Dahlia pompon (22 photos): varieties, nuances of planting from seeds and care

Sowing work

The seed material is quite large, it will not be difficult to lay it in the ground. Sprinkle the seeds on top with earth. Watering is imperative. It is best to use a spray bottle. Cover the crops with glass on top.

Germinating seeds

You can get annual and perennial pompom dahlias from seeds, but for this it is worth learning about the basic intricacies of growing plants. A week after planting the seeds, the first shoots will appear. This stage is very important. The seedlings need good lighting.

When growing annual plants, you can start planting in April. When growing perennials, sowing seeds is in March.

In order for the seeds to sprout, it is required to provide favorable conditions:

regularly crops need to be aired;
the temperature regime should correspond to 25 degrees.

As soon as shoots appear, the glass must be removed, and the seedlings must be placed in a lighted place. However, the seedlings should not be exposed to direct sunlight. This will lead to the death of the plants.

It is necessary to water the seedlings carefully, the water should not stagnate in the soil. Otherwise, plants can be affected by pests and diseases.

It is advisable to use a spray bottle for watering.

How to dive seedlings

As soon as the first 3 leaves appear on the seedlings, it is necessary to pick. To begin with, it is worth preparing individual containers, filling them with soil. A small hole must be made in each cup from the bottom, this will allow excess moisture to leave.

The seedlings, together with the lump, must be carefully removed and transferred to a separate container. It is worth watering from a spray bottle.

Preparing seedlings before planting in open ground

At the end of May, dahlias can be planted in a flower bed. However, there is no need to rush. We need to wait until the threat of frost has completely disappeared.

In addition, the plants need to be hardened. This will allow them to quickly take root in the flower bed. Already with the arrival of May, you can start hardening. For this, containers with seedlings should be taken outside. In the early days, the time spent in the fresh air should not exceed 5 minutes. Gradually, the duration of the procedure should be increased.

Site selection

In order for the pompom dahlia to delight with its flowering for a long time, it is worth approaching the choice of the site responsibly. The flower bed should be located on well lit place. In this case, the soil must be fertile.

Please note that dahlias need to be protected from drafts and dark areas. If you plant flowers in a shaded place, the plant will be weakened, the buds may not appear.

Dahlia care

Planting dahlia tubers is not an unimportant stage in development, but proper care in the open field is no less important event. After planting, it should consist in timely watering, loosening the soil, weeding and feeding. Do not forget about the formation and timely garter.

Watering

Dahlia bushes need to be watered abundantly; in the heat, their frequency should be increased to 2 times a week. Be sure to keep the soil from drying out. If the plants during the period of bud formation are deficient in moisture, then the inflorescences will be small or ugly. To make it easier to maintain soil moisture, the surface of the earth under the bushes can be mulched with humus or peat.

Loosening

After each watering or rain, the soil surface under the bushes must be loosened to prevent the formation of a soil crust. If this is not done, the root system begins to experience a lack of oxygen, which in turn negatively affects the development of the entire plant.

Top dressing

Flowers such as dahlias, although they are considered unpretentious, but the correct planting is only half the battle, they also need timely care. Correctly applied top dressing plays a very important role in this.

The first feeding is carried out at the beginning of June. At this time, the plants are given fertilizers of the nitrogen group so that they can develop strong and powerful bushes. For these purposes, you can use urea or ammonium nitrate. In the absence of mineral fertilizers, mullein or bird droppings will do.

The second feeding is carried out in late June or early July. At this time, dahlias are fed with complex fertilizer, so they begin to prepare for the laying of buds. For these purposes, you can take, for example, a nitroammophoska.

The third feeding is carried out in the bud formation phase

At this point, it is very important to provide plants with a sufficient amount of phosphorus and potassium, which play a decisive role in the formation of future flowers. If there is a lack of these elements, abundant flowering can not be expected

At the end of August, they begin to prepare tubers for wintering. Top dressing at this time is carried out with nitroammophos and superphosphate.

Shaping and garter

During the summer, dahlias form stepchildren in the leaf axils. So that they do not weaken the main shoot, it is recommended to periodically remove them. If this is not done, then the flower, to the detriment of flowering, forms too much leaf mass. Small-flowered varieties of dahlias should not be pinned: pompom, collar, anemone, etc.

After four leaves are formed on the central shoots, they must be pinched. As a result of this, lateral shoots begin to grow, which are pinched over the second pair of leaves. This method allows the plants to form lush bushes. You should be aware that more than three central shoots should not be left on one plant.

