Help with Dahlias?
Question:I planted Dahlia bulbs in April. The leaves grew to be about 18" high, but there are still no flowers. I heard somewhere that the flowers won't grow until the 2nd year. Is that true?
Answers:
Since I don't know where you live or what variety of Dahlia you planted, I'll give you some basic info.
Almost all the varieties like rich soil (incorporating organic matter helps) that drains well & if you live in an area that receives less than 1" of rain per week, at least a thorough soaking twice weekly.
Buds won't appear until both the day & evening temp's stay above 65F... if you get even a week of cool temp's, this will push back the blooming time. A light shaded area is fine but they do need at least 7 hrs of sun.
Most Dahlia's bloom mid-Summer and continue till a medium frost. Again, depending on where you live, in cold climates- you will need to dig them up in the Fall & store them inside.
Good Luck!
Dahlias will flower in the first year may be too early yet for them depends on the local climate conditions. There may be a problem with you using a high nitrogen feed which will lead to a lot of leaf and little flower. If this is the case change to a rose or tomato feed which will encourage flowers i.e. much lower in nitrogen
I live in zone 3 in Canada, and mine haven't bloomed yet either. I have about three of them, one of which has flower buds that haven't opened yet. The other two are still quite small. So, depending on where you are I'd say that it is quite normal for dahlia's not to have bloomed yet.
Also, FYI, if you live in Canada or the northern U.S. (outside of that, I'm not sure), you must lift dahlia's in the fall and store them indoors. They will not survive a harsh winter outdoors.
More Related Questions & Answers...