The magnificent dahlias with their numerous shapes and colors decorate many gardens. However, in order for the wonderful flowering to occur, you must treat the tubers carefully.
Is it advisable to water dahlia tubers before planting?
If dahlia tubers are watered before planting, this can lead to rot, especially in cool and wet springs. Therefore, it is better to plant the tubers dry or to plant them in pots to put them in the garden after the ice saints.
Watering dahlia tubers – pros and cons
In general, before planting in spring, it is recommended to soak dahlia tubers in a bucket of water for about half a day until they are completely saturated with moisture. This is intended to awaken the plants more quickly from their winter rest - which they spent dry and cool in a box and now look pretty shriveled - and encourage them to sprout. However, watering can cause significant problems, especially if the spring is unusually cool and rainy. In this case, they are oversupplied with moisture and quickly begin to rot - after all, dahlias are not only very sensitive to cold, but also prefer it to be dry. For this reason, it is better to avoid watering and instead proceed as follows:
- Plant the tubers in good weather from March.
- Don't water them, plant them dry.
- Don't put them too deep in the ground.
- Mark the spot with a plant stick.
- This can be used later for binding.
- Now water the planting area, which has been covered with soil again, a little.
- Repeat watering over the next few days if necessary.
- Protect the tubers from afterfrost, for example by covering them with compost.
Better than watering: prefer dahlias
However, it is even better to grow dahlias in a pot on the windowsill from around March and to plant them in the garden as already strengthened plants after the Ice Saints. In this case, neither too much rain nor surprising cold snaps in spring will do any harm, so you can look forward to the coming dahlia blossoms. And this is how it works:
- Soak the tubers in warm water for about one to two hours.
- Fill a deep planter with loose potting soil.
- Conventional potting soil is sufficient, but it should be unfertilized.
- Plant the watered tubers there.
- Cover them only thinly with soil.
- Place the pot in a warm and bright location.
- However, avoid direct sun.
- Keep the substrate slightly moist.
Tip
The easiest way to regulate the amount of water is to moisten the potting soil with a spray bottle (€6.00 on Amazon).
