Littlefoot’s 5 Keys to Successful Dahlias: A Planting Guide

Despite what some may say, dahlias are for everyone, including beginners! Knowing how to plant and care for them is a must, but lucky for you I’ve done the trial and error part.

In zone 5, it’s important to mind the weather when choosing when to plant. To ensure success, plant after all danger of frost has passed which is usually the first week or two in May.

When you’re ready to plant, pay attention to which tubers have eyes. It should look like a little pimple at the crown of the tuber. See picture of the tuber with an eye that’s waking up. Even if your eyes haven’t woken up, you can still plant. If your tuber has no eye, it likely won’t produce a plant. Sometimes a tuber will “eye up” and that dry pimple will look like it’s coming alive after giving it some time in the warmth.

Find a location that gets FULL SUN and drains water away easily. Tubers are susceptible to rot. Dig a hole or a trench 6 inches deep, depending on how many tubers you’re planting, and place the tuber horizontally with its eye facing up. This is the part where you may be tempted to add something like bone meal. DO NOT ADD BONE MEAL. This attracts pests, dogs, etc., to dig up your tubers. Lived experience here.

Fill your hole back in and wait for a sprout to appear! Before the dahlia sprouts, you may be tempted to water it. Don’t. Unless you’re going through an ungodly drought, let her be. Generally, rain won’t hurt, but she doesn’t *need* water. We’ve had lots of rain in the past right after I planted and the tubers did just fine.

Once that sprout appears, dahlias like an inch of rain a week. If it’s not raining, supplement with watering. Dahlias love fertilization. We use worm casting tea and they respond beautifully with prolific blooms. Lastly, pick those blooms, baby! Cut deeply on the stalk to encourage long branching stems. Happy planting! And please reach out with any further questions to littlefootflowersiowa@gmail.com