How to Plant Dahlia Flowers? A Detailed Guide to the Planting Method

Dahlia is a flower with very large blooms and brilliant colors, making it very suitable for growing as an ornamental plant, so how do you plant dahlia flowers?

1. What Is the Dahlia Flower

The dahlia flower is scientifically named dahlia, a perennial herbaceous plant native to Mexico, and it is the most widely cultivated ornamental plant in the world, with about 3,000 cultivated varieties. There are also many varieties in our country, which can be divided into single-petal, fine-petal, chrysanthemum-shaped, peony-shaped, ball-shaped and other types. It is suitable for group planting in flower beds and flower borders, and there are also dwarf varieties suitable for pot culture.

2. How Do You Plant Dahlia Flowers?

1. Soil

Choose fertile, loose sandy soil for planting. For the soil used when planting dahlias in pots, it is generally advisable to use a culture soil prepared with garden soil (50%), leaf mold (20%), sandy soil (20%) and dried manure (10%); compacted soil easily causes waterlogging and root rot, so it must not be used. During routine management, loosen the soil in time and drain excess water from the pot, because the fleshy tuberous roots of the dahlia rot when the soil contains too much water and air permeability is poor.

2. Light

Dahlia likes warmth and coolness; when the temperature is not high, it should be placed in direct sunlight for growing, and when the temperature is high, attention should be paid to shading.

If it is kept indoors for ornamental purposes after flowering, it should be placed near southeast-facing doors and windows so as to extend the flowering period and increase the number of blooms as much as possible.

3. Watering

In summer, water once a day; in winter, water once every 3-5 days. Potted plants should not be allowed to accumulate water, otherwise the bulbs easily rot. During the growing period, water and fertilize reasonably, and at the same time give sufficient light so that they grow robustly with abundant flowers and lush leaves. Watering should follow the principle of “water thoroughly only after the soil has dried out”. Generally, in the early growth stage of small seedlings, the water requirement is limited, and on sunny days they can be watered once a day, keeping the soil slightly moist as the standard; both too dry and too wet are unsuitable. In the later growth stage, the branches and leaves are lush and consume more water, on sunny days or days with north wind.

4. Fertilizing

Just fertilize reasonably according to the growth conditions of the dahlia. Dahlia is a flowering plant that likes fertilizer; starting from the seedling stage, generally apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 10-15 days. After budding, apply once every 7-10 days. When the flower buds show color, fertilization with liquid fertilizer should be stopped. Fertilizing is also not advisable when the temperature is high.

If you do not know whether the dahlia is lacking fertilizer, you can look at the leaves. If the leaves are light in color and thin, it is a sign of fertilizer deficiency; conversely, if there is excessive fertilizer, the leaf edges scorch or the leaf tips turn yellow, while thick leaves with a deep, rich green color indicate that fertilization is appropriate.