All About Dahlias!
Why Dahlias?
Like, what do they have to do with Real Estate?
NOTHING!
That's the beauty of them! Just kidding - it's really their vibrant colors, showy petals, and show-stopping size!
I started with about two dozen dahlias, right as we were entering lock-down in 2020. I purchased the remaining stock of a local grower in Seabeck. Then I couldn't stop myself, I got more and more from anywhere I could find - from the Kitsap Dahlia Society to any local growers I could find. It's a good thing we had a big yard to plant them in!
I love walking through the rows of flowers, all different in every way. It truly amazes me how unique each and every dahlia is. Actually, kind of like homes! A home is a home - except no 2 are actually the same!
If you've received a bouquet or a tuber from me - Read on!
Planting
How to Plant Your tuber
So, Dahlia tubers are pulled from the ground looking like the photo above. You probably have something that looks a little bit neater and cleaner than these, and maybe has only one or two actual tubers attached. Believe it or not, when you plant one of these guys, they will have multiplied at the end of the season!
Now. I will tell you something that goes against most Dahlia growers beliefs - you can indeed leave them in the ground, and they will do just fine! AS LONG AS you have well draining soil. Dahlias are very sensitive to moisture, and they will rot if your soil holds a lot of it. If that's the case, then just pop the whole thing out of the ground, put it in a cardboard box with some wood shavings or Perlite, store in a dry, dark place and then pop 'em back in the ground around May Day!
If you want to multiply your supply, simply cut each tuber at the stem, so each neck has a piece of stem attached. You want to make sure that each tuber has at least one "eye" which, in the picture, is where the shoots are starting to grow.
Let's get planting!!
1. Find a spot that has rich, well draining soil.
2. Dig a hole 6-8” deep, and as long as the tuber.
3. Set the entire tuber in the hole with the growing points, or “eyes” facing up. You can set them alongside a garden stake to keep things upright when they get bloom-heavy.
4. Cover the tuber with 2-3” of soil. You can put a little bit of fertilizer in the hole, but don't fertilize again until blooms start showing.
DO NOT WATER WHEN YOU PLANT THEM!
5. Start watering when the sprouts have appeared above the soil. Dahlia's are prone to rot, so this gives them the best chance to get going without rotting.
Now, sit back and watch them grow!!
