Lesson 3
Through the season
Dahlias are hungry and thirsty. Feed weekly with a high-potash (tomato) feed from when buds form. Water deeply every 2–3 days in summer; daily in heatwaves.
Tie in stems to canes loosely — they snap easily once heavy with flower. Mulch the surface with bark or straw to keep the roots cool.
Dead-head religiously. A pointed bud becomes a flower; a rounded, soft 'bud' is a spent flower hiding among the leaves — pinch it off and ten more will come.