Dahlia Growing Guide - for the Home Grower or Aspiring Flower Farmer
Have you ordered your dahlia tubers yet? There’s still time! We have a nice selection of tubers for sale in our webshop! (link at the bottom of post) Cut off for orders is April 5th!
Ever wanted to try growing cut flowers at home? or… maybe you are an aspiring flower farmer. Dahlias are an extremely rewarding and dependable flower to grow.
We have grown dahlias since day one, and with a few hints and tricks we’ve unlocked the code to growing bucketful’s of these gorgeously varied late summer blooms.
Every tuber in our webshop has been hand planted and grown through the 2023 season in our Irish climate. SO fully acclimatised to these very special growing conditions. Then at the end of the growing season we hand dug each clump of tubers, meticulously divided and then carefully stored away from freezing temps.
They are now ready to be shared with our customers.
Tips for Success:
Pot up early and store under cover (in a green house, windowsill or polytunnel) Protect if temps dip below freezing. Don’t water too much until you see green growth sprouting above the soils surface.
Once the last frosts have ended you can harden the plants outside for a week. (You can also plant your tubers into the ground in late April, just protect from any late frosts)
Then dig your planting hole with plenty of compost and manure. place your new dahlia plant in the hole and firm in.
Protect from slugs with an organic slug pellet or do a nightly slug patrol to keep them at bay.
Once five sets of leaves have appeared you can then pinch out the growing tip. This encourages bushy growth and at least twice the amount of flowers.
Feed every two weeks with a seaweed based fertiliser,
Once the plants begin bloom in late July or August you should cut the flowers at least 30cm long, to encourage longer stem that are easier for arranging.
Harvest the flowers in the morning or evening, when they have just opened, for ball types its a good idea to let the flower form just over halfway.
For the longest vase life dip the cut stems in just boiled water to encourage the flowers to fully hydrate. Use flower food for the best flower lifespan.
Enjoy the blooms until the first frosts or late October
