Skagit Heights Dahlia Farm

Skagit Height Dahlia Farm
5742 Hobson Road
Bow, Washington   98232
360-766-6612
Genevee & Marcella Schloemer – Owners
SkagitHeightsDahliaFarm@Yahoo.com

Dahlia Culture Sheet

          Dahlias along with marigolds and daisies are members of the sunflower family. Originally growing in the Mexican highlands, this prolific garden favorite is being cultivated in all temperate areas of the globe.  The Pacific Northwest is blessed with perfect dahlia growing conditions. At present over 18,000 named varieties exist, withmore being added every year. The classification system developed for describing and judging dahlias recognizes these categories (according to petal shape): decorative formal and informal), semi cactus, incurred cactus, pompon,ball, collarette, miniature, anemone, waterlily, orchid, peony, and top mix as well as the larger mignons which are single slightly larger than the top mix.

          Dahlias love sun, water and fertilizer. At the same time the soil must be well drained, and you should avoid planting to close to shrubs or under trees. Most dahlias will thrive in partial shade.  Since plants may vary in height
from dwarf bedders to 7’ tall giants, set out roots accordingly. The taller dahlias to the rear of the garden and the smaller varieties as border decorations.  The dwarf types can be put in window boxes or patio pots as well.

          Planting:  Plant roots after the last frost, in most Pacific Northwest gardens this will be between April 15 and June 1st. After the soil had been well pulverized dig a hole about 6 inches deep and around 10 inches to 1 ft across.  Add about a teaspoon of fertilizer to the bottom of the hole.  A mix of 5/10/10 is excellent. Mix well with the soil.  It can also be broadcast over the planting area about two weeks before planting, then work well into thesoil. Either method works well.  FOR GOODNESS SAKE DO NOT PLANT IN COLD WET GROUND, THEY WILL ROT.

          Pest Control: As growing tips emerge, they become a favorite food for slugs. We use Deadline.  It works best for us. Any good slug bait will help, place at regular intervals around the perimeter of the garden or by the
plants if you have a few.  Once plants mature they are basically harmed by aphids and earwigs.  You can dip your tubers in the sulfur before planting or sprinkle a bit around the bottom of the plant. The Growers Association recommend a spraying program involving regular applications of Diazinon  Malathion, and root soaking with Isotox.  We have never used the chemicals and get by very well with the detergent and sulfur.

          Watering: When the dahlias are growing fast or in hot weather they require fairly frequent watering. A good soaking every two weeks or so is the best.  When the buds begin to set they will require more attention.  A good
soak is far better than frequent shallow watering.

          Harvesting:  We begin harvest around middle of October or the 1st frost that blackens the foliage.  First cut off the tops.  If you wish let them stand a few days before digging.  It will give the eyes on the crowns a chance to
rise so you can more easily see them if you plan to separate the roots in the fall after digging.  Dig very carefully with a 4 or 5 tined fork.  If thy have long rat tail roots you may want to work around the outer perimeter with a spade to cut them.  We find that trying to lift roots with those long strings tend to cause breakage of the brittle necks and then you have lost your start for next season.  Please remember when the roots are first dug they are as brittle as a lettuce leaf. Use care. If you have heavy soil it may be necessary to use a shovel. Our soil is fairly sandy so a fork works well.  As you harvest, dig them with care and then wash them fairly well. Let the root stand in the sun or clear air in the evening of the same day or being that time of year, a quick frost may come at night
and you are in trouble.

          We strongly recommend cutting your clumps in the fall after harvest.  We used to cut all winter but much to our sorrow the clumps got so hard and tough on the crown where we had to separate them that we were for ever getting
the job done and wore blisters on our hands.  As one grower put it, “You will wear blisters on your blisters”.

          Winter Storage:  Storage space can be a problem if you have many clumps so the great advantage of cutting the usable tubers off the clumps is cutting down on the volume of space you will require.  We cut and lay the tubers in a flat
covering them with shavings.  We keep the temperatures in the storage house down between 35 and 40 degrees.Some people use sawdust, vermiculite or peat moss, what ever you find works best for you.

          When you cut your tubers from the old stalk be sure they each have an eye.  Blind tubers will produce roots the next year but will not produce a plant.  A carpenters (no blot ink pencil) is great for marking names or numbers on your tubers for identification. Most stationery, hardware stores or lumber yards carry them.

          Final Word of Advise:  Any experienced grower will tell you that if you find a method of storage that is successful for you, then don’t try and fix it.  Stay with your present method. Some years it seems that anything you do is not the right thing and you loose them anyway, then join the club.  We all have run into that little problem a few times. Cheer up, it doesn’t happen often.