TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 
Gold Medal Dahlias 
Helpful Hints on Growing Good Dahlias 
SOIL PREPARATION 
Prepare the soil in the Fall or early Spring by spading IS to 24 inches deep. Work in thoroughly 
well-rotted manure, which restores the necessary properties and makes the soil mellow. Dahlias will 
grow in almost any kind of soil, if properly planted and cultivated. A top dressing of slacked lime 
is beneficial and keeps the soil sweet. Lighter soil requires more manure or humus-producing material 
to hold the moisture, heavy soil requires less fertilizer than light soil, otherwise it tends to produce 
a heavy growth of foliage at the expense of flowers. In clay or adobe soil, mix with sand or the 
liberal use of coal ashes spread over the ground and well spaded in will loosen the texture of the 
soil and give it better drainage. 
PLANTING TIME 
The time varies according to the locality in which they are to be grown. Never plant when the 
soil is wet or soggy; if possible, plant in an open, sunny situation, at least three feet apart, out 
of reach of trees or shrubs. About two weeks before planting time BROADCAST (meaning to scatter 
all over the ground) a good potato fertilizer composed of 2 per cent, nitrogen, 6 per cent, muriate 
of potash and 8 per cent, phosphoric acid together with an equal amount of bone meal; spade this 
in we'll, and it will be ready to give the roots a slight stimulation when planted. Broadcasting 
fertilizer will give you much better results than by simply putting a handful in the hole directly 
under the root or plant, inasmuch as it will feed the tiny rootlets no matter how far they may 
grow away from the mother root or plant. Lay the root down FLAT, surrounding it with sand 
or light soil, never letting the root come in contact with any kind of fertilizer. BE SURE and 
LAY THE ROOT FLAT ON ITS SIDE, with eye or sprout up. Should the sprout be broken off 
another shoot will grow again in its place. In light or sandy soil cover root to a depth of six 
inches; if soil is heavy cover root about three inches at first, and fill ini as the plant grows; also 
have the soil well loosened below the roots for growth of new roots. Before covering the roots 
place the stakes in the ground. Stakes should be four or five feet high. See that the soil covering 
the root is well worked and free from rocks and other obstructions. 
Give your plants a top dressing about August 1st. Scatter broadcast over the ground not closer 
than six inches nor more than IS inches from the stalk and rake in, to every ten hills, IV 2 lbs. 
raw bone flour, IV 2 lbs. animal tankage. The use of peat moss broadcast and mixed well into the 
top soil is an advantage on heavy soil to open it up and on light soil it will conserve moisture and 
hold fertilizer. 
GREEN PLANTS 
We have been very successful in shipping green plants long distances. We ship parcel post, 
special delivery, unless the order is for only one or two plants to nearby places. We have specially 
constructed boxes made which allow air to circulate through the plants. We are often asked, “Are 
green plants as good as tubers?’’ We think they are under ordinary favorable conditions. Green 
plants are much less liable to become diseased than roots. It is seldom necessary to thin out the 
stalks when green plants are used and they will as a rule produce as good or better flowers as well 
as better tubers, which are generally cleaner, more free from disease and much easier to divide. 
The finest exhibition flowers exhibited are usually flowers from green plants. All expert gardeners 
use green plants in preference to tubers in their exhibition gardens. Perhaps one reason why the 
amateur dahlia grower does not always succeed with green plants is due to the fact that they fail 
to plant them deep enough; if plants are taken from 2%-inch pots they should be planted fully 
twice as deep as they were in pots, or from four to five inches deep. Our plants are grown in a 
cool house and well hardened off outside in a cold frame before shipment is made. If green plants 
are not forced excessively for bloom they will make just as good clumps as if grown from tubers. 
Dip the root of the plant in water before planting, filling the hole up gradually with dirt as 
the plant grows, set your plants out in the late afternoon or on a cloudy day, water them well 
when planting and if the weather is hot and sunny, shade them with a peach basket during the 
heat of the day, allowing the air to circulate freely around the plant. The after cultivation and 
care of green plants should be the same as for tubers. 
CULTIVATION 
As soon as the plants are up, begin hoeing once or twice a week to keep the soil from forming 
a crust on the surface or baking. If many sprouts start up, cut off all but one or two. One 
stalk is best for exhibition flowers. When the plants have set out three sets of leaves, pinch out 
the top, so as to give the plants a chance to branch. 
DISBUDDING 
The “pinching out of the top process’’ will give you twice as many blooms and keeps your 
plant more compact than by allowing the first bud to flower, this will permit four laterals to 
develop, if you are aiming for large exhibition blooms, disbud these laterals down to the last pair of 
side shoots, then when you cut your flower for exhibition you will have several side shoots still to 
bloom. Never strip the laterals from the bottom of a plant, keep plant low' and as near its source 
of sustenance as possible, the less distance the plant food has to travel the sooner it gets in its 
work. Tie main stalk to stake to prevent plants from breaking down. When the buds appear, stop 
cultivation and give the beds a mulch of manure, leaves, grass clippings, etc., and around the base 
of each plant place a shovelful of well-rotted manure, if possible. Keep all fertilizers away 
from the stalks, and the ground free from weeds. Dahlias must be kept growing; if you notice 
them apparently standing still, not making any growth, examine the leaves and see if they have 
been attacked by aphis, thrip or the white fly. These pests are particularly prevalent during HOT, 
DRY WEATHER, and are so small as to be almost undiscernable. Spraying with a hose will 
eliminate them to a slight extent, but we have found using the new pyrethrum or RED ARROW 
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