Fitchett Dahlias 
Page 23 
A Few Suggestions as to Culture 
BY J. T. FITCHETT, JANESVILLE, WIS 
Proper division of the roots at planting time, water 
and cultivation are essential to the successful growing of 
dahlias. 
WHEN TO PLANT. 
Plant out when all danger of frost is over —about 
corn planting time. If received too early, roots should 
be placed in sand or soil and may be started indoors. 
Growers in the South may plant early in April and 
have dahlias in bloom early in June. When the heat gets 
them and the plants cease to grow freely and the stems 
become hard, then cut the plants back, leaving only two 
joints above ground. Keep cultivated and they will 
start a new growth which should give a fresh crop of 
bloom in October. This may seem heroic treatment, but 
it works out all right. 
WHAT TO PLANT. 
If you have old clumps, split them into as many 
divisions as possible with one or two sprouts on each. 
Do NOT pull the roots off but split the old stem and the 
crown (where all the eyes are located) with a sharp knife. 
It is as reasonable to plant a whole ear of corn as a whole 
clump of dahlias. A large division will produce too 
many tops and only poor flowers. The roots we send 
out are divided ready to plant. Don’t worry abcut a 
small root, all you really need is a sprout or eye. A 
root without an eye is worthless. 
WHERE TO PLANT 
Best place to plant is in the vegetable garden where 
they can be cultivated. Spade or plow ground fairly 
deep. Dig a hole six inches deep, put back a little loose 
dirt, lay the root on its side with sprout up and cover 
with about an inch of loose dirt. Pour in a quart of 
water to settle dirt closely around the root. Sprinkle a 
level tablespoonful of Vigoro in a circle around where 
the sprout will come up, but not so as to come in contact 
with it; then nearly fill the hole with loose dirt. This 
leaves a slight depression around the stem, which is an 
advantage in watering. Two feet apart in the row and 
three and a half feet between rows is about right. If 
soil is heavy or rich in fertilizer, a shovel of coal ashes 
may be worked into each hill before planting. This will 
tend to keep the soil from packing and, being utterly 
devoid of fertilizer value, will tone down the over rich 
soil. Dahlias planted in a soil rich enough for roses or 
peonies will make a rank growth and not come to bloom 
as early as they should. Put a wooden label with the 
name written heavily in lead pencil beside each plant. 
It’s half the tun of growing them to know their name 
when they bloom. 
Green plants should have the ball of earth wet and 
the roots loosened, then plant as deep as dormant roots. 
If plants are small, only partly fill the hole and complete 
the job as they grow. Shade for a few days. 
CULTIVATION. 
Rake the ground thoroughly as soon as planting is 
completed and repeat this raking every week until plants 
