Dahlias Funny guys - planting and care
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Dahlias are very popular with amateur gardeners and landscape designers. Bright flower hats decorate the local area from the middle of summer. Bushes are dwarf and tall.
Description of dahlias Funny guys
Funny guys are a dwarf culture. Their height varies from 25 to 70 cm. The sturdy stem is covered with green leaves. Root tubers are weak, so these plants are considered annuals.
Dahlias Funny guys
The diameter of the inflorescences ranges from 8 to 10 cm. They can be simple, double, semi-double. Petal color: yellow, white, pink, red, purple, burgundy.
The bushes easily tolerate a short drought, but die at the first frost. The buds bloom in early July. Flowering lasts until late autumn. A gardener can independently collect seeds in the fall, and sow a large area with them the next year.
Planting a plant
Initially, the seeds are purchased from the garden center. Usually the bag contains a mixture of dahlias in different colors. Seeds are sown first for seedlings, then planted on the site. In warm regions, sowing is carried out immediately in open ground after the threat of frost has passed.
Dahlia seeds
Planting from seeds
The procedure begins in early spring. Sow the seeds as follows:
- a mixture of garden soil, humus, sand is poured into a box with shallow sides;
- spread the seeds at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other;
- watered, covered with a small layer of sand;
- cover with foil.
After the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed. When the seedlings reach a height of 10 cm, a pick is made. For this, separate containers are prepared in which the bushes are planted. Place containers with seedlings in a bright place.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Developed and hardened bushes are planted in a permanent place. The area is selected well-lit by the sun, otherwise the dahlias will stretch out. Landing is done as follows:
- dig holes 20 cm deep at a distance of 30 cm;
- a mixture of humus and ash is poured to the bottom;
- seedlings are planted;
- the bushes are watered abundantly.
To preserve moisture, a bed with dahlias is mulched.
The site for dahlias is selected sunny, protected from cold winds
How to care for dahlias Funny guys
Crop care consists in timely watering, periodic feeding, loosening the soil, pruning faded buds. For prevention, the bushes are sprayed with insectofungicides before flowering.
Watering
Irrigate the ground under the plants once a week. Excessive hydration is fraught with the appearance of fungal diseases. Therefore, with long-term rainfall, watering is adjusted. Annuals withstand short-term drought.
Top dressing
The first feeding is done with nitrogen 2 weeks after planting. The next time it is fertilized with potassium and phosphorus during the budding period. At the time of flowering, dahlias need to be fed with organic matter. If the plants were planted in fertile land, the first fertilization is skipped.
Pruning
Funny guys form lush bushes on their own. A large number of buds grow on them. Therefore, these dahlias do not need shaping. They only require pruning of faded buds. You can pinch the top of the main stem once, and then the bushes will be even more magnificent and beautiful.
Reproduction methods
A gardener can propagate Dahlias with seeds, root tubers, cuttings. The most common is the first growing method. Seeds are sown first in a box for seedlings, or in the middle of spring immediately into the ground. In order for the sprouts to hatch faster, the ground is covered with a film.
Seed-grown dahlia seedlings
Root tubers are weak. If, nevertheless, the gardener was able to save them, in the spring he proceeds to planting in the ground. To do this, dig holes into which the root system is planted, watered, covered with earth. At the same time, the root collar is not buried.
Another breeding method is cuttings. To do this, root tubers are placed in a mixture of peat and sand in spring, kept in a warm place. When the resulting shoots reach 10-12 cm, they are cut off and planted in pots. Rooted cuttings are planted on the site.
Transfer
Dahlias Friendly guys can be planted immediately in open ground in the spring. When the bushes reach a height of 10-12 centimeters, they are dug out, and transplanted to a permanent place with an earthen clod. A site for dahlias is selected well-lit by the sun, without blowing cold winds.
Diseases and pests
With excessive soil moisture, a friendly family can become an object of fungal diseases. The most common of them: white and gray rot, fusarium. At the first signs of disease, the affected parts are removed, the bushes are sprayed with fungicides.
When grown in unfavorable conditions, dahlias can be affected by fungus
The main pest is aphids. The leaves affected by insects begin to curl and dry out. If the aphid has just appeared, it can be removed manually. In a neglected situation, the bushes are sprayed with insecticides.
Flowering period
Dwarf dahlias begin to bloom in July. The petals of the buds are painted with a varied palette. In full disclosure, the diameter of the flowers reaches 8-10 cm. Flowering continues until frost. To keep the bushes decorative for a long time, the drying buds are cut off.
Preparing for winter
Plants do not withstand frost, so the aboveground part is removed, root tubers are dug up in late autumn. They are not as developed as those of tall dahlias, so it is more difficult to preserve them until spring.
They are examined, the damaged ones are discarded, and they are dried. Root tubers are placed in a box with dry sand; contain in the basement. Funny guys easily multiply by seeds, which are collected, dried, stored in a dry place.
Use in landscape design
Dwarf dahlias are a decoration of a flower bed. Their flower caps of various colors will look good in design against the background of decorative deciduous shrubs.
Dahlias planted along the path Funny guys
The beauty of dahlias will be emphasized in landscape compositions when planting with less spectacular plants, for example, sage, lavender, delphinium. The bushes are used to decorate garden paths, planted in arrays on the slopes.
Dahlias A friendly family in a short time allows you to decorate the local area. They are easy to grow on a seed plot. The bushes do not require special care. It is enough to water them once a week, feed them 2-3 times per season, remove dried buds. With proper agricultural technology, dahlias will delight with their appearance from early summer to late autumn.
