The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 2 Spring 2012 | Page 10

Bulbs
off side stems lower down the main
stem without harming your plants – it
will simply encourage bushier growth,
longer stems and more buds throughout
summer. Deadheading tired flowers will
further stimulate bud production.

A word of caution: don’t get going with
dahlias too early. Wait until the soil has
warmed up in late spring before you
purchase and plant because you don’t
want dahlias to flower too soon. They
should start flowering by mid-summer as
temperatures rise, but will save their best
show for late autumn and early winter,
provided that you followed instructions
when putting them in, and that you are
giving them a bit of TLC.

Dahlias are from Mexico, home of
the sun-worshipping Aztecs, so they
need at least 4 hours of sun a day:
the more sun they can bask in, the
stronger they wil be.
Planting is not difficult. Firstly, site them
correctly: they adore sunshine. Dahlias
are from Mexico, home of the sunworshipping Aztecs, so they need at least
4 hours of sun a day: the more sun they
can bask in, the stronger they will be.
Next up is good soil conditioning before
you plant; the better the soil, the happier
and more disease resistant your plants
will be. Well-rotted manure mixed with
soil in a spot where drainage is good
will give you a winning combination.
Stick to the guidelines provided on
the packaging for planting depth and
spacing. You may need to drive a sturdy
stake in beside the tuber when you
plant because really tall varieties need
support.

If you're after prize blooms, I advise
‘pinching and disbudding.

will help keep red spider mite in check.
By the way, be patient as it can take up
to eight weeks until growth shows up
above ground, just keep those roots
moist and hang on!
Here’s a very important tip: don’t fork
the soil around your dahlias. Dahlia
plants send out an extensive system
of feeder roots, which really hate to be
disturbed where they lie just beneath
the surface of the soil – neither do they
relish too much competition from other
plants. Instead, mulch your dahlia beds;
it controls weeds, and helps to conserve
water by minimizing evaporation.
Furthermore, mulching promotes
excellent all-round soil health.

Dahlia plants send out an extensive
system of feeder roots, which
really hate to be disturbed where
they lie just beneath the surface of
the soil - neither do they relish too
much competition from other plants.
If you take the trouble to feed and water
dahlias regularly, they will reward you for
many years in succession. Feeding with a
general fertilizer improves performance
for successive seasons and should be
done mainly from the start of flowering
right up into the start of autumn.

Once they are in the ground, it’s simple
to care for these strong plants. Watering
regularly is vital to success. Make sure
you really soak the soil when watering
so that moisture reaches down to the
root system and not just the surface of
the soil. Every three days is usually ideal.
It’s difficult to get dahlias to flower if
you let the soil dry out completely, as
extreme drought will send them into
early dormancy. Hosing down the leaves
vigorously at the same time as watering

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If you’re after prize blooms, I advise
‘pinching’ and ‘disbudding’. First of all,
when your plants are about a metre tall,
lop off the soft tip of the main shoot of
each plant to encourage it to bush out
and produce more leaves - more leaves
means more food and bigger flowers.
Now look at the flowering stems, you’ll
notice that there is a cluster of three
buds around the head of each stem. If
you want fewer but larger flowers, nip
off the two lower buds leaving just one
to take centre stage. You can even cut

If the drainage in your beds is very good,
dahlias will do well in the ground over
winter. Otherwise, if you wish to free up
space in your beds, you can very easily
lift and store them. Dahlias will let you
know when they wish to go dormant.
Their leaves will go yellow and fade
and the plants will slow their flower
production. This usually happens quite
abruptly at the onset of winter and is
spurred on by the cold. Reduce watering
at the end of autumn to encourage this.

Once the leaves are messy [