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Dahlias not flowering

aquarius157aquarius157 Posts: 3
in Plants
I have many dahlias, some grown from seed that come back every year, some bought as tubers. Some I dig up and overwinter, some I leave in the ground. This year very few flowers.
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Posts

  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    My pot grown Dahlia's have been in flower for a month or so.  The ones in the ground are much less developed, and so far no flowers.  It's probably because the ones in the ground get less water and feeding, but they should flower later in the Summer.

    Are you watering regularly and ideally giving a weekly feed?  If not, start doing that now, as that will probably boost them into growth.  A mulch of garden compost or well-rotted manure around the base will also help to keep them moist and give some additional nutrients.
  • katrinkempkatrinkemp Posts: 81
    I have 4 tubers i planted this year, same area, one is showing a flower bud the other 3 just lots of leaves🙄
  • graigrai Posts: 78
    I bought Cafe Au Lait and Rancho dahlias for the first time this year
    The Rancho have been great but not a peep out of the Cafe Au Lait and very few buds

    I'm putting it down to the lousy summer and low light levels
  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 627
    I started feeding my dahlias Once a week from the end of June with a liquid tomato food.  

    The plants have started to produce lots of small buds so hopefully the food will fatten them up into big showy blooms.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    I’ve put two of mine on a final verbal warning - no flowers and they go in the compost this Autumn 😠
    Except for those two the remaining three are flowering really well. They get the odd dose of “smelly water” but nothing else. I don’t have comfrey but use green alkanet to make a liquid feed, am working in the principle that it’s the same family and similar leaf and root structure (and I have plenty of it 😳)
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Last year I had a few dahlias tucked in one end of a raised bed and tho the blooms were beautiful they were sparse and on short stems.

    I made a dedicated dahlia bed in the veg plot this spring.   Weeded and forked it over then piled on some well-rotted manure and transplanted my existing dahlias plus a few new ones.   As summer got under way I added a seep hose and give them about 40 mins of water every 2 to 3 days.

    This year I have hundreds of flowers on decent length stems from those older plants and the new ones I planted have finally started producing flowers and the whole bed is buzzing with happy pollinators.   The trick seems to be food and water.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • newbie77newbie77 Posts: 1,838
    my dahlias have been better fed and watered this year. They have loads of healthy leaves but less flowers/buds than last two years when i had no time to look after them.

    I guess they need a bit more sun and less care! anyway if they arent going to flower well, yes they will be out this autumn.
    South West London
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    What feed?  Some are heavy in nitrogen so you will get leaves rather than flowers.  You want one for roses or tomatoes.  
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • newbie77newbie77 Posts: 1,838
    i am using wilko tomato feed. I will stop feeding for few days and see how it goes.
    South West London
  • Cherry22Cherry22 Posts: 1
    CherryB
    Was disappointed with my dahlias this year. They took ages to flower though the plant looks healthy with a lot of foliage, flowers only appearing on one or two and then not until mid September! Bought two new tubers and only one of them has flowered.  Is it because of the strange climate we have been having or am i doing something wrong? Last year they were all superb!.
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