How to Get More Flowers from Your Dahlias

If you’re just joining us, you can catch up on Week 1 (what a tuber is), Week 2 (how to plant), Week 3 (staking), Week 4 (soil and fertilizer) and Week 5 (watering).

If you're like me, you want as many flowers as possible from your dahlia plants!

One of the best ways to get more blooms is to cut your plant.

It can feel counterintuitive to take pruners to something you’ve been carefully growing. But this is actually one of the simplest ways to encourage more flowers.

Let’s walk through three ways you can do that: pinching, deadheading, and cutting flowers to enjoy.

What Is Pinching?

Left on its own, a dahlia plant will grow up with one main stem and form a flower bud at the very top. Once that flower blooms and fades, the plant will send out new shoots from below, each with their own buds.

Pinching simply speeds up that process.

When you “pinch” (or cut) the growing tip early on, the plant responds by sending out multiple new shoots much sooner. Instead of one early bloom, you’ll get several blooms around the same time, maybe just a week or two later.

And from there, the plant keeps branching and producing even more flowers.

Do You Have to Pinch Dahlias?

Nope. Your dahlias will still grow and bloom beautifully if you skip this step.

If you’re unsure, you could try pinching a few plants and leaving others unpinched to see the difference for yourself.

What Is Deadheading?

Deadheading simply means removing spent (faded) flowers from the plant. If you leave those old blooms in place, the plant will start putting energy into forming seeds.

But when you remove them, the plant redirects that energy into producing more flowers instead.

Bud vs. Spent Bloom (A Helpful Tip)

One thing that can be tricky at first is telling the difference between a new bud and a spent flower.

Here’s a simple way to tell:

Dahlia buds are round

Seed pods (spent blooms) are more pointed

Once you start noticing the difference, it becomes much easier.

How to Cut Dahlias for Your Home

One thing that often surprises home gardeners is how long I cut my stems. I usually aim for at least 14 inches.

In the field, I use the length from my elbow to the end of my fist as a guide.

When you cut stems this long, you’ll often remove smaller side shoots or buds along the stem. But in my experience, cutting deeply actually encourages the plant to produce more strong, healthy growth.

It also helps keep the plant fresh and can reduce issues like mildew.

If you’re not growing for bouquets, though, there’s no need to cut that long.

Short stems look beautiful in bud vases, and you can absolutely enjoy your dahlias that way.

Don’t Be Afraid to Cut

It can feel scary at first, but using your pruners is actually helping your plants.

Pinching, deadheading, and cutting all encourage your dahlias to keep growing, branching, and blooming.

So don’t be afraid to use your pruners. Your plants will thank you for it!