Dahlia is a very beautiful and long-flowering plant that pleases with its magnificent flowers all season. Homeland of beautiful dahlias are Chile and Mexico. From these mountain flowers of the Astrov family, breeders bred about 15 thousand varieties that have different shapes and color palettes.
The most common type of dahlia is considered a decorative terry, which differs in the original color of leaves, petals and the shape of inflorescences.
Content
Description and characteristic of a flower
Dahlias of the Maxi subgroup belong to the type of ornamental and are distinguished by a spectacular giant size of flowers - 22-30 cm and even more in diameter. A bright representative of this class Bohemian Spartacus is a perennial with cirrus, dark green leaves, lush terry inflorescence, richly burgundy with the inclusion of beige-yellow petals. Spartacus Orange, for example, differs from its fellow only in a bright sunny-orange color of the flower, and Spartacus Gil is lemon yellow. Dahlia's petals are wide, ribbon-shaped, curved and pointed at the end. The stems are straight, hollow, 110-150 cm high. Propagated by seeds, division of tubers and cuttings.
Dahlias are considered one of the most unpretentious flowers. Hardy and resistant to diseases and pests, undemanding to top dressing and watering. They prefer sunny, sheltered from the wind places, but also will please with beautiful flowers and partial shade on fertile well-drained soil.
The first inflorescences can be observed a month after planting in open ground. Flowering lasts until the end of September, until the first autumn cooling.
Graceful flowers are used to decorate flower beds, planted along the curb, as well as individual plantings in pots.
Advantages and disadvantages of Spartacus
Luxurious dahlia Bohemian Spartacus is an elegant decoration of a blooming garden. The main advantages after impeccable beauty are the ease of breeding, a long flowering period and a huge variety of species.
Minor disadvantages include the lack of aroma in the flowers, the hollow tubular stem and the inability to winter in the open ground in our climatic conditions.
Features of growing luxurious dahlias
Reproduction of Spartacus does not require much effort and even beginner growers can do it.
- First of all, you need to purchase high-quality seeds or tubers in order to accurately get the desired look.
- The landing site is chosen sufficiently lit, protected from gusts of wind and drafts, with fertilized slightly acidic soil, with good drainage. The composition of the soil is improved by the introduction of deciduous humus, manure and various composts.
- When preparing tubers for planting, damaged and dry roots are removed from them and treated with an antiseptic (iodine, brilliant green). In late spring, when the earth warms up well, tubers are planted in a fertilized planting hole, which should be 3 times the size of the planting material. Tubers are dug up without deepening the root neck to prevent decay. Then it is watered and sprinkled with sawdust mixed with compost, in a small layer up to 5 cm.
- When planting tall varieties of dahlias, like Spartak, they immediately make a support for the garter of the future bush. Since the dahlia's stalk is tubular and tall, it can break.In such cases, the plant can be saved by laying on the damaged stem of the tire with its subsequent fixation on the support.
- You can approximate the first flowering of dahlias by germinating them before planting. To do this, the tubers are placed on a layer of sawdust, moistened and covered with polyethylene, while leaving small holes for normal air circulation. It is important to prevent the roots from drying out, they should be kept moist. Such a mini-greenhouse will quickly wake up the growth buds after "hibernation" and flowering will occur a few weeks earlier.
- In autumn, after flowering is complete, dry stems are cut, tubers are carefully dug up, washed, removing impurities, dried in air and prepared for winter storage. Proper storage of tubers in winter is a guarantee of success in cultivation. The temperature in the room where it is planned to store the tubers should not exceed 5-7 C, with a humidity of 80-85%. It can be a basement, garage or balcony. The raw materials left in the winter are placed in boxes with peat, sand or wrapped in a film to prevent drying out, and to improve the safety of tubers.
- To protect the dahlia from possible diseases, the site for planting should be changed annually, you can not plant after asters. Spartacus can be returned to its original place in 2-3 years.
Care Rules
Fulfilling simple care requirements, dahlias can be grown in almost any suburban area. Care for flower planting consists of regular dressing, cultivation and watering.
Top dressing
After planting, it is necessary in a timely manner, every 2 weeks, to top-dress, alternating between organic and mineral fertilizers.
Watering
Dahlias need regular plentiful watering 1-2 times a week, with moistening of the soil layer by 20-30 cm. In hot weather, the frequency of watering is increased. To prevent decay of the root system, stagnation of moisture in the roots of plants is unacceptable.
Pest control
Sawdust mulch protects the soil from drying out and is a barrier against slugs. In order not to miss their appearance, it is necessary to periodically inspect the flowers and, if necessary, treat them with protective compounds. For preventive purposes, ticks and aphids spray plants with a soap solution.
Pruning
In order not to lose the decorative effect of dahlia, leave no more than 3 shoots on the stem, and no more than 2 buds on each peduncle. During the season, the lower side shoots, which have dried up and finished flowering buds, are also removed so as not to delay the growth of new inflorescences. To obtain the largest flowers, it is recommended to avoid bushiness of the plant and grow them in one stem, leaving 2-3 shoots.
It is not difficult to grow dahlias, and the result exceeds all expectations. Just start and stop at one type of dahlia will be difficult.
Reviews
- My favourite flowers. Almost every free place from vegetable beds is occupied by dahlias. They grow in the sun and in the shade. Leaving is minimal, but such beauty is around.
- The first time planted dahlias with seeds. Bloomed late and the flowers were not as large as in the description of the variety and on the packaging. I removed the tubers for the winter in the basement, if they normally winter, this year I will try to grow flowers from the tubers.
- I have a similar dahlia, only a slightly different variety of Spartak. A neighbor in the country is waiting for when I will share the tubers, so that she too will.
When to plant annual dahlias for seedlings according to the lunar calendar in 2018
Dahlia Gallery: description of varieties, photo
Planting and care of dahlias in pots and on the balcony (photo)