Dahlia Grow Guide

Please keep in mind your own climate and do your own research specific to you and your needs and goals! :)

📋 Pre-Planting Preparation

• Inspect tubers: Look for firm, plump tubers with visible eyes (growing points) - we inspect all our tubers before sending for eyes. If you have trouble locating the eye please feel free to contact us.
• Soil preparation: Well-draining soil with pH 6.0-7.0 is ideal. If you have purchased in soil, please be mindful of herbicidal residue. This can greatly impact Dahlias and is often mistaken for mites. No amount of Bugs 4 Bugs orders of predatory mites or insecticides will fix your plants if the issue is contaminated soil. Bio-char is what has worked for us in the past when we have had foreign soil introduced. We now make our own compost and use our own paddock soil (chemical free). If you do have to buy in soil try and purchase from a place that is certified organic or had testing completed.
• Add compost (optional): This is generally done a few months prior to planting when prepping your beds. Ensure the manure is well-rotted and again, keep in mind that herbicidal residue can carry over into manure. Same with mulch.
• Stake placement (optional): Install stakes before planting to avoid damaging tubers. In previous seasons we have staked every tuber to protect the plant from damaging winds and flower heavy plants. Last season we didn't stake anything in the main paddock and we may have lost only 5 plants to breakage out of the 5000 or so planted - We also live on a hill with some next level winds and the paddock has no shelter. I would suggest only stake the larger bloom plants and ensure you pinch (stop) all your plants.

🌿 Planting Instructions

1. Dig holes: 10-15cm deep (I use my fist as a guide)
2. Spacing: 30-60cm apart is the recommended guide (I tend to go 25-30cm)
3. Position tubers: Place horizontally with eyes (shoots) facing up to the sky
4. Fert (optional): I have added a small handful of Dynamic Organic Lifter to each hole in the past, I didn't last season and everything still thrived
5. Mark location: Use plant labels to identify varieties or create a spreadsheet. I personally used the notes app on my phone and made a very basic table with row numbers, variety names and if the tuber was from another farm I would add in their name. This is a great way to keep track of healthy or not so health stock aswell as a back-up method for labelling. We use flagging tape to mark plants once they are established and have flowered.
6. Water sparingly: Only if soil is very dry - avoid overwatering before sprouting. I don't water the tubers at all whilst underground (yes, we can't help the rain) but I don't turn the irrigation on until the plants are about 20cm high. The frequency will change with the temperature and rain forecast of course.

💧 Watering Schedule

• After planting: As mentioned above, wait until plant is atleast 20cm high. There is usually enough energy in the tuber to keep the plant going until then. Monitor carefully as your environment is different from mine. 
• Growing season: We have irrigation setup on auto timers that will water 2-3 times per week
• Method: Water at soil level to avoid wetting foliage, early morning is best to avoid any wet foliage burning in the sun
• Mulching (optional): Apply 5-8cm mulch to retain moisture. Keep in mind this may encourage pests to find little hiding nooks (we didn't mulch our main paddock rows last season and they were fine without it). You should also keep in mind that herbicidal residue can carry over to your mulch and compost (pending what the animal has eaten and if the feed had chemical on it).

🌸 Care Throughout the Season

Fertilising

• At planting (optional): We have use Organic Dynamic Lifter in the past, some people add a little blood and bone and I have heard some even dip tubers in the UGF 6 in 1.
• Monthly: UGF 6 in 1
• Avoid: High nitrogen after mid-season (promotes foliage over flowers)

Support & Maintenance

• Staking (optional): Tie plants to stakes as they grow, as mentioned above if using stakes, put the stake in before the tuber.
• Pinching/Stopping: Remove growing tip when you have 3-4 sets of leaves, this will make for bushier plants = more blooms
• Deadheading: Remove spent blooms to encourage more flowers
• Pest watch: Monitor for mites, aphids, thrips, and snails, slugs. Predatory mites are our friends (purchase from Bugs 4 Bugs) to combat mites, Ladybugs (the good kind) are also our friends for aphids and thrips. 

🍂 End of Season Care

1. After first frost (optional): We cut stems to 30cm above ground and ensure the flagging table is secured
2. Dig: Allow tubers to cure in ground for atleast 2 weeks. WE however have dug as early as July and as late as October. It really depends on your rainfall and reason to dig. If you aren't selling swapping or selling tubers and the rainfall isn't high, you may be safe to leave them in the ground another season. But if you want more plants, you could dig up around September/October and dig, divide and plant in one (pending climate).
3. Lift carefully: Dig 30cm around plant to avoid damage. I prefer a fork as opposed to a spade, a fork may pierce a tuber or two which they will still grow with a hold through them, where as a shovel can be a little more deadly.
4. Clean & dry: Remove soil (optional) some prefer to leave a little soil on and keep as a whole clump rather than divide right away. If dividing, ensure you dry the freshly divided tubers in warm, ventilated area before storing in medium of choice.
5. Storage: Store in cool, dry place (4-10°C) in coir, potting mix, vermiculite, peat moss or sawdust (we have trialled all of the above) we used coir this past season and found this worked well as long as the tubers had dried properly first. Be mindful of mould and check on your tubers regularly.

📅 Monthly Care Calendar