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Dahlias are a grand addition to a perennial garden because of their vast array of colors and sizes. I love the Dinner Plate Dahlias because they truly are great big blooms.
Dahlias should be located in a sunny place and they need fertile, well-drained soil. Here in Kentucky we have heavy red clay so I have to loosen it with sand and humus material which hold moisture and plant retaining food for the Dahlias. I also add a liberal dose of organic fertilizer just before I put the plants into the ground.
Once my Dahlia plants have developed several sets of leaves I start to pinch off the tops to make a nice bushy plant. At the height of 12 inches I work some more organic fertilizer into the ground around the Dahlia. I usually put a plant cage over my Dahlias and allow them to grow up through them so I do not have a lot of staking to do and they do not fall over when the heavy Dahlia blooms emerge.
When you want large blooms then you need to do a chore called “disbudding”. The Dahlia buds form in cluster of three and as soon as you see them break off the two side buds and leave the center bud which will have other buds appear as soon as the center bud is about 6 inches long. If you leave these leaf buds you will wind up with a small bushy effect. When you want large perfect Dahlia flowers on long stems then only one terminal bud should be left. This chore needs to be done once a week during the growing season. However, if you do not care then just let your Dahlias grow.
A Dahlia garden can be ruined by pests so you will need to use a good organic wash to clean off your Dahlia plants. Dahlias need to be feed about every 6 weeks with a good complete organic Dahlia plant food.
Dahlias should be mulched with straw or dried lawn clippings when they start to flower to help retain water during the hot dry seasons. Dahlias make great cutting flowers and cuttings should be done early in the morning or late evenings with a long slanting cut then place your flowers in cold water and let them sit for 2 or 3 hours in a place where the water can come up to room temperature.
Once your killing frost has arrived you can carefully dig up your Dahlia roots leaving the soil and then let them dry for about two weeks after which time you can pack them in sand until your want to plant them the following spring.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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