If you belong to lovers of luxurious large flowers, which are easy to care for, the cultivation of flowers of the Dahlia variety "Merry guys" is what you need. These bright flowers can be seen on the city flower beds, in the front gardens. Brightness and splendor of double annual dahlias "Merry guys" impresses everyone! The fact that the plant is one-year-old can not be considered a disadvantage. The fact that perennial varieties often dry up or rot after wintering, so you have to plant new plants.
Rules of cultivation
In specialized shops seeds of such dahlias are sold in the form of flower mixes, because the variety differs in abundance of a color scale of inflorescences. The seeds of this variety are quite large, so there are no problems with their sowing. The best time to plant dahlias "Jolly Guys" on seedlings (sow seeds) is the end of April.
First you need to prepare the soil. For this, it is not necessary to buy the substrate in the store. It is enough to take the land from the garden and mix it with heated sand and humus. Experienced gardeners recommend to pre-treat the mixture by calcining it in an oven and disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.
In the prepared soil mixture, poured into wooden boxes, lay the seeds at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from each other to a depth of not more than two centimeters. On top, they should be sprinkled with sand, compacted and gently poured with warm water (18-24 degrees). If the temperature in the room where the boxes are located is 25-27 degrees, then after 6-8 days you will see the first shoots. After two or three weeks, when the seedlings have reached a 10-centimeter height and acquire two pairs of leaflets, they must be dived. You can arrange young dahlias in a larger box at a distance of 10-15 centimeters from each other or place them in separate containers ( peat or plastic glasses, flower pots or paper bags). It is worth noting that seedlings, which grow in separate containers, are more hardy and get stronger faster.
Beginning in May, seedlings need to be taken out periodically, so that the plants adapt and become hardened. "Merry guys", like other varieties of dahlias, react very badly to temperature changes, and frosts for them are fatal. That's why before planting seedlings on the open air it's worth making sure that there will be no more night frosts. The optimal time for disembarkation is the second week of June.
Care of plants
For planting and the subsequent care of dahlias "Funny children" necessarily choose on a site solar places. If you plant them under trees or along a fence that casts a shadow, then the plants will stretch out, and you should not wait for lush flowering. But the soil is suitable for dahlias. To flowering was more magnificent, in autumn it is necessary to fertilize the soil with humus or manure. Planting on the site of "Jolly Fellows", consider the fact that the bushes grow very quickly and densely, so the distance between the seedlings should be large (not less than a meter).
At first, watering the seedlings should be only once a week. If the heat in the street, you can spray them in the evenings or early
Flowering dahlia "Jolly Fellows" falls at the beginning of July. Up to the first frosts, you will observe how the colorful buds open one after another, pleasing the eye. If you want to extend the bloom, cover plants for the night with film or non-woven fabric.
After the flowering is completed, do not forget to leave a few lush bushes on the vine to collect the seeds. When the inflorescences on them completely wither, gently separate the seeds from the petals and dry them in the sun. At room temperature in paper bags they will be stored for two to three years.