Organic Dahlia 'Kiev'

Organic pink cactus Dahlia 'Kiev'

The Dahlia 'Kiev' is a striking organically grown cactus dahlia with elegant, elongated and narrow petals that have a beautiful light pink color. The flowers can grow up to 20 centimeters wide and 1 plant gives about 10 to 15 flowers per year. With a height of about 1 meter, this dahlia is a real eye-catcher in the border and perfectly suited for both garden planting and cut flowers.

The Dahlia 'Kiev' blooms for an incredibly long time, 100 days a year, because countless flowers return when the faded flowers are removed. A true sea of ​​flowers, late in the season when most plants have already finished blooming.

How, where and when do I plant organic dahlia tubers?

Indoor pre-growth

A Dahlia 'Kiev' is not winter hardy. This means that the tubers can be grown indoors from March onwards. This gives them a head start in growth and the dahlias will flower earlier. The plants can be put outside after the Ice Saints (15 May), or earlier if the weather is good, but watch out for night frost, then they will have to go back inside at night.

Outside in the garden

If you choose to wait to plant the dahlia tubers until after the frost, then this is best done up to and including May 15. From then on, the tubers can be planted in the ground without any risk of frost and will flower approximately 60 to 90 days later. Plant the tuber with its old flower stem from last year facing upwards, just 2 to 3 centimeters below the ground and keep a distance of half a meter from tuber to tuber. The planting time is up to and including June.

Location

A dahlia prefers a sunny location in a nutritious, water-permeable, preferably calcareous sandy soil. The Dahlia 'Kiev' gets medium-sized flowers, so it does not need to be supported, but it does prefer to be planted in a sheltered spot.
For pot planting it is best to use a pot that is at least 40 centimetres wide, so that it does not dry out too quickly in summer.

Dahlias topping

Topping a dahlia is a technique to stimulate growth and make the plant more compact and full. Dahlias are topped when they have reached a certain height, usually when they are in the active growth stage. We recommend allowing at least 2 to 4 pairs of leaves to grow before topping.

A leaf node is where a leaf is attached to the stem. Look at the top pairs of leaves on the stem. Use a sharp, clean pair of pruning shears and cut the stem just above a leaf node. Make sure to make a clean cut so as not to damage the plant. If there are flower buds below the topped spot, you can also remove them. This helps the plant to put more energy into developing side branches. After topping, the dahlia will begin to develop side branches from the leaf axils, resulting in a more floriferous plant.

Dahlia care

Keep the soil of the dahlia moist at all times. Too dry soil can cause problems in growth and flowering.
During flowering, the faded flowers are removed for new flowering. When the plant has finished flowering in the fall, it is best to let it die completely, so that no water enters the hollow flower stems when they are cut off.

What to do with dahlias in autumn?

Protect the tubers that are planted in the open ground with leaves in the winter against light frost. In case of severe frost they should be stored frost-free in a dry place. The advantage of digging out is that the tuber can be divided every year.

Dahlias and nutrition

The dahlia is a fast growing plant that can use a lot of nutrition. Feed the plant several times a year for an optimal result.
For organic potting soil, plant food and other soil improvers we recommend Bio-Kultura On!

Giving back to nature

In the fall, the remains of the dead plant can be cut off and processed into the soil for nutrition. In this way, you give back to nature and your green bin remains empty for vegetable waste from the kitchen.

Propagating Dahlias

In the autumn the tubers grow well. Do not take them out of the ground too early for propagation. Just before the first frost is the best time. The tubers can be split immediately, but this can also be done in the spring. The advantage of splitting in the spring is that small growth points can already be seen in the spring. This makes it easy to recognize where the tuber can best be split.

Edible

All of the Dahlia 'Kiev' is edible. The tuber tastes like carrots and the flower can be used to garnish a salad or in a carafe with water, for decoration and to flavour the water.

Origin of the dahlia

Dahlias originate from Mexico and have been found in European gardens since 1615. They were originally grown as tubers for consumption, but after people discovered how beautiful they can be as ornamental plants, they became one of the most diverse plant species in the world.

Buy Organic Dahlia 'Kiev'

Skal NL-BIO-01 certified: 109459

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Stacking discount: B

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Characteristics

Other dahlia varieties

NL-BIO-01