How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Dahlia Flowers | How to grow Dahlias in Pots

1. Growing Dahlias in Pots

Dahlia are incredibly beautiful and vibrant flowers, comes in exciting array of colors, adding spectacular beauty throughout summer.

They come in fun and striking colors from pastels to gold, neutrals to bronze, bright magenta to deep purple, dark red lavender to peach, and add a dazzling view to the garden!

Dahlias blooms in various forms, and in various varieties like spiky, ball, decorative, cactus, collarette and pompoms.

They can grow well both in pots and gardens. They are fluffy, full, luscious and looks very fascinating. You can also place these beautiful flowers by making floral centerpieces to brighten up your home.

Dahlias are grown from seeds or tubers. They need to be planted in spring season, after the threat of frost has passed. They grow up to 5-6 feet and bloom with flowers of 10-12 inches across. You can buy these flowers from nurseries or even online.

2. Plant Dahlias Tubers

Planting dahlias in a pot is a great choice for people who have little space in gardens but remember to choose a pot which is at least 12 inches in diameter and depth for optimum growth. Buy pots which are heavy as dahlias grow up to 5-6 feet and are a long standing flowers.

Soil the plant with compost and sand or humus and plant the tubers at least 6 inches deep, and about 2 to 3 feet apart, to get healthy and beautiful flowers. Avoid manure or fresh compost as it's too high in nitrogen. Continue adding soil until just an inch of empty space is left. It will take around 15-20 days to grow. Do not water the tubers right after planting, wait until the sprouts have appeared above the soil.

3. Caring for your Dahlias

Dahlias thrive in full sun with a minimum of 4-6 hours of sunlight per day. Water them at least twice or thrice a week. They start blooming about 7-8 weeks after planting. Spray these flowers with fungicide or insecticide as needed.

They are often discarded after they stop blooming although they can be planted again from the cuttings. You need to cut the plants back to 2-3 inches above ground, trim the yellow leaves and mulch heavily so that they bloom again in fall season.

It's surprising, how many people think that Dahlia is hard to grow, but it's absolutely not, you just need to know the basics. I hope these few tips have helped you.

Happy Gardening!
Have a beautiful day!

10 SUPERFOODS YOU SHOULD BE EATING RIGHT NOW

Superfoods are the special category of foods that contain a wide variety of antioxidants, fiber, minerals and vitamins. These little fellas are great for your nervous system, offer protection against heart diseases, help in reduce inflammation, and support the immune system.

Stock your kitchen with these superfood staples. You can easily incorporate them into your everyday meals. They are easy to consume, relatively available in every supermarket and grocery store.

1. Tomato

Tomatoes are the most commonly used fruit. They are the major dietary source of lycopene, which improves the bone mass and boost immune system. It may also reduce the risk of cancer and heart diseases. Tomato contain fat-burning compound known as 9-oxo-ODA which helps with fat loss. They are both nutritious and delicious and can be easily incorporated in your diet.

Tomatoes are the important ingredient of many cuisines. They are used to make sauces, soups, salads, pizza, lasagna, pasta and many other variety of dishes. Remember the tomato soup I made last year?

2. Spinach

Spinach is the world's healthiest superfood. These dark green leafy vegetables are loaded with vitamin A, B, C, E and K. They are an excellent source of magnesium, potassium, calcium, choline and folate. Spinach can lower the risk of cancer and heart related problems, it can control the diabetes and reduce blood pressure. It plays an important role in building healthy skin tissues and promoting blood cell growth.

You can add them in salads, sprinkle it on pasta and add in your smoothies. You can also make a simple sauteed spinach recipe in a pan.

3. Green tea

I'm a tea-lover and a pretty regular one. I always start my day with a cup of green tea. There are lots of varieties of tea like - black, green, white, oolong but my favorite is green tea. Green tea is becoming popular specially in the fitness world. It contain all the antioxidants that boost metabolism and could help in reducing the risk of diabetes, heart attack, stoke and cancer. It contains less caffeine than coffee, helps with weight loss and keep the immune system strong.

Add it into a lukewarm water or add milk or lemon for more flavor and enjoy.

4. Yogurt

Yogurt is a dairy product prepared from the bacterial fermentation of milk, often sweetened and flavored. It can also be prepared at home. There are plenty of benefits of yogurt, they are helpful in developing stronger bones, improves the immunity and the digestion system. It's rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium.

Yogurt can be blended or served as a base of smoothies. It can be added in soups, curries and can also be cooked with tofu or paneer. You can cook kadhi, yogurt based curry or raita, common condiment eaten in Asia and India.

5. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a perfect breakfast as it's filling and contain lots of vitamins and minerals. They are great source of fiber, potassium and calcium. Oats are natural superfood, made out whole grain and fiber which helps in reducing the cholesterol and blood pressure. They are great as a breakfast, snack, a post-work-out snack.

Eat it as a porridge replacement, sprinkle over your cereal, or your smoothie.

6. Sprouts

I love eating sprouts as it's a wonderfully high protein, low fat snack which includes all the nutrients. Sprouts are the most convenient and healthy superfood. They are energy boosting enzymes, extremely alkalizing and rich in micro-nutrients. They are loaded with protein, vitamin B1 and B6, vitamin K and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorous and zinc..

Add them in salads, coleslaw.

7. Purple carrots

Wow, now purple carrots are my favorite! As the name suggest, it has bright purple skin and flesh that comes in the shade of yellow and orange. According to an Australian study, purple carrots are the next big superfood. It's a relatively unknown superfood, filled with anti-inflammatory goodness. It is rich in anthocyanin, help in in treating neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, improving heart related problems. They are low in calories and rich in dietary fibre, vitamin C, K, potassium and manganese are a good source of carotenoids.

Add them in your salads, smoothies or can also stit-fry it.

8. Garlic

Garlic, the pungent member of the allium family is widely popular in Asian and Indian cooking. It's a great source of vitamin C, B1, B6, manganese, copper, biotin and fiber. It helps in regulating sugar level and help people with type1 and type2 diabetes. Garlic also has lot of anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It contains high levels of sulphuric compounds which helps in lowering down the cholesterol level, reducing the blood pressure, boosting the immune system and supporting the digestive health.

They are used to add flavor in variety of dishes like soups, dips, stir fries, stews, etc.

9. Lentils

They are practically the cheapest and the easiest superfood to prepare. These pulse are used in many Asian and Indian countries. Lentils requires a long cooking time in kitchen but they make a delicious and healthy snack. They are high in iron, protein, and other nutrients. They are known for managing blood sugar levels and keep you full for hours.

Use variety of beans to make lentil soup or curries, add them to quesadillas along with other fillings, add them to salad, eat them with Indian breads or rice, or just as a snack.

10. Beets

Beet is the most beautiful vegetable. They are blood red in color. It has a sweet and earthy flavor. It is also used as a natural coloring agent. Beet roots are high in vitamins A, B & C, Potassium, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorous and Fiber. It helps in the treatment of anemia, indigestion, cancer and heart diseases. Beets are also good for pregnant women since they are a source of Vitamin B. It's low in calories and high in carbs. Vitamin C helps in fighting cancer and helps to prevent Respiratory problems.

It is frequently added as an ingredient to salads, soups and pickle, you can also make a beetroot drink.

Which is your favorite superfood?
How do you incorporate it into your diet?

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