To get large flowers, you need to pluck out almost all the side buds. If this is not done, then there will be more colors, but they will be smaller. The first buds should also be plucked out, if they are left, then the further development of the bush begins to be delayed.

Tall varieties need a garter of peduncles. Their fragile stems are not able to withstand the wind and therefore break easily. To do this, a colo is driven in next to each bush, the height of which should correspond to the height of the peduncles. For the garter, it is advisable to use a soft material that will not cut into the stems.

Dividing tubers

The most common and easiest way to produce well-developed flowering plants in the first year of growing. The division of the tubers is carried out after the sprouts have hatched on them. To do this, large specimens are carefully separated by hand or with a sharp knife according to the number of sprouts. After that, the places of the cuts must be sprinkled with charcoal powder and dried a little.

Cuttings

This method is less common, it is mainly used only by experienced florists, since it requires certain skills. To propagate dahlias by cuttings, you need to get the tubers out of storage at the end of January and plant them for germination. After the sprouts reach a height of 9-10 cm, you can start grafting. To do this, they are cut off, and then planted in any loose substrate. The optimum rooting temperature is + 22 ° C.

If everything was done correctly, the first roots will appear on the cuttings in 2-3 weeks. After they are completely rooted, they are seated in separate containers. Young plants are planted in open ground in early May, they need to be looked after in the same way as for specimens obtained as a result of dividing tubers.

How to properly care for a dahlia

Step 1. Water
Use only settled water for irrigation.
Watering frequency is two to three times a week.
If groundwater flows close to the surface of the earth and stagnation forms, drain it.
Watering should be carried out in the morning or in the evening at the root. If water gets plentifully on the leaves, they can rot.
Stop watering at the end of August

Step 2. Fertilize
The first time - after two weeks after planting, dahlias should be fed:
insist mullein;
dilute the infusion in a ratio of 1 part mullein to 10 parts of water;
pour out 10 liters of infusion;
add 20 g of superphosphate and ammonium nitrate to it.
The second and third feeding - in the middle and end of June:
mix 50 g of superphosphate and wood ash;
pour the mixture with a bucket of water and stir.
Potash dressing - in mid-August:
potassium sulfate 30 g
Mineral fertilizers with nitrogen as the main component DO NOT apply

Nitrogen promotes abundant green mass formation and reduces bud set.
Attention! All proportions are based on one bush.

Step 3. Carry out agromechanical works
Loosening:
Before watering, the plant must be thoroughly loosened.
Oxygen will penetrate deeper into the roots.
Hilling:
When the stems grow about half a meter, spud the flower

Make a slide around the trunk at least 40 cm.
Hilling will help taller varieties to remain stable.
Mulching:
The mulching process will retain moisture in the soil and reduce the amount of weeds.
Make mulch from sawdust, chopped bark or peat with a layer height of 5–6 cm

Step 4. Form a bush
The formation process is mandatory for tall plants.
Border and dwarf varieties do not need a procedure.
Forming options:

1. Stepson. Remove side shoots to increase stem height and inflorescence size. This is the best way to speed up flowering.
2. Pinch. The procedure for retarding growth in height and development of lateral shoots. To do this, remove the upper parts of young shoots after the complete formation of buds on the stem. The bush spends less energy on the development of green mass, and gives them to the formation of buds.
3. Pinch. To keep the flowers large and lush, you can remove the top center inflorescence on each shoot.
Extend flowering:
In order for the dahlia bushes to bloom longer, pluck the wilted flowers without waiting for the seeds to drop

Step 5. Fight pests and diseases.
Diseases:
Dahlias are disease resistant. Sometimes they are affected by the following diseases:
gray rot;
leaf spot;
fusarium;
mosaic.
In case of infection with fungal diseases, remove and burn areas with manifestations of the disease. Treat the bushes with fungicides.
In case of mosaic disease, remove the diseased bush entirely. Treat nearby plants and the planting site with chemicals.
Pests:
The dahlia is parasitized by:
aphid;
slugs;
caterpillars of the scoop, greenhouse whitefly.
Single harmful insects can be collected by hand. In case of a large accumulation, treat with insecticides.
The stem nematode is a special case.
Sign of defeat:
The dahlia stops growing, bends and withers away.
How to proceed:
The plant cannot be saved. In addition, other bushes may become infected.
The sick dahlia should be dug up and burned. Plants should not be planted in the infected area for some time.
For treatment, plant the earth in this place with marigolds

Step 6. Prepare for wintering
Preparing for winter includes the following steps:
1. In September, stop moisturizing dahlias. After frost, the bush will wither.
2. During this period, the plant is pruned. Cut the bush whole. Leave the stem up to 15 cm above the ground.
3. After about a week, dig up the tubers in warm, dry weather. Shake off the ground and leave to dry in the open air for several hours. Then bring it into a ventilated room and dry it.
4. For storage in sawdust, vermiculite or paraffin, the roots should be washed, dried and divided into shares. For storage in crates and sand, these steps are optional.

