Disbudding Dahlias
Although it is possible to grow dahlias without much attention, there is a great deal of difference between, for instance, the lovely blooms seen at the National Show -and the rather weedy blooms seen in many gardens. Many things go to make this so, but without any doubt disbudding is one of the main factors.
Disbudding is just one more of the processes used by the keen grower to reduce the number of blooms carried by any one plant at a specific time. By so doing the competition for the available nutriments is lessened, with the result that the blooms actually allowed to develop have greater strength and vitality.
Left to itself the dahlia, a most generous plant, will produce crop after crop of flowers, ever increasing in number. But, alas, many of these blooms are hidden by the foliage and are usually of very poor quality on very short, weak stems. This is particularly true of the successional crops, even if the first crop is quite satisfactory.
Apart from the lowering of ground temperature, there is one other marked primary effect noticeable immediately after mulching, and that is a temporary drop in the available nitrogen, particularly when fresh or dried material such as straw or bark fibre is used. This is caused by the immediate increase in bacterial activity in the soil on commencing to break down the organic material into humus; the amount of nitrogen available in the soil is temporarily not sufficient for the demands of the plants and the rapidly multiplying nitrifying bacteria.
This lack is quickly made up on the death of the bacteria, when the nitrogen they have absorbed is once again made available, and ultimately the balance is restored, in fact enhanced.
To make certain that the plants do not suffer from the temporary shortage feed with a good nitrogenous fertiliser as soon after mulching has been completed as possible, watering the ground well before doing so if the soil is rather dry.
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