For many, growing flowers at home and watching them bloom is a source of great joy and relaxation. The dahlia is a large flower that is commonly grown in Pakistan and it is favoured due to the range of colours, shades and petal colour patterns it has to offer. The dahlia is a bushy, herbaceous plant. This flowering plant belongs to the Asteraceae family.

Another unique quality of the dahlia flower plant is that it can be grown in three different ways. It can be grown by the traditional method of sowing seeds, by planting bulbs or by stem and branch cuttings of the plant.

The size of the flowers is dependent on the method being adopted to cultivate the dahlia plant. Those plants grown via cuttings and sowing seeds generally have small to medium sized flowers. Flowers are much bigger in size if the plant is grown using the bulb.

The seeds of the dahlia are generally harvested from the pods of flowers one month after they dry up. They are easily identifiable and dark brown or black in colour. The seeds are sown in late winter to early spring.

The popularity of the dahlia in Pakistan stems not only from its beautiful array of colours and patterns but also because of the variety of methods through which it can be grown

A well-drained potting-mix should first be prepared in a small container. Seeds should then be sprinkled on the soil surface and lightly covered with a thin layer of potting-mix. Thoroughly water the pot so that the water comes out of the pot’s drainage hole. Cover the pot with a thin plastic sheet and keep it in a cool, shaded place so that the soil remains moist. While seeds take around two weeks to germinate, the flowers appear on the plants after about 14 to 16 weeks of sowing the seeds.

One may even tag the pots in which seeds of the same coloured dahlia are sown. This will help to identify the plants at the seedling stage and help when shifting the plant to an individual container. The seedlings are simply spooned out for transplantation.

The newly transplanted seedling should be kept under partial shade for two days. After that, it should be gradually shifted to a place receiving direct sunlight exposure. The plant flourishes with at least six hours of daily sunlight exposure. In warmer regions, it may grow well during winters. In a moderate climate, the dahlia plant may even act as a perennial plant, growing and blooming throughout the year.

On the other hand, bulbs or tubers of the dahlia plant are sown in the late spring season. The bulbs are harvested from beneath the soil surface after the plant dries up. Since the bulbs are to be used the next year, they need to be stored properly. They should be kept in a box filled with dry compost and stored in a cool, dry place. Alternatively, many gardeners prefer to leave the bulbs underground. With this method, the soil is to be kept dry throughout the year, till the sowing season arrives again.

The third way of growing the dahlia through pro­pagation is by using plant cuttings. Simply cut-off branches four to six inches in size from the parent plant. It is important to choose a branch for cutting which has multiple nodes. Remove all the leaves from the cutting except for the upper most two to three leaves. Dig a hole in the soil and insert the cutting to the depth of a couple of inches at least. It should be inserted in such a way that at least one node goes into the soil. The rest of the process is the same as that being followed for sowing seeds.

The plant should be grown in a container at least 12 inches in height. Otherwise it is recommended to grow in the ground, since the size of the flower also improves with the increased container size of the plant.

From the sapling stage, the plant should be sprayed with nitrogen-based fertilisers after every fortnight. This will help to boost the plant’s foliage. Once the plant starts to produce the flower buds, any of the potassium-based fertilisers can now be added to the schedule. In the case of the growing tubers, phosphorus-based fertilisers, such as bone meal, are added at the time of planting the bulbs.

The dahlia can be used in bouquets and to beautify your gardening space with an array of colours. If you are a flower-lover, you simply must grow dahlias in your garden.

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, February 26th, 2023