Dinner plate 'Fleurel' and 'Noordijwks Glorie'

How do I really ensure they stay sturdy? I'm planning on putting on an inverted tomato cage when they are about a foot in a month in May. I'm reading I should use a 5 -10 ratio of Nitrogen to Phosphorous is this best? Will over ferting with Nitrogen early, even if I top the plants after 3 leaves to encourage branching, cause weekened over fertilized stems?

I really just want to have the huge flowers and want to ensure the plant is sturdy.

I've grown the dinner plates with ok results, but have done great with the decorative dahlias. Is it too hot and humid by the bay in a Southern Maryland Summer? I've heard dinner plates do terrible in the humid Texas or FL heat.

Matt

but Dahlias stay sturdy if they get full sun, and little additional watering if the soil is good enough.

I water mine only if their leaves droop and still hang in the evening

flower size:
if you want giant flower heads, don't top the plants. fewer stems produce larger flowers. Disbudding would help to give larger flowers.

But then you should probably stake each stem individually.
Another part of sturdiness is genetics, cut flower types produce long stems, so the plants are rather leggy than compact.

If you have several plants of the same cultivar, you could experiment and try topping and not topping them.

bye, Lin