Dahlia belongs to herbaceous perennial plants native to Central America and Mexico that are tuberous, bushy, and herbaceous. Some of its garden relatives are daisy, sunflower, zinnia, chrysanthemum which are members of the Composite family of dicotyledonous plants. Dahlias bloom around midsummer to late autumn and during this period, many plants are beyond their prime.
To grow them as perennials in colder climates, it is required that you dig up and store the tubers in the fall. Dahlia is a beautiful, bright flower that is a genus of tuberous plants of the Asteraceae family. It is made up of little tubers planted in spring. It has a fragile tuber that can’t tolerate a freeze.
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Dahlias are known to be of their best performance when planted in full sun with healthy, well-drained soil. The borders can be spaced 15 inches apart from center to center. This is different for the regular types. The regular types are usually placed around 18 inches apart.
It is necessary to soak dahlia tubers before planting them as it helps them rehydrate properly. To do this, soak the tubers in a bucket of lukewarm water for 60 minutes. To stimulate a quicker development of your dahlias, start their growth and development in a pot.
This will enable them to flow faster. Dahlias love the sun and require nothing less than 6 hours of direct sunshine daily. Getting adequate sun will give them a better bloom so it is necessary that your dahlias are placed in the brightest spot.
However, if the sun is too hot with an intolerable temperature, a change in the planting position might be required as the high temperature may put an end to the bloom. You can choose a planting position that receives half-day sun rather than the full-day sun as this helps in protecting your dahlias from too much heat.
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Do dahlia like coffee grounds?
Now to the question, do dahlias like coffee grounds? Absolutely yes! Coffee grounds make an excellent fertilizer for dahlias. Coffee grounds contain about 2% nitrogen, 1% potassium, and one-third percent of phosphoric acid which can make your dahlia garden get off to a rapid start.
The nutrients present in the coffee grounds are requirements of dahlias and promote their growth and development. Dahlias also appreciate low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer. It is recommended that you fertilize when the seeds have sprouted, followed by every 3 – 4 weeks starting from mid-summer to early autumn.
Over-fertilizing, most especially with nitrogen, can lead to small or no blooms, weak tubers, and also rot.
To avoid rotting and to survive the winter, ensure to dry the dahlias. Also before planting, ensure to soak fall-planted bulbs in warm water for half a day. This helps them absorb enough water and begin growing right away saving about 2 – 3 weeks. The dahlia tubers should be planted outdoors in the spring in well-drained soil and adequate but not excessive sunlight. In extremely cold areas, dahlias should be dug up and stored in a cool place.
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Conclusion
I hope this article answers your question “do dahlia like coffee grounds?”. I would like to hear from you. So, let me know if you have any questions about using coffee grounds in your dahlia garden. Also, if you have tomato plants and you want to feed them with coffee grounds, read our step-by-step guide on how to add coffee grounds to tomatoes here.
