Ruud Kleinpaste: Dahlias

Pretty flowers in autumn – some are huge and some have really deep colours. 

Varieties are numerous in all sorts of colours and shapes and sizes; small ones, huge ones; (doubles, singles, “waterlilies”, breeders have been pretty active in this field, especially Dr Keith Hammett – ex DSIR in Auckland) 

NOW’s the time to scout around finding what you might like yourself. 

Café au Lait Le Baron Kennemer Land 

You can buy them as plants (often cuttings) or, more commonly, as “tubers” (root structures, long-ish “bulbs”) from which the plants grow; 

Planting in Spring after frosty times have stopped; (established plants in the soil the tubers are reasonably protected from frosts, but newly planted tubers need frost protection!!) 

Where to plant those Tubers? Well-drained soil to avoid rotting; alternative: raise the bed to create a well-drained medium. 

Healthy soil with decent amount of compost, rock phosphate and lime – general fertiliser N-P-K. 

It pays to cover the plants with a good layer of compost (3 inches thick at least). It really sets them up for decent growth in spring and summer and it keeps weeds at bay; it also keeps moisture in the soil during hot, dry summers 

They do need a bit of space (almost a meter), so they can expand and keep sunlight on their leaves. 

Pick flowers late Summer – Autumn… with a bit of luck they’ll provide colour for a long time! 

Insects and fugal problems can be a pain in the in bum: 

Powdery mildew (a real autumn fungus on the leaves) can be slowed down by spraying copper sprays on the leaves when nights are getting cooler and dew settles on the leaves. Copper stops the fungal spores from starting their dastardly journey 

Katydids often go undetected as they emerge later in afternoon and evening, making a ZZdits sound; they chew the flowers petals making the symmetrical look slightly less symmetrical 

Earwigs hide inside the flower heads and chew whole petals, shredding the flowers and creating a very grumpy Julie; 

Mind you, those earwigs do a fabulous job in all other months of the year by being predators of aphids and such real plant pests!!! 

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