I have now 6 dahlias that are supposed to end up being about the same size when full grown, all 4 feet tall except 1 that will be 4.5 feet tall.

But I've noticed that from the time they first started coming up, they are growing at very different rates. I topped every plant just above the 3rd leaf level, the first 2 on the same day, then the 3rd about 6 days later.

Right now, 2 of the first 3 I planted are now about 26 inches and 28 inches tall respectively, but the 3rd is only about 14 inches tall, even though they all came up the same day, are in the same soil, the same amount of sun and water, etc. The 2 larger ones are also much wider.

Then, I started 3 more on June 11(the first 3 were started on May 25), and the ones started on June 11 were again topped at the 3rd leaf level, but on different days because they were growing at different rates. Now it has been about 8-9 days since the first of these latest 3 plants was topped, but its new laterals have only grown about 3-4 inches so far. I topped the other 2 about 2 days apart after the first was topped, and the new laterals seem to be slow, at least at first right now.

I water them at least 2-3 times per week, and they have great soil with nutrients and 6.8 ph.

Is it normal for them to grow at very different rates? Will that effect the time it takes them to start blooming? In other words, will the faster ones bloom earlier?

**Also, Swan Island Dahlias, where I bought the tubers, say that it will take at least 90 days for these dahlias to begin blooming. I've only grown dahlias once before, about 2006, and they were of the same variety bought at Lowes(no name), but I planted them on May 10, 2006, and by June 15, they were about 12-14 inches tall, and they now started producing flowers. They were a taller variety of around 40-48 inches, with white and lilac colored blooms about 4-5 inches in diameter, and almost as thick. I didnt do any topping or pruning of these 3 plants, but they bloomed from June 15 through the end of October almost non-stop!

That means it only took 36 days for this type to bloom, so why should it take at least 90 days for most or all other dahlias that grow around 4-5 feet tall and produce mid sized flowers of 4-7 inches diameter to bloom? Will they grow to maximum height and then bloom, or start blooming while still growing like my others did?