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Posted on 9:22 AM by Wanto and filed under
By James Bohling
Practically all other double flowered varieties will give excellent blooms if treated in similar fashion to the small clecoratives, with the exception of one or two varieties in which have comparatively large blooms-Andries Wonder is an example; this variety will produce blooms up to it in. in diameter and should be treated accordingly as a giant decorative or cactus.
Bedding varieties, quite naturally, are grown unrestricted. It must he pointed out, that although the foregoing has been in the main given for the benefit of the exhibitor, the same principles may be applied when dahlias are grown for garden decoration alone.
This is particularly so with the giant varieties, because, after all, there is little point in growing these varieties unless the blooms are big; if smaller blooms are required then varieties which naturally produce bloom of lesser size should be grown. For garden decoration it is not necessary to restrict to the same degree.
Small decorative and cactus will require little de-branching, unless the plants produce an unduly high number, when it is advisable to thin out the weaker shoots. Again variety and soil considerable bearing on this point, a weak growing variety on light soil for instance should be restricted to no more than eight or nine side branches. Treat miniature varieties similarly.
Double Show and Fancy should be treated very similarly to the giant cactus if really heavy globular flowers of maximum size are required, but it is fairly obvious from the blooms exhibited at most shows throughout the country, that this point of view is unpopular. Most exhibitors prefer to treat this class of dahlia in similar fashion to the medium cactus; this will give perfectly good blooms of reasonable size in greater quantity.
The medium and small pompons should be accorded similar treatment to that given to the small decorative and cactus, that is only the weak growths are removed when grown on rich soils, reducing a little more severely on poor soil. The small pompons require very little thinning unless the soil is particularly poor.
Bedding varieties, quite naturally, are grown unrestricted. It must he pointed out, that although the foregoing has been in the main given for the benefit of the exhibitor, the same principles may be applied when dahlias are grown for garden decoration alone.
This is particularly so with the giant varieties, because, after all, there is little point in growing these varieties unless the blooms are big; if smaller blooms are required then varieties which naturally produce bloom of lesser size should be grown. For garden decoration it is not necessary to restrict to the same degree.
Small decorative and cactus will require little de-branching, unless the plants produce an unduly high number, when it is advisable to thin out the weaker shoots. Again variety and soil considerable bearing on this point, a weak growing variety on light soil for instance should be restricted to no more than eight or nine side branches. Treat miniature varieties similarly.
Double Show and Fancy should be treated very similarly to the giant cactus if really heavy globular flowers of maximum size are required, but it is fairly obvious from the blooms exhibited at most shows throughout the country, that this point of view is unpopular. Most exhibitors prefer to treat this class of dahlia in similar fashion to the medium cactus; this will give perfectly good blooms of reasonable size in greater quantity.
The medium and small pompons should be accorded similar treatment to that given to the small decorative and cactus, that is only the weak growths are removed when grown on rich soils, reducing a little more severely on poor soil. The small pompons require very little thinning unless the soil is particularly poor.
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