How to Feed Dahlias

Dahlias are an old-fashioned favorite for summer garden beds. These showy plants range in size from tiny 1-inch pompom blooms to gigantic dinner plate varieties. Colors include pale yellow, white and pink as well as brilliant reds, maroons and bi-colors. Planted in the spring from underground tubers, dahlias produce vigorous stalks and bushy foliage covered with abundant blooms by midsummer.

Garden tiller/spade
Compost or manure
Fertilizer, 5-10-10 and 10-10-10
Water-soluble fertilizer (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Turn the soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches in early spring. Remove roots and rocks from the area to create loose friable soil. Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost or well-rotted manure and work it into the top 6 inches of the soil. Add 2 to 4 tbsps. of 10-10-10 fertilizer per square foot and mix it in well with the soil.
- 2
  Fertilize again when dahlias are about a foot high. Paul E. Read of the University of Minnesota Extension recommends sprinkling a handful of 5-10-10 fertilizer in a 2-foot ring around the base of the dahlia plant and watering thoroughly to dissolve the treatment.
- 3
  Repeat the procedure in late July or early August to provide dahlias with the nutrients needed to produce abundant blooms.

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