it's been super hot humid and drought conditions with occasional severe flooding this summer around NYC, and while my dahlia plants look good, my blooms are struggling.

often they begin to unfurl, then quit with only half the petals open. the flower types that typically open with deep colors that fade as the flowers age aren't getting that intense early color, they all look a little bleached out. so i'm wondering how to improve my watering to get better floral outcomes.

i thought they liked direct sun and hot weather and high humidity but now I'm not sure.

last year was the first time I planted BIG dahlias opposed to just border "annuals" and I fell in love. this year I planted more than 100, starting them indoors in March and april. while June was stunning with monster blooms that were long lasting, july has been a disaster -

water early morning, or late night? deep drenches vs 2x a day? my soil is a little heavy ( with clay), but heavily amended every year with compost I usually look to the annuals, like impatients and wave petunias that wilt when the surface couple inches dry out to trigger watering but clearly I'm doing it wrong.

i know we all have different soil and weather conditions, I wonder, do other dahlia growers have a different "signal plant" or other way to determine when to water or fertilize? im interested in anyone's experience, good or bad.

I'm zone 4A/b depending on where I stand in my yard.

My tells if the dahlias are stressed is they look like they are wilting. My experience in bloom season is that they are heavy drinkers so I water more frequently and when hot and humid I also will go out midday if I can and just spray on the leaves w the shower setting on my spray head. I use a soaker hose and run for about 1/2 hour for normal watering.

Sometimes our companion plants have a different idea of how much water they'd like as opposed to the dahlias so I wouldn't rely too heavily on them. And with clay soil that may be alerting you at the wrong time.

Do you fertilize and if so how often and with what?

As for your blooms being weak in color, it may just be a first bloom on that plant and subsequent will look good. It can be that the plant was stressed out when those blooms were setting, or I guess too it could be older stock. I have issues w open centers on older stock and not looking as they should. In fact I have something blooming that I'm unsure what it is.

@Melissamaeday - am I missing much? I know you always have some good thoughts to help too.

Thanks for tagging me Scarlet! Lot of great advice and I'll just add my two cents.

It's been a tough year for a lot of people when it comes to dahlias.

I think everyone has their opinion on when watering is best. I've always watered in the evening, reasoning that it doesn't dry up right away and it's good for the plants while they're resting and thinking about growing overnight. Also pretty crappy at deep watering so I make sure to water them each night unless it rains. There's a lot of blah blah blah about what they like...they are thirsty plants though. Maybe I'm a weirdo but I personally would like lots of small drinks vs one giant one, lol.

Always have rough Summers here (weather it's temp/storms or both) so I like to think that they limp along with my help until September. Some blooms may be wonky, but weather can really do a number on brightly colored flowers. Don't beat yourself up and the best may be on the way.

It's a little late for fertilizing, but that could definitely help. I use agrothrive/fish and kelp fertilizer along with compost tea every couple of weeks until mid August. When something looks super stressed or on the verge of failing, I bring out some epsom salt and water it in. It supposedly works to allow the plant to take up any available nutrients.

Just my two cents!

thank you both.

good tips, and very good to be reminded of happy Septembers.

I'll try a mild dose of folar fertilizer. the epsom salt is a good idea. I always forget. not an issue for most people, but there's very little Mg (or Ca). in the soil around here and NONE in my tap water.

Hopefully your blooms take off for you!

@BullysMamma - many dahlias stop blooming when temps reach over 85 degrees and then the blooms start up again when it cools down. I have slugs galore but I mulch under my dahlias with straw, which helps retain the soil moisture. Lots of them fade in hot sun too - some folks use shade cloth over the fading blooms. Some reds and salmons tend to fade a lot and like a little shade. Doesn't sound like you are doing much wrong - it's the weather. Some people search out heat tolerant varieties which are supposed to do better in higher temps. I moved from PA to WA long ago, and the summers here are much cooler - dahlias also like coolish nights. But then we have ...slugs, snails, and other slimy pests.

Thank you. i appreciate your feedback. luckily in zone 7b/nyc suburbs, we had a beautiful mild long fall and the dahlias Loved it..

for anyone in a similar region - I got an extra 8 weeks of best bblooms of the year by providing 2 or 3 nights of shanty town protection with old bed sheets and dog towels for those early high twenty degree out-of-nowhere frosts that hit for a single night. we got our first one just after halloween, one in mid November, but I had huge bouquets of dahlias all over the house on Thanksgiving. I track the weather ever year, and while this isn't common for them to stay in bloom this long at my house, there's usually a good 2weeks minimum between the first oddball mild frost where buds are easily protected with drop cloths and the killing one.. save your old bedsheets and drop cloths- and "janky" your garden for a day.. it pays off, this year more than most