Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Dahlia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called border dahlia, pompon dahlia, dinner-plate dahlia, cactus dahlia (Dahlia pinnata).

About Dahlia

Dahlia pinnata · also called border dahlia, pompon dahlia · flowering

Dahlias are tender tuberous perennials from Mexico, prized for their late-summer to first-frost cut flowers in an enormous range of forms and colours. Tubers lift for winter storage in cold climates or stay in the ground in zone 8+. Toxic to pets.

Dahlias are tender, tuberous-rooted perennials native to Mexico and Central America, grown from fleshy tuberous roots.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Earwigs in flowers: Trap with rolled corrugated cardboard or inverted pots stuffed with straw.

Sources: rhs.org.uk, rhs.org.uk

The reasons dahlia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming dahlia traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding dahlia a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get dahlia to flower

Maximise sun. Give dahlia the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for dahlia and get the feeding right with the dahlia fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Dahlia flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full dahlia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Dahlia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my dahlia flower?

Dahlia blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make dahlia bloom?

Give dahlia the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does dahlia normally bloom?