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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Dahlias
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I bought two medium size dahlias and repotted in a medium size pot each in April. I live in Gibraltar where we have a hot climate. they were beautiful and blooming, I have always kept dahlias, I now have them on my balcony. Suddenly they have started to die down and all the foilage has dried up. I have removed all the dead stalks and foilage and now only have the tuber. Not sure what has happened here, will they survive. I am watering and feeding once a week, but its been 3 weeks now and I see no sign of life. Appreciate any feedback. thanks
Hi, Subia. We are sorry to hear about your dahlias. They can be fickle plants in hot climates, as they prefer warm days and cooler nights. Here are a few things to try to revive your plants: Add organic matter to your containers. Keep watering (do not soak), and try adding some mulch on top to cool them down. Also, if your dahlias are in full sun, move them so that they get some shade. If all else fails, we highly recommend looking into getting a heat-tolerant variety. They may perform better in your climate.
June 11, 2024 - I just bought a "potted" Dahlia that has the most beautiful blooms. I live in zone 6 and want to keep it in a container so I don't have to dig the tubers and can move it inside to winter. Can I move it to a larger pot/container? If so, can I re-pot it now or wait until it finishes blooming? Thank you.
Hi Dollie,
Dahlias certainly are beautiful. You definitely want to wait until it has finished blooming, but it is best to wait until the first frost has hit or the leaves have turned brown. At that point, you could transplant your tuber to a new container with fresh potting mix and store indoors in a cool, dark room for the winter. But it would probably make more sense to simply remove the tuber from the current container and store it as outlined above for the winter before then putting the tuber in a new container in the spring. That way you don’t have to lug the new, larger container (which will be heavier) in this fall and out again next spring.
Good luck!
I live in NE Indiana. Last fall a friend surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of Dahlias and I fell in love with them. I am a new at gardener. I want to add Dahlias to my gardens but am overwhelmed by all of the information below. Is growing Dahlias as difficult as it appears? Perhaps I should get a few more years of gardening experience before attempting them? What are your thoughts please?
Growing dahlias is so easy and the sprout up pretty quickly. I planted mine well after Easter and several are over 3 feet high and have beautiful blooms. I do try to cut back and leave just one bloom per stem, making the ones you keep larger. Enjoy!
Hi Marleene,
It’s not hard to see why you fell in love with dahlias!
Gardening is all about trying new things, so if you want to grow dahlias in your garden you should try it. Growing dahlias will be easier if you plant tubers and not start from seed. For the first year, you can start small and plant only a couple tubers to see how it goes.
There are a few things you want to remember: Don’t plant your tubers until after all threat of frost has passed. Plant them in an area that gets lots of sunlight (6 to 8 hours). When you do plant, make sure to follow the steps outlined above.
Since your location is in growing zone 6a, you will want to treat your dahlias as an annual, meaning you want to lift them from the garden in the fall and store indoors during the winter months and then plant again in the spring.
And to get an idea of what dahlia varieties grow best in your area, check with your local gardening center or reach out to your local cooperative extension for guidance.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
What about Dahlia seeds? I would also love some guidance on beachside gardening. Thanks
Hi Mary,
While dahlias are typically grown from tubers, you can certainly grow them from seed. The only thing to know is that if you collect seeds from a dahlia you grew, it will not grow true to what you had in the garden. Only tubers will stay true to type. Growing dahlias from seed is how new varieties have been created.
If growing from seed, you will want to check the last spring frost date for your growing location and plant the seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before that date. Once the threat of frost has passed, you can start by slowly introducing them to outdoor conditions (hardening off) before planting in your garden or in a container.
If you live in a colder region (Zone 7 or lower), you should dig up the tubers at the end of the growing season and store them indoors over winter to be replanted the following spring.
As for beachside gardening, it depends on a number of factors. You want to choose plants that thrive in conditions that come with living near the ocean—salt, wind, and sandy soil—as well as ones that are suitable for your growing zone. In terms of what plants do well in your location, it would be best to check with a local gardening center or cooperative extension for guidance.
My dahlias went through one hard freeze - can I save them by digging the tubers up now?