July is probably the month when you can put your feet up in front of the
fire, with a glass of wine. A good time to look back over the past season
and have a look at the photos or videos you took during the year.
Some of the top growers put out their catalogues and/or videos about this
time, and this gives you the opportunity to decide on the new cultivars that
you just "must have". Most of these growers despatch their orders on a first
in first served basis, so it doesn't pay to be too late with your order.
If you grew any of the Tree Dahlia family, they will now have finished
flowering, and the frosts and cold weather will have burnt off all the
foliage. It would be a good idea to cut them down now to within a foot of the
ground and cover the remaining stem with tin foil or old foliage to protect
them.It is better to divide these up at least every second year, as the tubers
grow into a huge mass if left indefinitely.
It is also a good time to start organising the fertilizer(s) and manures you
are going to require over the next month or two to prepare your Dahlia plot
for the planting in October and November. You need to allow about 4-6 weeks
before planting to apply these.
Horse, sheep and cow manures are all used quite commonly by growers, as well as
chicken droppings. With the sheep manure particularly, it pays to be careful where
you get your supplies from. Depending on the time of year and the chemicals the
farmer has been dosing his stock with, it can contain heavy concentrations of all
types of chemicals which may not be good for your garden or your plants.
Check on your stored tubers every two to three weeks during the winter just in
case there is the odd one which may have rotted. Remove any of these, and clean up
the rest of the clump. Keep the sawdust slightly damp, so the tubers stay nice and
plump and don't dry out or wither.
