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Something ate my dahlia!

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Posted by proudgm_03 6 MO (My Page) on
Wed, Aug 19, 09 at 6:53

Something stripped every leave off of one of my dahlias and only left the bud on top. Any ideas? I couldn't see any bugs of course, there was nothing left. I did find what looked like monarch caterpillar poop. They don't feed on dahlias do they?

I still don't have any buds on my other dahlias and they are only about 12" high. Any idea what the problem is or what I can do?

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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How tall was it- could it have been rabbits? Deer? Slugs? Grasshoppers? Earwigs? They all eat dahlias- except in some places the deer don't eat dahlias- in others they do.

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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I'm more inclined to say it was some kind of bug. They are all in pots right together and none of the others were touched. I didn't see anything on the other dahlias.

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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That's weird. Slugs here usually eat holes in the leaves or around the edges and can take most of a whole leaf but I've never had them take all but the bud. I don't know what earwigs do except tick me off :) Deer and rabbits I think would eat the bud too, not sure. I think I'd look around for a very fat caterpillar and promptly relocate it.

What size are your 12" dahlias to be? If they're full size 3-5 footers, something is amiss. I've got a few slowpokes too. So frustrating when all you want to do is see the flowers!

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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These are all the dahlias I ordered from Accent Dahlia: Cornell, Pam Howden, Weston Spanish Dancer, Walter Hardisty, Wanda's Capella, Chilson's Pride. They are all supposed to be between 2-6' depending on the dahlia. I don't know what's wrong with them or why they are not growing.

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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Those should all be up and much taller by now.
How big are your pots, if they are all in pots? Are they in full sun or close to it? Did you/are you fertilize/ing and are you watering regularly? Did they get too much water and start to rot?

I had really good growth with Accent tubers, but if all plants are stunted, it could be that your tubers are rotting or for some reason the plants are stalled out and not going to do anything much. Sometimes they'll go on to survive, but by August I would hope for much better.

I have two that are 4-6" tall and I just can't bear to pull them up, even knowing they are rotting stubs and never going to give up flowers.

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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I've only fertilized once. Perhaps I'm not watering enough. I will check the soil deeper in the pot. And I will try to dig down and check the tubers. They are at least 14" pots if not bigger.

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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I used black pots that just evaporated water in hot weather, so watering more probably won't hurt. They likely need more fertilizer- unless you used a slow release type. Maybe try Miracle Gro full or half strength weekly and see if that helps. It is a short acting thing, so if you subscribe to the nitrogen-hurts-your-tuber-storage-theory, that might be an option for you. Or a couple tomato spikes in each pot.

I don't know that I'd bother the roots, might do more harm than good. They'd probably look pretty sad or wilted if the tubers were rotting. Not always the case, but often.

That's my 2 cents.

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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I don't often have caterpillars but I found this lovely 'Unforgettable' pathetically marred by some multi-legged crawler the other day. Couldn't find the culprit but it's amazing how high up on a plant they will go to ruin a flower.

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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Pee Gee

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RE: Something ate my dahlia!

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Bad name for grasshoppers here ________________. I heard another one click through the air the other day. If it knows what's good for it, it'll go after the weeds instead of the dahlias. Pee Gee on the left is beautiful.

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