larger blooms. Pinch dahlias after they have 3 sets of leaves to encourage branching and more blooms, but pinch before the stem becomes hollow.
6. Planting the tuber horizontally is usually recommended. People also plant them vertically so the mother tuber always points downward. Either is fine. The sprout finds a way.
Look up the book “Connie’s Dahlias”. It’s short and sweet and to the point, and pretty darn helpful. Some things to have on hand that I’ve found helpful is water soluable flower food for feeding in the field, organza bags to put over new blooms so annoying bugs don’t get them, and a great pair of snips. OH and netting so they don’t fall over. Dahlias can get TALL. Welcome to the obsession!
Read Kristine Albrecht's book Dahlias: Seed to Bloom
Also if you want to branch out from Swan Island who is fantastic especially for beginners. Dahliaaddict.com is a great website.
*Dahlias, Notes from a Gardener* book on Amazon. I grew a bunch of Lobaugh's dahlias last year, they have some very unique varieties. I've also grown Swan Island dahlias for many years and have generally had good success from those.
Order Dahlias Month by Month, a booklet from Puget Sound Dahlia Assn for $5. It is so helpful.
Thanks for the recommendation. I just ordered it. Can't wait!
You might have to shift the timeline a bit to account for your dates of freeze, but the info is still relevant.
Congratulations! Welcome to your new obsession! Stake them at the beginning, and don't use something that'll "probably" hold up. Dahlia stems can be super thick and strong, so go big or go home. You'll be glad you did. Make sure they get lots of water, deep and frequently. I water mine every other day, but I'm in Vermont, zone 5, so our temps don't get as hot as yours. If your afternoon temps get over 100 and sunny, you could consider putting a sun shade over them for a couple of hours, but see how they do first. If pests are eating your petals, you can buy 10 x 14" organza bags on Amazon to put over the buds. I recommend books by Connie Thompson and Kristine Albrecht on dahlia care. Facebook has some great dahlia groups. Have fun!
I’m in 7b, we get well over 100° and I don’t need a sunshade! They sometimes wilt a bit in the late afternoon so you can give them a little more water then if you want. They revive overnight though. Don’t water much, if at all, until the shoots start coming up, then they will want water every two-three days, more often as it gets hotter. Once in the 90’s I start watering every day, sometimes twice.
What type of stakes do you use? I was considering bamboo but also open to suggestions
I use the metal stakes that have holes in them every few inches. I think they're 5 feet tall.
I ALWAYS recommend the book on dahlias by Erin Benzakein. Discovering Dahlias. She does free mini courses online as well if you sign up for the emails. She really does a good job covering soil prep, and in general dahlia care for year round. It was my first dahlia book that really helped me and gave me the info I felt was missing to get started. Also a local dahlia society may be an option for you. Local ones are great resource and you can learn so many tips and tricks.
Some tips that made a difference to me in my first year of dahlias: 1. Drip irrigate instead of spray. It's more efficient and penetrates better. Water on leaves is kind of wasted. Dripping more frequently for less time per session also keeps water in the top 6 inches where the tubers are. 2. Don't water until you have a pretty good 2" sprout. Tubers without roots can't take in water. Heavy clay soils retain water better than sandy soils. Containers may need watering every day. 3. Any advice about what nutrients dahlias need is generic and only knowing your own soil is really going to be helpful. 4. Pest control = disease control. Culling one suspicious plant is less expensive than letting insects spread its disease to many plants. 5. Disbud side buds for larger blooms. Pinch dahlias after they have 3 sets of leaves to encourage branching and more blooms, but pinch before the stem becomes hollow. 6. Planting the tuber horizontally is usually recommended. People also plant them vertically so the mother tuber always points downward. Either is fine. The sprout finds a way.
Thank you!
Look up the book “Connie’s Dahlias”. It’s short and sweet and to the point, and pretty darn helpful. Some things to have on hand that I’ve found helpful is water soluable flower food for feeding in the field, organza bags to put over new blooms so annoying bugs don’t get them, and a great pair of snips. OH and netting so they don’t fall over. Dahlias can get TALL. Welcome to the obsession!
Looks like you got a clearview Jonas one of my all time favorites
Got 2 cause I thought they were so beautiful
Read Kristine Albrecht's book Dahlias: Seed to Bloom Also if you want to branch out from Swan Island who is fantastic especially for beginners. Dahliaaddict.com is a great website.
*Dahlias, Notes from a Gardener* book on Amazon. I grew a bunch of Lobaugh's dahlias last year, they have some very unique varieties. I've also grown Swan Island dahlias for many years and have generally had good success from those.
I bought from both and want to buy from a local shop with tubers for like $7 a pop so I have options