Care

• Dahlias thrive on regular rainfall in most areas, though will require watering in arid and desert climates.
• Dahlias grow in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soils.
• Feed monthly with bloom type fertilizer to ensure full blooms
• Pinch back new growth when the dahlia is a foot high (30 cm) to promote a compact, bushy growth
• Remove spent blooms to encourage new blooms
• The stalks are woody, so aphids can attack them. A spray with insecticidal soap or even physically washing the aphids off a few times with a strong jet of water usually solves this.
• Cut back almost to ground level in the fall, before lifting and storing for the winter.
• In USDA zone 9 dahlias can be treated as perennial hardy bulbs and left in the ground. In zones 7-8 and below, dahlias either need to be lifted and stored for winter in a dry and cool place - between 50°F and 60°F (10°C and 15°C), or treated as annuals with new tubers or bedding plants planted each spring.
• If you decide to leave the dahlia tubers in the ground over winter, apply a 6 - 12 inches of mulch over the ground

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