Plant Profiles & Identification

How to Grow and Care for Manoa Dahlia

Successfully cultivate the vibrant Manoa Dahlia. Understand its requirements through the growing season and beyond for a consistent display in your garden.

The Manoa dahlia is a collarette-type flower with a unique structure. It features a single row of flat, vibrant yellow outer petals surrounding a fluffy inner collar of shorter, ruffled, orange-red petals. At the center of the bloom is a small, yellow, button-like disc. These blooms reach about three to four inches in diameter and sit atop plants that grow to a height of 30 to 39 inches. Their open-faced design offers easy access for bees and other pollinators, making them a great addition to garden borders and cutting gardens.

Planting Manoa Dahlias

The ideal time to plant Manoa dahlia tubers is in the spring, once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Choose a spot in your garden that receives full to partial sunlight and is shielded from strong winds. The soil should be fertile and well-draining to prevent the tubers from rotting. Amending heavy clay or sandy soils with compost or other rich organic matter can improve its structure and nutrient content.

Dig a hole that is four to six inches deep. Place the dahlia tuber inside the hole horizontally, with the “eye,” or growing point, facing upward; this is the small bud from which the stalk will sprout. If planting multiple tubers, space them 12 to 18 inches apart to give each plant adequate room to develop. After placing the tuber, backfill the hole with soil and gently firm it down.

Manoa Dahlia Care

Manoa dahlias require at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily for robust growth and optimal blooming. Without enough light, the plants may become leggy and produce fewer, smaller flowers. The dark foliage of the Manoa dahlia, in particular, will achieve its deepest coloring with ample sun exposure.

These plants need consistent moisture, so the soil should not be allowed to dry out completely. A deep watering two to three times per week is sufficient, though this may need to be adjusted based on your climate and rainfall. Water the base of the plant to avoid wetting the foliage, which can help prevent fungal diseases.

Begin feeding your plants after they have established and are showing active growth. Use a fertilizer that is low in nitrogen and higher in potassium and phosphorus, as this encourages more blooms rather than excessive leafy growth. A monthly application during the summer growing season is a good guideline.

Although Manoa dahlias are not the tallest variety, their stems can be vulnerable to breaking in heavy rain or wind. Placing a stake next to the plant at planting time will prevent root disturbance later. As the main stem grows, you can loosely tie it to the stake for support.

To encourage a bushier plant with more flowers, “pinch” the central growing tip when the plant reaches about one foot in height. This redirects the plant’s energy into producing more side branches, which results in more blooms.

Overwintering Tubers

In climates colder than USDA hardiness zone 8, dahlia tubers will not survive the winter in the ground and must be dug up for storage. This process begins after the first light frost has killed the top foliage, signaling the tuber to go dormant. Cut the stalks down to four to six inches from the ground, leaving a handle to make lifting the clump easier.

Use a garden fork or spade to dig around the tuber clump, starting about a foot away from the stem to avoid damage. Gently lift the entire clump from the soil and shake off any excess dirt, but do not wash the tubers. Allow the clump to cure for a few days in a dry, frost-free location like a garage or shed, which helps toughen the skin for storage.

Once cured, you can prepare the tubers for winter storage. Some gardeners divide the clumps at this point, while others wait until spring. Place the tubers in a container like a cardboard box and cover them with a storage medium such as slightly dampened peat moss, sand, or wood shavings. This medium prevents the tubers from drying out. Store the container in a cool, dark place where the temperature remains between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

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