Dahlia Information

Thank you for purchasing a mystery bag of dahlias from Lily & Sage Farm!

What you have in front of you is a random bunch of tubers taken from out many seed varieties we grew last year. All of these tubers could be a different type of Single, Double, Cactus, Novelty Open, Peony, Collarette or double…. Crazy right? And they are all 100% brand new, never before existing flowers.(Until last season that is)

Dahlias grow two ways 

• From the seed of the mama plant or the tuber of the mama plant.

Seeds from dahlias create a never before seen, never before existed and dahlia. Each seed collected from the dead flower head possesses nothing but potential. Every seed will be a unique new dahlia. (you can collect yours and the end of the season!

Tubers from dahlias are a clone copy of the mama plant. 

So what YOU have in front of you is a second generation plant who was grown uniquely at Lily & Sage Farm. SO COOL!

Dahlia plants are a great summer crop. They do very well in heat and are a cut and come again flower. The more you cut them, the more the flower. The dahlia season is from mid July till the first frost in mid October. 

Dahlias are NOT cold hardy and very sensitive to frost. 

Parts of your Dahlia

To begin, a dahlia tuber has 3 parts.

The body, the neck, and the eyes. 

You need all three parts on a tuber to make 

the tuber grow.

 

Eyes can be the most difficult to distinguish but are the most crucial part to the plant flowering. The only way you get a flower from a healthy tuber with a neck is to have an “eye” THIS is where the flower comes out. Without it, the tuber is a dud. 

Your tubers have all been checked and have at least one eye on them. See if you can find them.

Planting your Dahlia

Dahlias need room. Both for their root systems and their flowers. If you have the space, Dahlias do well at 12 inch spacing. Depending what room you have available tubers can be laid flat  with the eye facing up or in the hole you have dug eyes up.

Plant depth is 4-6 inches. If you have heavy clay soil 4 inches, if you have light airy soil 6 inches. 

Watering tips: after you plant your dahlia tubers it is best not to water them until you see green poking up from the ground. when you see green, then you can water. Dahlias don’t like to be wet, so pay attention to weather patterns and the forecast and you will do great!

Feed your Dahlias

Like all things that grow you need to feed them if you want the best results. Dahlias don’t need a high nitrogen content; they push out greens well even if the soil is low average. What you want is a fertilizer that feeds the flower production. We use Dr.Earth Organic Bud & Blossom Booster. For those of you who like to nerd out on fertilizer info, it is a 3-9-4 fertilizer.

*A quick note about fertilizing and amending your beds, pots, gardens…etc. ALWAYS use an organic mix. It is best for your garden long term and it also feeds the microbes in the soil. Soil regeneration is key to a healthy long lasting garden. It is also better for your health in the long run. .