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Growing And Showing Prize Winning Dahlias

By Ed Alley

This is a copy of the handout that attendees received at the educational workshop hosted by E & S Dahlias on August 23, 2003 in Berwick , Nova Scotia

Good solid tubers with visible eye(s)
Plant when soil warms up, tubers with an eye, with growth, or cuttings, plant about 4" deep.

A good amount of compost material, lime to a pH of 6.5 to 7, lime every year.
Fertilizer, a good broadcast worked into the soil, or a handful worked into the planting hole, to start the season.
The correct type of fertilizer is 6-12-12 .
Water mid season with 20-20-20 soluble.

Give them room to grow.

Top Dress with 6-12-12 fertilizer and hill tubers to 6" to &" depth.
Tie Dahlia growth to stake when about 18" high. Use twist method which allows for stock growth.
Disbranch on AA's and A's remove every other lateral, best on stake side, on B's only remove laterals on late varieties.
Disbud always and do it early.
Spray with chemicals of your choice to keep insects under control. Your enemies are the tarnish plant bug, earwigs, aphids and a host of others.

Well here are a few types

Cut cool, early morning or evening.
Here is where all that spraying, watering and deadheading pays off.
Cut your show entries so that you have
- A flower
- A stem
- A set of leaves
- A stock
Put in water as soon as possible and keep in cool place.

Each entry should be in its own container of water, caned and wedged to keep it from being damaged during transport.
Crunched leaves, broken petals, bruises are not first place winners on the show bench.
Flowers for multi bloom entries, such as baskets can be transported in a bucket with chicken wire in the bottom to keep flowers in place.

Put your entries in containers provided, single or multiple to best display your entry.