Dahlia – Boom Boom

Dahlia Boom Boom is a formal decorative dahlia.  These eye-catching blooms with its double snow-white flowers grow on tall, sturdy stems. A perfect cut flower and indispensable in the flower bed, as it blooms profusely and it always blends in perfectly.

Tuber Count: 1

Plant Height: 120cm

Plant Type: Tender perennial

Light Requirement: Full Sun

Blooms: Summer to First Frost

Plant Spacing: 45cm

Plant Staking: Yes, due to plant height

Dahlias are shipped as single tubers with minimum one eye guaranteed per tuber. If you are not able to plant the tubers upon arrival, store in a cool, dry, dark location.

Planting Information:

Plant Dahlia’s after the last Spring frost when the soil has warmed to 15°C. Pick a well drained, rich, organic flower bed or planter to plant into.  Loosen the soil to a depth of 30cm before planting. Add compost and all-purpose granular fertilizer to the planting area and mix well. Dig a hole and plant the tuber, keeping the eye or sprouts upright. The top of the tubers, where the sprout emerges, should be positioned 8cm below the soil surface when the hole is filled in. Fill in around the tuber, firmly pressing down the soil so it is even with the surrounding ground, and water well. Make sure there are no air pockets in the soil. If planting in a container, ensure there are adequate drainage holes.

Tips For Growing Dahlias

1. A common mistake when growing dahlias is to overwater tubers you have just planted. Too much water at the early stage can lead to the bulb rotting. Water well when you first plant the tuber and then wait until you spot the first sprouts before watering again.

2. To prevent disease, keep the foliage of dahlias as dry as possible. Water deeply once or twice a week, allowing the top 2.5 cm of soil to dry out in between waterings.

3. Dahlia plants will benefit from supplemental organic water-soluble fertilizer every 3-4 weeks until March, then stop fertilizing to promote better overwintering of tubers.

4. It is important to deadhead (remove wilted blooms) to encourage new buds, otherwise the plant will stop blooming and will focus its energy on seed production. Trim spent dahlia blooms with clean sharp garden scissors just above the point where the flower stem intersects with a leaf.

5. Cut long flower stems for flower arrangements to encourage more branching and flower production. Despite a relatively short vase life, dahlias make gorgeous bouquets.

6. Dahlias do not propagate reliably from seed, so if you’d like to keep and multiply your dahlia stock, make sure to look after your tubers in the winter.

7. Dahlia tubers can be lifted for winter storage after the first frost. Luckily in most parts of South Africa we don’t have to. We can just leave them in the ground to overwinter, and they will sprout the following spring.