Dahlias in summer dormancy: pay attention to this one point to avoid root rot and pests
Today I had just stepped outside when I was drawn to the flowers in the neighbor's yard. Without realizing it, they were blooming bigger than a face, truly letting themselves go! After confirming with a glance, it is indeed the dahlia itself!
The most beautiful moments of various dahlia varieties
Complete guide to growing flowers
Back home everyone calls it sweet potato flower. The flower colors are diverse, with more than 30,000 varieties alone, and the large ones can exceed 30cm in diameter. Their bearing is no less impressive than that of peonies, so they are also called "heavenly bamboo peonies." Below, Huahua will take everyone to appreciate dahlias of all colors and stunning beauty!
According to Huahua's understanding, dahlias can be called a must-choose for lazy gardeners, because they can grow well with hardly any care. But if you want the flowers to bloom profusely and roundly, you still need to pay attention to the following points.
Care tips for dahlias
Complete guide to growing flowers
Soil: Loose, fertile, well-drained humus soil or sandy soil is most suitable for dahlia growth. You can also mix garden soil, leaf mold, and sand at a ratio of 5:3:2.
Water: The amount of water affects the height of the plant. During the seedling stage, control watering to prevent excessive growth of branches and leaves; when watering, follow the principle of watering thoroughly after the soil dries out, keeping the potting soil moist but not wet. In summer high temperatures, you can spray around the flowerpot every afternoon to increase humidity.
Light: If you want dahlias to bloom more, it is best to maintain more than 6 hours of light daily. In summer, when sunlight is strong, appropriate shading is needed to avoid scorching the leaves and affecting flowering.
Fertilizing: Dahlias like fertilizer. Generally apply diluted decomposed liquid fertilizer or compound fertilizer. During the spring and autumn growing seasons, topdress about once every 10 days. Do not fertilize during summer high temperatures.
What to do when dahlias enter semi-dormancy in summer
Complete guide to growing flowers
Dahlias enter a semi-dormant state in summer. To safely get through summer, you must pay attention to these points:
1. Root care: Dahlias have large fleshy root systems. In summer they dislike moisture and fear heat, and are prone to rotting in high temperatures, so water according to the principle of watering when dry and letting dry when wet, loosen the soil often for aeration, and promptly clear accumulated water in the pot after heavy rain;
If root rot is found, immediately cut off the rotten roots, repot and replace the soil, or "amputate" and propagate again by cuttings.
2. Shading care: In summer, avoid direct strong light. When grown outdoors, sunscald after rain followed by clearing is most likely to occur, so promptly pull up a shade net for protection.
3. Pruning care: Dahlias like airiness and fear stuffiness. In summer, when branches and leaves are too dense and lush, prune and thin the branches, keeping 3~4 nodes on side branches; after flowering, prune the spent flower branches and dead branches, and also cut the main stem short to 15~25cm.
4. Pest and disease protection: In summer, dahlias are most prone to gray mold and powdery mildew. The flower parts turn brown and irregular in shape, and leaf edges develop spots, dry up, and soften. When these phenomena appear, promptly cut off and destroy diseased branches and diseased plants, and use a 500-fold spray of 50% carbendazim wettable powder for prevention and control.
That is all Huahua will introduce today.
Flower friends, how are your dahlias growing?
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