Dahlias are rightfully considered crowned flowers among other autumn crops. They can show off in flowerbeds and gardens until late autumn. However, few people know that growing dahlias has not only aesthetic, but also practical value.
These lush, luxurious, bright flowers attract bees. Therefore, if you plant dahlias near a vegetable garden, then you will ensure pollination of your vegetables. In addition, these beautiful cultures are very unpretentious in their care. In this article, you can learn how to properly grow Figaro dahlias, how to plant them with seeds.
A little history about the plant
There is one beautiful legend that tells about the origin of dahlias. In times of severe cooling, fires began to go out, which were supported by people with the last of their strength. In the place of the last fire, a flower grew, which had petals resembling flames. This plant helped the inhabitantssurvive the cold difficult time, so the dahlia began to be considered a symbol of the desire for life.
Figaro's dahlia was first sighted in South and Central America. In their warm homeland, these cultures were real giants, as they grew up to 6 m in height. Plants were brought to Europe only in the 18th century, but they quickly spread throughout European territory.
Description of Figaro dahlia
This plant is a dwarf plant that has double flowers and dense compact bushes. Dahlias reach a height of only 30 cm.
The Figaro dahlia flower is 10 cm in diameter. The advantage of this culture is that it has a large number of inflorescences. Up to 15 pieces are located on one bush. Therefore, you can create a whole mix of Figaro dahlias of various shades in your flower bed. Flowers come in a variety of colors.
Another advantage of the variety is unpretentiousness in cultivation. Dahlia Figaro can be kept as a garden crop or in special flowerpots.
Growing from seeds at home
It is best to sow seeds in late March or early April. But if you want to collect planting material that will be used for further breeding of these plants, then it is necessary to sow a little earlier. How will Figaro dahlia seeds be planted? For this it shouldadhere to the following rules:
- First of all, you need to prepare containers for seedlings. If you use plastic containers, you should first make holes in their bottom that are required for drainage. The containers are filled with planting mix, for which a substrate of sand, peat and perlite is best suited. Before growing dahlias from seeds, pay attention to the fact that the planting material should be thoroughly washed with soapy water. The fact is that the dirt on the seeds can become a source of various diseases for the crop.
- Seeds of the annual Figaro dahlia should be soaked overnight in warm water, to which aloe juice is added. These ingredients are taken in a ratio of 2:1. This procedure is desirable, but it is not considered mandatory. The flower will grow stronger and he althier with a good immune system if you soak the seeds in this solution.
- Seeds are sown in the prepared soil mixture, then they wake up on top of the earth. The pot should be covered with plastic wrap or a piece of glass. Then the container is sent to a warm sunny place.
- In a couple of days, the first shoots should appear. However, do not rush to remove the film from the containers, otherwise the sun's rays will damage the delicate leaves of the plant.
- When young dahlias get stronger, the sprouts must be transplanted into a separate container. If you do not dive plants, then they will only develop in height. For planting, it is recommended to use a mixture of soddy soil with peat and sand. During the picking cultureit is necessary to deepen into the ground to the formed lower leaves.
- When young plants take root, they need to be fed, for which you can use complex fertilizer. However, the dosage should be halved compared to that indicated in the instructions.
- Dahlias grow pretty fast. To prevent the stems from stretching upward, pinch the plant at the level of the fourth leaf plate.
- As a result, you can get he althy, strong dahlias that are ready to be planted in the garden. It is necessary to wait until the weather is constantly warm outside, as night frosts will harm the seedlings.
Landing in open ground
In sunny, warm weather, pots with small plants should be taken out into the street, first for five, and then for 10 minutes. At the same time, the time spent in the air of young plants gradually increases. Flowers are planted in the soil in late May or early June. How to do it?
The size of the hole should be about 40 cm in width, height, length. A layer of humus or compost is laid at the bottom of the hole, after which the fertilizer must be sprinkled with soil, and then the seedling is planted. After planting, the plant must be watered, sprinkled with a mulch layer, the thickness of which should be 5 cm. Sawdust or crushed tree bark, which is mixed with compost or peat, can be used as mulch.
Features of care
Unlike other garden plants, growing andCaring for dahlias is very simple. It is necessary to periodically spud the bushes, while removing dry flowers and weeding the beds. Dahlias do not survive autumn frosts quite well, which is why they should be covered with special textiles at night.
Collecting seeds
It is not necessary to purchase seeds for growing dahlias in a specialized store. You can collect material for sowing yourself in the autumn. Seeds are located in dry inflorescences of dahlias. To do this, carefully separate them from the petals, dry them a little.
Keep them until disembarkation by placing them in a paper bag. However, it should be noted that there is no chance that new plants will be similar to their mother plants.
Those dahlias that sprout will flower in their second year, but there may be differences in color and degree of fullness when compared to their parent plants. This is due to the peculiarities of genetics, because exactly all the signs can be transmitted only in the case of reproduction of dahlias with the help of tubers.
Possible growing problems
If you follow all the rules of agrotechnical cultivation, water regularly, protect plants from direct sunlight, then dahlias will never get sick, while delighting their owner with long flowering. Flowers that fade should be cut off in a timely manner. This will ensure the formation of other inflorescences, lush flowering, which will please the eye throughout the season.
As for pests, the plant can be attacked by aphids, slugs, and other enemies. As a preventive measure, dusting of the soil is used. For this, ground hot pepper or wood ash is used.
Reviews of gardeners
Growing Figaro dahlias in your garden plot can be successfully grown not only by experienced gardeners, but also by beginners in this business. This is due to the fact that flowers require very unpretentious care. In addition, this plant will grow from seeds without causing much trouble.
Reviews of the Figaro dahlia indicate that the germination of these plants is very large. Experienced gardeners note that it is necessary to buy seeds from trusted sellers so as not to run into unsuitable material.
Difficulties in growing Figaro dahlias from seeds only arise if the flowers are planted outside too early. As a rule, in such situations, small bushes freeze and then die.
But if everything is done according to the rules that were described in the article, then you can very successfully grow this beautiful culture in your garden or flowerbed, which will delight the eye of not only the owner, but also the guests.
