#dahliaadvice

Dahlias! 🌸 #garden #gardentok #gardening #gardeningtips #gardeningtipsforbeginners #gardeningtipsandtricks #gardentips #flowers #flowergarden #flowergardening #flowergardentiktok #dahlia #dahliacare created by needmorefarmsnc with needmorefarmsnc’s original sound

I think their is a lot of stress around learning to grow dahlias and after doing it for years. I’m not sure why.

Here are a few of the things I wish I knew when I started 💃.
—Dahlias are full sun plants, they will thrive with as much sun as you can give them.
-Stop reading so much online about how to grow them and focus on this. They need full sunlight, a good water source, and planted in a place where water won’t puddle up around them.
-Grow what makes YOU happy. There are hundreds of fabulous dahlias that aren’t “unicorn” dahlias that are just as amazing as those that are!
-They can be tricky to store. Try to find someone in your area online or in a garden club that is experienced in doing so. Storage really is different in different areas.
-What works for others, may not work for you. Find the beauty in learning!
-Pinch your dahlias when it’s time. It’s worth the extra effort….

Help me add to the list? What else would you wish someone told you when you started!

Your dahlia questions answered (plus a few extras for the dahlia beginners) 🌸

As a little disclaimer, I’m no expert. Any advice is based off of my own experience growing dahlias, but as with any gardener, I’m always learning. 😊

I wanted to include as much info as possible to get you started (this is the closest I’ve come to recording a YouTube video!) but there’s still so much I had to cut out so if you have questions which I didn’t address, please ask below! I’ll try and answer every comment. 💚

I’ll show you how to plant come March/May so all you need to do in the meantime is buy your tubers and secure containers if you haven’t already.

#dahlias #dahliaflowers #growingtips #homeandgarden #homesteadlife #homesteadliving #countryliving #flowerlovers created by Annette| Azure Farm with Ellen Once Again’s Good Vibes (Instrumental)

Dahlias just make sense! My crop has multiplied ever sungle year!

Where to source your dahlia tubers? Small local flower farms, of course! Many smaller farms sell off their extra tubers in spring so reach out to a local flower farmer, ask if they’re selling an my extras (and buy a community supported agriculture share for bouquets all season long if they offer one!).

Make sure you are buying from their stock and not divisions of imported tubers, which tend to have higher rates of dahlia diseases like leafy gall.

We also posted a video this week on our YouTube of 5 dahlia growing tips in 5 minutes, so if you want to do some dahlia squats this summer too,
Head over and check it out and give us a subscribe! ❤️❤️❤️

Olympic Gold Medalist & Notre Dame Coach Kelsi Dahlia joins the SSDL podcast this week! This episode is packed full of great advice for swimmers looking to take the sport to the highest stage possible. Kelsi and Eric talk about her beginnings in swimming, journey through international competition, and transition to coaching & becoming a mom‼️

This is probably a good moment to say that I’m by no means an authority on dahlias - I just love growing them. 🫶 Two professionals I always look to for advice in the dahlia department are @sarahravenperchhill and @clausdalby, particularly Claus if you’re growing yours primarily in containers (like me!).

With that being said, I wanted to address some common questions I’ve been asked since planting the tubers.

🌸 “Mine haven’t sprouted yet, have I done something wrong?!” Not necessarily! Mine are all in various stages of sprouting from absolutely nothing to lots of bountiful growth. Some tubers are slower to start than others. You have to be patient (which is the wonderful thing about gardening in a society which is invariably in a rush). For me, if I don’t see any growth after four weeks, then I resolve that the tuber was probably a dud. The good news is that you can often buy them as young plants anyway, so it doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on the variety.

🌸 “My tuber hasn’t sprouted but the compost is bone dry - can I water it?” Yes! The advice to not water your tubers after you’ve planted them is to discourage you from giving them regular sprinkles. The tubers are susceptible to rot, HOWEVER if you accidentally leave them out in the rain once or twice, they’ll almost definitely be alright. Poke your finger beneath the soil surface; if it’s not just the surface which is bone dry, give it a water and then leave it alone again.

🌸 “Should I be taking my dahlias out into the sun?” I do! They like the light & the warmth. I just try and remember to bring them back in again if rain is forecast or the temperatures drop (‘try’ being the operative word 🫣).

🌸 “Do I need to pot my dahlias up into larger containers?” Yes! Unless you’re growing dwarf or ‘gallery’ varieties, dahlias are big plants and need space to grow into their big beautiful selves. This can still be a pot - a large 50/60cm one, for example - but if kept in a small pot, your dahlia won’t reach its best. It will still grow, but you’ll see limited if any blooms.

WHEW. I hope that helps. 🥹🌸 Happy gardening.

One of my favorite flowers that pays off ten fold in the garden. Here’s my tried-and-true method for planting dahlia tubers:

🌱 Step 1: Dig a hole about 4-6 inches deep and lay your tuber horizontally.
🌱 Step 2: Cover with about 2 inches of soil—don’t go too deep!
🌱 Step 3: Space each tuber 12 inches apart to give them room to grow.
🌱 Step 4: Water thoroughly and wait for the magic to happen!

