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| This season I'm going to move my dahlia tubers into a raised bed with drip irrigation. Last year I had them in a border next to the lawn, and I believe the overspray from the rotary sprinklers were responsible for the entire lot of 'em becoming diseased.
My question is how many dahlias can I reasonably grow in a 4' x 8' bed? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by oscarthecat z7MD (My Page) on Wed, Feb 13, 08 at 8:27
| I raise 12 in a raised bed with no problem. I do use rebar to stake them up. Steve in Baltimore County. |
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- Posted by sturgeonguy 5a Ont Canada (My Page) on Thu, Mar 13, 08 at 9:45
| It really depends on the varieties you're planting. If you're trying to grow 6' varieties, they'll need more space between them in order to get good flowering. On the other hand, if you pinch them or they're a bushier variety, they too will need more space between them. I space mine according to their height. Cheers, |
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- Posted by theras_garden 7b (GA) (My Page) on Mon, Mar 17, 08 at 12:31
| My raised bed is 6' x 12' (10' deep) and I have 12 dahlias spaced according to height (as Russ suggests above) and they're not overcrowded. I still have enough room leftover in the beds to run a row of mixed mesculin greens, carrots, and garlic along the edges. I use inverted tomato cages instead of rebar to stake them. I found my overactive dog doesn't cut thru the raised bed and accidently damage the plants if the cages are in place. Plus I HATE getting that nasty rust from the rebar on me while gardening (and before anyone suggests painting them...yes, I know I could). |
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- Posted by raymondo17 z9 Sacramento (My Page) on Mon, Mar 17, 08 at 14:44
| So I'm still not sure what kind of spacing a 6' dahlia would need. My dahlias run the gamut of tall to dwarf. How much space should I give the ones that reach for the sky? -Ray |
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- Posted by sturgeonguy 5a Ont Canada (My Page) on Tue, Mar 18, 08 at 7:43
| I would put a 6' dahlia in the middle of a 6' diameter circle of free space. If you are pinching them to make them bushier, add another 1' to the diameter of the circle. This gives enough room for the plant to receive lots of light, air, and moisture. It also gives you space to get around it to take cuttings. You can certainly fill that space with ground cover or tulips/daffodils or anything that will likely be cut down (or cut lower) by the time the dahlias are ready to bloom. Cheers, |
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