Growing annual dahlias outdoors

An important point in growing dahlias is the choice of location. For full bloom, it is better to choose open areas where the sun is constantly shining. As for the soil, it is desirable that it be sufficiently loose. The garden bed on which the dahlias are going to be planted needs to be dug up. After adding humus and sand.

As for the timing of planting and leaving the annual dahlia in the open field, these flowers are considered thermophilic plants. And therefore, they need to be planted after all possible frosts, namely at the end of May. For planting, holes are made at a distance of 30-60 centimeters. After the seedlings have been planted, they need to be shaded for several days.

Since annual dahlias are not very whimsical, they do not need to be fertilized, but in this case they will not bloom so brightly. But for a bright flowering, dahlias are recommended to be fertilized 3 times. The first time is fertilized 12-15 days after planting. The second time, fertilization is resorted to during the budding period. And in the last weeks of August. A third feeding is recommended. As for watering, you need to do it often, but little by little.

Possible growing problems

When growing dahlias, many growers are faced with various problems - the development of diseases, pest attacks.

Viral diseases

These are the most dangerous pathologies that cannot be cured. Viruses are carried by insects. They are also spread by the use of cutting tools that were used to process infected crops.

Bacterial cancer

In this case, the roots and tubers of the culture are covered with white growths. Subsequently, they take on a dark shade and begin to rot.

Overgrowth cancer

This pathology is accompanied by the appearance of many thin roots. A large number of shoots appear on the root collar.

Meadow bug

These insects bring great harm to the plant. It manifests itself especially strongly during the period of bud formation, since females lay eggs in the apical buds of plants. Karbofos will help to cope with parasites.

Aphid

These pests settle in colonies on the seamy side of the leaves and absorb the sap of the plant. As a result, a sticky plaque appears on the surface of the culture. Aphids contribute to the spread of various pathologies.

Thrips

These microscopic insects infect foliage by absorbing its juices. As a result, a silvery bloom appears on the plant. As the pathology progresses, the leaves turn yellow and dry out. The use of insecticides - Fufanon, Aktara helps to cope with parasites.

Spider mite

These parasites are localized on the seamy side of the leaves. In this case, a cobweb can be seen on the plant. Affected foliage becomes yellow and dries up. Spraying with cool water will help to cope with the problem. In difficult cases, use garlic or tobacco infusion.

Poor growth

Dahlia growth disorder is caused by improper care of the plant. Often the cause of problems is infection with viral infections.

Leaves turned yellow

Yellowing of the leaves often occurs against the background of aphid infestation. Also, the causes of problems are viral infections and a violation of the watering regime.

Dahlia, how to propagate dahlias, planting and care

Yesterday - the sun was already glowing low -
Among the dahlias I walked yours,
And like a living odalisque
Each of them stood.
A. Fet

The beginning of the book

Dahlias fall flowers

Dahlias are beautiful fall flowers. September

This beautiful flower, dahlia, belongs to the Asteraceae family. In total, there are 12-15 species of dahlias in nature. Cultural forms of dahlia are represented by a huge (more than 12 thousand) number of varieties.

Dahlia is a herbaceous perennial with root tubers. Storage roots (tubers) live 3-4 years, thin suction roots are formed on them annually. New adventitious storage roots develop at the base of the shoots of the current year.
Usually tubers are located under groups of renewal buds. A kind of complexes are formed (kidney + root).

How to breed dahlias

Dahlia reproduces vegetatively, except for non-double varieties

The main methods of vegetative propagation of dahlias are dividing the root tuber and cuttings. Young

Dahlia tubers are planted in boxes and sprinkled with light sandy soil. At the same time, they make sure that the root collar is open, and the earth is moistened. After 7-10 days, when the eyes reach a size of 1-1.5 cm, division can be carried out. Depending on the size and number of awakened eyes, the root tuber is cut into 3-6 parts. Each separated part should have a piece of the root collar and at least one eyelet. Delenki are planted in boxes or pots so as not to fill up the incision site of the root collar. Dividing root tubers rejuvenates them.

The most effective and common way to propagate a dahlia is by cuttings.

How to water dahlias.