Do you like flowers? If so, you can’t miss a few dahlias in your garden or balcony. These rhizomatous plants -sold as bulbous- originating in Mexico are capable of attracting the attention of anyone who passes by thanks to their bright colors and the elegance of its petals.
Easy to take care of, I will explain to you how to plant potted dahlias to keep them beautiful throughout the season.
How are potted dahlias planted?
These are very easy plants to acquire and also to maintain, which bloom during the summer, brightening up the day. But, before that, we have to know how to plant them.
What will we need?
Rhizome
To plant dahlias we need, of course, some dahlia rhizome. They are usually readily available from spring to summer, but it is much more advisable to buy them in early springsince in the hottest season it is when it will bloom. Even so, if we choose to plant them in summer, they could flower in autumn if the weather is mild, but the usual thing in these cases is that it only leaves leaves.
Flower pot
The container in which it grows it must have holes in the base so that the irrigation water that has not been absorbed by the earth comes out, since if it remained stagnant inside the roots would rot. This pot must also be about 20 centimeters in diameter for more or less the same depth.
Substratum
It is not very demanding, but To avoid rotting, it is very important to choose a quality, light substrate that retains moisture but at the same time facilitates the rapid drainage of water.. In addition, it must be fertile, so a good mix would be: universal substrate (I insist, quality. Not all brands are suitable. This for example it is, from experience, very good) mixed with 20 or 30% perlite.
Watering can
After each transplant, you must water thoroughly. Moisten all the soil well so that, in this case, the rhizome can hydrate as soon as possible and sprout. So a good shower of at least 1 liter full of water is essential.
Step by step
Image – Flickr / FD Richards
Now that we have everything, it’s time to get down to work:
We fill the pot with the substrate
Once we have the rhizome, a pot of at least 20cm in diameter must be filled more or less halfway with universal substrate for plants mixed with 20 or 30% perlite. We must fill it with the necessary amount of soil, taking into account that the rhizome must be completely buried.
We introduce the rhizome
We take the rhizome, and we put it in the center with care that it does not breakensuring that the narrowest part points upwards, since the leaves and later the flowers of the plant will come from there.
We finished filling
Next, we must add more substrate, ensuring that the pot is almost completely filled. It is advisable that the level of the substrate is a centimeter or so below the edge of the pot, since in this way when we water we will not lose water.
We water
To finish, we will only have to water. You have to do it little by littleotherwise the water would fall with too much force, causing part of the substrate to come out of the pot.
Another option is to water by the tray or plate method. This is filled with water, we place the pot inside, and we wait for the earth to absorb the precious liquid, something that may take a few minutes.
Thus, it will not take long to wake up and surely much sooner than you think, the leaves will start to come out. In fact, they usually do so within 7-10 days, as long as the soil is kept slightly moist.
What care do dahlias need?
I would not like to finish this article without first telling you how to take care of your dahlias from now on, which you already have in a pot. Write down these tips and you will see how easy it is to have them:
- Location: it is important that they are outside, in an area where they receive direct sunlight for at least 4 hours a day.
- Irrigation: water 2-3 times a week, less if it rains frequently or it is winter. Do it first thing in the morning, or better in the late afternoon, so you will have more time to hydrate.
- Subscriber: during flowering it is interesting to fertilize them with a fertilizer for flower plants or bulbs, following the instructions specified on the packaging.
- Pruning: you don’t need it. You only have to cut the dry leaves and wilted flowers with previously disinfected scissors.
Where to buy dahlias?
You can get them from here:
Easy right? When the leaves sprout, you can leave them in that pot throughout the season, or move them to a larger one after a month has passed. So nothing, you no longer have an excuse not to have dahlias in your home .
2 thoughts on “How to plant potted dahlias”