CODDLING DAHLIAS IN THE GROWING SEASON REPAYS IN THE BLOOMING SEASON 
THE SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION 
Dahlias will do well in almost any kind of soil. A light well drained 
sandy loam is the best suited to their needs, but they will grow and do well in 
clay loam, sand and even in ashes. The large tubers or roots require a great 
deal of moisture, but wet soil is fatal to them, so that good drainage becomes 
essential. If the soil is heavy it may be made suitable by the addition of sand, 
leaf mold, or ashes, well spaded in and incorporated so as to break up the clay, 
and make it porous. A certain amount of vegetable matter derived either from 
well rotted manure, or leaf mold is helpful in furnishing humus, which aids in 
retaining soil moisture in dry weather. 
The soil should not be prepared until it is in good working condition; that 
is when it is mellow and crumbles when dug, and does not cling to spade or 
fork. Never plant in wet pasty soil, such as clings to the fork or spade, as the 
soil should be finely pulverized, as it is then that it is in fine condition to receive 
the tuber or root. The soil should be dug to a depth of at least ten to twelve 
inches. While many growers prefer to add manure as a fertilizer when plant¬ 
ing it is not essential, it may even prove detrimental in producing too rank a 
growth of the plants, and consequently a scarcity of flowers. Fresh manure 
in contact with the tuber or root when planted may cause them to rot, and prove 
fatal, therefore avoid its use. 
PLANTING TIME 
This varies somewhat with the locality as well as with the time you wish 
the dahlias to bloom. In the vicinity of New York City they can safely be 
planted any time from May 1st to June 15th for the average crop of flowers. 
In the Middle Atlantic section planting can be done from April 1st to June 15th. 
Further south, planting can be done in February and March and in the New 
England States, where the season is shorter, planting can be made after danger 
of frost is past. Nothing is gained by planting too early. It is best to wait 
until the ground becomes thoroughly warmed and is in good working condition. 
If planted too early, when the ground is cold and damp, the tuber or root may 
rot. Dahlias bloom in from eight to ten weeks after planting, and will keep on 
blooming until frost. 
SIZE OF TUBER OR ROOT 
A small tuber or root is just as good as a big one, in fact it will prove more 
lively than a large one, for if the ground is too moist, the larger root will rot 
sooner than the smaller one. If a root or tuber does not show an eye or sprout 
above the ground in ten days or two weeks, do not dig down into it, and break 
it off, as you are running the risk of injuring it, and thereby cause it to rot. 
Some varieties will not start to sprout in less than four or five weeks, so do not 
be in a hurry; give the root or tuber time. Different soils make a big difference 
in many ways. A tuber may be dried out badly, let it take up moisture gradu¬ 
ally and in its natural way, and once it starts to sprout it will make up for its 
lost time. Personally, we would rather see a tuber well dried out, than one 
full of moisture, which will make it rot before it will sprout or grow. 
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