I don’t usually stake them right away, but as they grow taller, staking is a must to keep those gorgeous blooms standing tall. 🌼

If you’re planting dahlias for the first time, don’t be intimidated! It’s all about patience, and the payoff is spectacular. 🌸 What’s your favorite dahlia variety? Drop it in the comments!

how to grow dahlias how to grow flowers growing your own bouquet

If you don’t want your dahlias falling over the place, they need staking of some kind. This is my go-to method for supporting dahlias and I find it the easiest one out of the three that I’ve tried.

I use t-posts every 8 ft and then a strong bailing twine (polypropylene: you can try natural twine if you like, but it’s never held up for me.) with two rows wrapped around the T-posts to support the dahlias. It’s that simple! Just make sure you pull the twine really tight when you’re wrapping them.

If you have less than 30 dahlias, the best way is to use individual bamboo stakes to support each one. Just tying the dahlias to the stakes in a couple places works great!

Another option is to use hortonova netting over the t-posts (2 layers spaced 18 inches apart) and this might be a better option if you live in a high wind area… personally I’ve tried it and I can’t stand it: I find that it’s really difficult to harvest dahlia through the netting BUT, that’s just me. I know several farmers who prefer this method.

Save this to reference as your dahlias get taller and let me know if you have questions!
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⚠️ Cutting the tops off your dahlias does not kill them ⚠️ I promise 🙋🏼‍♀️ I hope this video explains why ‘pinching’ them produces more stems and therefore more flowers 🌸

Do you pinch yours and have you found it ghee’s you more flowers? 🤷🏼‍♀️ Share your pinching stories to give others the confidence to go for it too 🤏 🫶🏼

Dress from @mutha.hood and I bloody love it!

To pinch or not pinch your dahlia plant? If you want the most blooms possible, the answer is simple. Do it!

dahlias

Here’s how to divide dahlia tubers and store them for the winter 🌸

It’s time to pot up your dahlia tubers! I can’t believe it but it’s that time of year already, so yesterday I spent the entire day in the sun potting up my @sarah raven tubers. You can plant dahlia tubers directly into the ground, but if you’re going to do this I’d wait until the risk of frost has gone - as dahlias hate the cold! But if you’re looking to get a head start like me, you can start them off in pots. This also helps them get more established before planting out to give them a better chance of survival against pests. As all know slugs and snails love nothing more than a young dahlia plant. This is my method of potting up - I’m no expert but this has worked for me over the last 4 summers. I store my potted dahlias in my cold frame greenhouse, but I will keep an eye on temps and if it looks like there’s a frost I’ll just cover them with some horticultural fleece overnight just incase. I’ll then plant them out late May. But I’ll share updates before then! And if you don’t have a greenhouse, you can start them off in pots indoors, however I just don’t have the space 😆. But I know lots of people do this & it means they’ll grow much quicker as it’s warmer. You can also use the plastic box method which is essentially using a large clear plastic box as a greenhouse. I don’t expect to see much growth until April time. But I’ll keep an eye on them. I’ve given them a big drink so I probably won’t water again until I start to see shoots. But if we get any super warm days and the soil is particularly dry, I’ll give them some more water. You just don’t want them sitting in damp compost for too long as they can rot. I’ve got so many new varieties this year I need to show you them all. But I can’t wait for the blooms. I hope this was helpful. And I hope everyone’s had a gorgeous weekend in the sun. Cx #gardening #gardentok #newbuildgarden #dahlias #dahlia #gardentips created by Charlotte’s Garden with Tiqta’s Little Things

It’s time to pot up your dahlia tubers!

I can’t believe it but it’s that time of year already, so yesterday I spent the entire day in the sun potting up my tubers.

You can plant dahlia tubers directly into the ground, but if you’re going to do this I’d wait until the risk of frost has gone - as dahlias hate the cold!

But if you’re looking to get a head start like me, you can start them off in pots. This also helps them get more established before planting out to give them a better chance of survival against pests. As all know slugs and snails love nothing more than a young dahlia plant.

This is my method of potting up - I’m no expert but this has worked for me over the last 4 summers.

I store my potted dahlias in my cold frame greenhouse, but I will keep an eye on temps and if it looks like there’s a frost I’ll just cover them with some horticultural fleece overnight just incase.

I’ll then plant them out late May. But I’ll share updates before then!

And if you don’t have a greenhouse, you can start them off in pots indoors, however I just don’t have the space 😆. But I know lots of people do this & it means they’ll grow much quicker as it’s warmer.

You can also use the plastic box method which is essentially using a large clear plastic box as a greenhouse.

I don’t expect to see much growth until April time. But I’ll keep an eye on them. I’ve given them a big drink so I probably won’t water again until I start to see shoots. But if we get any super warm days and the soil is particularly dry, I’ll give them some more water. You just don’t want them sitting in damp compost for too long as they can rot.

I’ve got so many new varieties this year I need to show you them all. But I can’t wait for the blooms.

I hope this was helpful. And I hope everyone’s had a gorgeous weekend in the sun.

Cx