DAHLIADEL NURSERIES 
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Page 23 
to grow exhibition blooms by forcing the life out of 
your stock with sheep or any other manure and expect 
your stock to do well for you the following year without 
balancing your plant food with phosphoric acid and 
potash. Exhibition blooms and good roots can be grown 
at the same time from green plants as well as from 
roots by following our cultural instructions. 
PLANTING 
WHERE TO PLANT. In selecting a location for 
dahlias, it is essential to have a free circulation of air 
for healthy plant growth and to prevent mildew. 
Dahlias need direct sunlight at least 3 or 4 hours each 
day and should not be planted near large trees or dense 
shrubbery which would shade the plants and use 
moisture and plant-food. 
WHEN TO PLANT. Should you desire a mass of 
color for landscape effect or a number of smaller 
blooms to cut, early planting is recommended. For 
exhibition blooms later planting is advisable, unless you 
intend to cut back, prune and disbud systematically. 
Dahlias should be planted in Southern New England, 
Southern New York State, Pennsylvania and North 
Jersey between May 15th and June 15th, while in 
South Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and interior 
States of the same latitude the planting period extends 
from May 1st to July 1st; North Carolina from April 
15th on, South Carolina and Georgia from April 1st on, 
advancing through Florida to January in the citrus fruit 
belt. Farther north, where hot Summers are less harm¬ 
ful and early frosts are prevalent, planting may com¬ 
mence as soon as danger of frost is over. In the 
northern parts of the United States and Canada we 
recommend starting dahlia roots or plants in a cold 
frame in pots or in squares of inverted sod, so they 
can be planted in your garden without disturbing the 
feed roots. Should the top growth be over 6 inches at 
time of planting out it would be well to top out, leaving 
preferably two nodes above the ground, see P on 
Drawing X. When green plants are grown in 2 to 216- 
inch pots, as soon as a good root growth is developed 
they should be repotted in 3 to 4-inch pots and pinched 
out at time of re-potting. 
HOW TO PLANT. When planting large flowering 
dahlias, the rows should be from 4 to 5 feet apart 
or from 6 to 10 square feet should be allowed for each 
plant. A novel way to plant is to place your stakes 
4x5 feet apart, and plant a root or plant on each 
side of the stake so that stalk will be about 2 inches 
from the stake. This will allow better air circulation 
and more room for cultivation. Varieties will not mix 
by growing thorn togothor and should ono plant fail, 
there will be no blank spaces. 
Do not plant roots or plants in or over hot manure 
or any quantity of compost. Although practiced by 
some, we do not recommend the use of any potato, 
dahlia fortilizor or bone meal in the hole directly under 
the dahlia root or plant, as there is too much danger 
of injuring the tender feed roots, but rather a broad¬ 
cast application, as recommended above after spading. 
The stunt in dahlia plants can often be traced to the 
burning of the feed roots caused by excessive chemical 
feeding. 
ROOTS should be planted in trenches or holes, 4 
inches deep in heavy soil and 6 inches deep in sandy 
soil, laid flat down (not on end) and covered with 
earth not over 2 inches in depth, filling in as the plant 
develops. Where drainage is poor, do not plant so 
deep and keep a furrow open between rows to facilitate 
drainage in wet weather. 
GREEN PLANTS. After removing moss and paper 
pots from plants that have been shipped, soak ball 
of dirt in water a few minutes, then plant them with 
the top of the ball of dirt about 3 inches below the 
ground level and cover the ball of dirt about 1 inch. 
In locations where there is danger of flooding, or poor 
drainage, do not plant this deep. Water thoroughly 
once if ground is dry and then protect with open 
basket or open crate for a few days as a partial pro¬ 
tection from the sun and wind. Then start cultivating. 
Fill in gradually as the plant develops. For cut worms, 
scatter poison bait the evening of planting. See “Cut¬ 
worms” 
Where dahlia plants are to be set in heavy soil it is 
advisable to at least prepare the hill by mixing sand 
or the coarser part of coal ashes into the ground di¬ 
rectly under and over the roots of the plant. The dirt 
can also be washed off the roots and the roots 
straightened out, which will, however, check the growth 
of the plant about a week. Plants will make better 
clumps in heavy soil if this recommendation is followed, 
but it is not at all necessary in light soil. 
Cut all plants back to two or three pairs of leaves 
above the ground, or at least pinch out the top to 
cause the plant to branch, unless plants have been 
shipped a distance and lower leaves are somewhat 
yellowed. It is then best to set the plants without 
cutting back to get feed roots started. After the 
plant has started to grow you can cut back with safety. 
Where dahlia plants are grown with only a reasonable 
amount of fertilizer and water they are apt to make 
more roots than when grown in the midst of plenty 
To produce roots on plants use a balanced plant food 
as recommended under Fertilizer, but not to excess 
and water only when necessary to produce a good 
healthy, but not soft growth. When setting plants 
the last of June for September blooms, we recommend 
disbudding, according to Drawings X, Y and Z. When 
planting a month earlier it will be necessary to cut 
bushes back severely six weeks before you want blooms 
leaving about one-half the growth and not more than 
six laterals for the first blooms. Then disbud these, 
as shown on Drawings X or Y, as soon as branches 
develop sufficiently. This will give the plant an over¬ 
supply of feed roots, which will start root production 
at once. On digging in the Fall you will find mature 
roots, where on plants not cut back you will find more 
fibrous or feed roots. 
In growing Dahliadel green plants, only the strongest 
cuttings are potted, and again the best plants are 
selected for filling orders. This assures you of the 
best stock procurable. 
