Although it is possible to grow dahlias without much attention, there is a great deal of difference between, for instance, the lovely blooms seen at the National Show -and the rather weedy blooms seen in many gardens. Many things go to make this so, but without any doubt disbudding is one of the main factors.

Disbudding is just one more of the processes used by the keen grower to reduce the number of blooms carried by any one plant at a specific time. By so doing the competition for the available nutriments is lessened, with the result that the blooms actually allowed to develop have greater strength and vitality.

Although ultimately only one side shoot on each branch will be required to give successional blooms, the two remaining side shoots should be allowed to develop for a time until it can be seen which is likely to be the stronger, when the weaker should be removed.

Three buds usually develop in the terminal leaf axil of each branch, normally comprising a central bud on a bare footstalk, one side bud on a footstalk and one bud with a pair of leaves immediately underneath. Of the three buds, two are removed, the third being retained to provide the bloom. The surplus buds should not be removed immediately they appear, but all should be retained for a short time until it can be seen that the bud selected to produce the flower is undamaged and of a good shape.

This lack is quickly made up on the death of the bacteria, when the nitrogen they have absorbed is once again made available, and ultimately the balance is restored, in fact enhanced.

The method of disbudding is also simple. As the branches develop in length, side shoots are produced in the axil of the leaves (the point at which the leaves grow out of the stem), normally two to each pair of leaves, one each side of the stem. Some of these side shoots are removed, either with a knife or by nipping out with the thumb nail. At a latter stage buds are produced at the top of each branch, usually three in number; two of the three are removed, the remaining bud being allowed to develop.