Growing Dahlias
Have you tried growing Dahlias in Alaska and struggled? ME TOO! Thankfully I took lots of notes and discovered some critical things to avoid and how to succeed with these incredible blooms! I will break it down for you in an upcoming class, but I wanted to share a few crucial mistakes here and hopefully save you some heartache!
Mistake #1: Buying mass-produced tubers from a commercial retailer. The first time I tried to grow Dahlias, I bought some from a box store. I was in there looking for lumber and got wooed by the big spring display that can derail any sunshine-deprived Alaskan in no time! I got them home and worked on dividing the clumps and seeing what I could grow. I planted them and patiently waited all summer. I produced 3-5 blooms for the whole friggin summer. When I dug them up in the fall, I discovered they were diseased!!!! I started to do some research. I found this nasty disease can often come from your mass production suppliers. I have since then ordered from reputable suppliers who test their supply. It's not foolproof, as diseases are found in nature, but I haven't had a problem since!
(I ordered some extra for you; come find them in Wild Haven Co. or order here online for pick up!)
Mistake #2: I needed to plant them earlier! Now, I pre-sprout the dahlia tubers indoors so that I already have established plants when they go in the ground. This allows me to have a lot more flowers by getting a jump start on the season. We have such a short growing season here, and dahlias do not tolerate frost, so we have to make do with what we have. We will cover timing in our classes as it depends on your location, growing conditions, and resources.
Mistake #3: Watering too much! Dahlias are susceptible to rot, so give the soil time to drain and water when needed.
Dahlias are a workhorse and can produce so many flowers for you; if you're willing to do the work in the beginning, you will have more blooms than you know what to do with come summer! Can't wait to connect with all of you gardeners!
Join us on March 19th to deep dive into planting bulbs. Get Tickets Here
I grow for cut flower production in rows but we will cover how to incorporate flowers into your landscape if you would prefer.