How to feed dahlias

Dahlias are distant relatives of asters, both plants belong to the same family - "Astrovye". They are annual and perennial, simple and double, high and low, very different. But all species have one thing in common - a stunningly beautiful flowering. But even if you have prepared and fertilized the soil very well before planting the plants, by the time of flowering they have already depleted it in order, having absorbed many useful substances. Therefore, in order for the plants to have enough strength for lush and long flowering, you need to think about how to feed the dahlias, and how to do it in a timely manner and correctly.

A little about dahlias

Dahlias are native to South America, where they can be found in the wild. In Europe, these flowers are grown in botanical gardens, and in our country, dahlias can be seen in almost every summer cottage in the summer. The color palette of dahlias is probably one of the most diverse among all plants, you can find yellow and orange flowers, pink, red and burgundy, purple and lilac, as well as blue and white. Dahlias, depending on the variety, can adapt to different climates, but still prefer warm, neutral soil acidity, normal watering in the first half of summer and moderate enough during the flowering period. Also, regardless of the variety, the plants will bloom until frost, you just need to provide them with a sufficient amount of nutrients.

How to feed dahlias for flowering

Nowadays, agricultural stores have an extremely large selection of all kinds of fertilizers for flowers, so let's try to figure out exactly what substances are needed for the full growth and lush flowering of dahlias.

In this case, you will have to act according to a certain system, since it will not be possible to use the same fertilizer all the time - there will be no benefit from this. First of all, after planting, it is necessary to help the plant adapt and build up a lush green mass, and for this it is necessary to use nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers. But use them only in the first half of summer, as too much nitrogen can negatively affect subsequent flowering.
Potassium is responsible for budding and flowering, so it is necessary to fertilize with the use of potash fertilizers. It accumulates in the tissues of the plant and further provides the splendor of flowering.
Well, first of all, the health of a plant depends on a healthy root system, and for this, dahlias need phosphorus.

It is probably most convenient to use ready-made fertilizer complexes, which usually include all the necessary elements, especially nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. In addition, you can use organic substances: green weed fertilizer, solutions of chicken manure or mullein, compost. The main thing is not to overdo it with fertilizers, since in this case, more does not mean better. If, while feeding according to a pre-planned plan, you see that the plants are withering, then perhaps the matter is just in the "overdose" of fertilizers and you must immediately stop using them.

What time to feed dahlias and how to do it

You can plant dahlias after the night frosts stop, this also applies to seedlings of annual varieties and tubers of perennial dahlias. In the first week after planting, do not forget to loosen the soil, and after 7-10 days you can carry out the first top dressing. Start with nitrogen supplements or mix nitrogen and potash fertilizers. Be sure to follow the recommendations and prepare the solution strictly according to the instructions.Apply fertilizers at the root, make sure that the solution does not get on the foliage. Such dressings can be carried out at the beginning and at the end of June, after that do not use nitrogen anymore, otherwise the dahlias, instead of flowering, will continue to grow foliage.

Since the middle of summer, the time for phosphorus fertilizers comes. If you used only nitrogen before, now add potassium to phosphorus, if you fertilized it with nitrogen and potassium, then now feed only with phosphorus.

In early and mid-August, use organics for feeding, watering dahlias under the root with solutions of chicken manure (dilute 1:20) or mullein (dilute 1:10).

After mid-August, you do not need to fertilize the dahlias, watering at this time also practically stops (be guided by the weather, if there is a drought, then sometimes you need to water the flowers). The plants are already blooming, they almost don't need moisture, and you have brought in enough nutrients. After flowering, it is enough to cut off annual varieties and weed out the roots. You need to dig up tubers from perennial dahlias and prepare them for storage. How well you prepare them, and how well you store them, depends on how they will meet next spring.

By properly fertilizing the plants according to the plan described above, you will undoubtedly see the result - they will bloom brightly and luxuriantly like never before. Dahlias are able to decorate any garden with their presence, planting flowers of different varieties and sizes and knowing how to properly care for them, you can create unimaginably beautiful flower arrangements.