AUGUST in the garden
You have your wishlists in place for spring now, but have you got your dahlia beds ready to go?
The to do list
Garden position - dahlias need plenty of sun(at least 4- 6 hours a day) and as little wind as possible. The site needs to be well drained. On a slope or raised up is ideal. If you top up with lots of compost each year the bed will raise itself up easily.
Watering system - Hand held hose or soaker hose are the best. When you hand water it gives you the opportunity to check your plants as you go and direct the water to exactly where you want it. This is useful in water restrictions. If you use a sprinkler type system make sure that the water is directed downwards, as upward sprinkles particularly done in the evening will leave the plant damp and invite fungal issues. You are also likely to wash off any spray that you may have applied.
Compost - well rotted or worm processed. This is used not only to feed the plant but also to build a soil that is friable, holds moisture without getting boggy, the worm activity aerates the soil and it will be very easy to dig tubers up in the winter. Can be put onto the beds now. You can dig it in if your soil is hard or sticky. I just put mine on the top now as my beds are nice and friable. If the birds are a problem then put netting, carpet, pea straw or similar over the top.
Wind shelter - This is quite critical if you have exposed dahlia beds. Many plants get to quite a height so windbreak should ideally reach to where the top of the flowers will be. Staking is not a substitute for wind shelter. Ideally you should have both.
Stakes - Work out how many plants you will have and how you are going to stake them. eg. 1 plant to a stake, 1 plant between two stakes, multiple plants to 1 stake, netting etc. Stakes need to be substantial enough to hold the plant without collapsing with the full weight of the fully grown plant. They preferably need to last more than one season. Stakes go in before planting. Make a plan of your garden to work out spacing and how many plants you can cope with. If you are looking for a garden display you will need to know how tall each of your varieties will grow so as not to inadvertently hide the shorter varieties. The size of the bloom is not necessarily an indication of the size of the plant. Try and get information from your seller abut plant size. Ideal spacing is about 750mm apart. Border varieties can be placed closer together to achieve a more massed display. If you are wanting to collect seed in the autumn then you might want to consider putting all your decs together, semi-cactus together etc to give yourself the best chance of good progeny. Make a written map of your garden/staking and write in your map names as you plant. My mesh is "Hortinova" from "Polynet". It can be bought in 100m rolls for $70-$80 a roll. I use this netting and it is going into its 3rd year with no UV damage yet. I will replace this coming season.
Dry fert mixes - While things are quiet is a good time to get your spring dry fert mixes sorted.
The recommended mix I use is;
10 parts superphosphate
10 parts blood and bone
5 parts sulphate of potash(never muriate of potash)
1 part sulphate of ammonia
This mix is an old tried and true recipe which will give the plants the right blend of ingredients and is worthwhile making up ahead of time. Then you just have to grab your premix and sprinkle come november. You can however use whatever fertilizer your preference might be as there are many good products on the market. Seaweed products are good for building healthy plants that are better at withstanding adverse conditions and disease. These can be used in conjunction with the mineral mix. There are also foliar feeds which can be applied at he same time as your bug spray to save time and effort. Soil pH should be around 6.5.
Mulch - If you are going to use mulch over the summer months then now is a good time to source it. I use old carpet, pea straw and fleece wool but there are lots of things suitable for the job.
Predators - Stock up on slug/snail bait. Put some out on your dormant tubers now so new early shoots are guarded from the gremlins.
If you are going to sprout seeds then now is a good time to get your equipment together. You can use seed raising trays, individual seed pots(the ones that your seedling veges come in is ideal as less handling of your seedling). If you want to use bottom heat to speed things along then a heat pad. I trialled an electric blanket last year. Very successful.
If you want to start tubers off ready for early cuttings in September/October then you will need to dampen tubers now and apply bottom heat to get them started.
For those of you who are going to have a look at the shows this coming summer then I encourage you to take whatever flowers you might have and learn how to transport them, stage them, know how to read the schedule, check out new varieties that appeal etc. I hold workshops on these topics in association with C.D.D.C (central districts dahlia circle). I will travel to most places in the lower north island.