Dahlia's pinch or not

With our spring being so nasty, I potted my dahlias and put them in makeshift greenhouse to get an early start. I will be putting them in there bed soon and I am trying to find out if it is best to pinch the growth to get bushier plants. Any help out there.

Definitley, Hau. I have had different Dahlias over the years, and when I started pinching them back, I found they grow much bushier and shorter. Before that I could have a long gangling plant that was 5 ft tall. I sure recommend it.

This message was edited May 26, 2005 10:38 AM

thanks, OldFlowerGirl. I guess I will get pinching. How many sets of leaves do you recommend I pinch back to?

Hau, when the plants are about a foot tall and display 3 to 4 pairs of leaves, I usually pinch out the terminal shoot to encourage branching. One pinching is sufficient for most dahlias although small growing types can be given an additional pinching. If you want larger blossoms, pinch off the side forming buds leaving only one bud per stem. I prefer the fuller look with smaller blossoms myself, but it does look nice with the Dinner Plate type of Dahlia. Good luck with them, and don't worry, they are a hardy plant so you can't hurt them. :)