What's wrong with my Dahia growth?

9 years ago

This is my second year to grow dahlias, but I don't know what the problem is with the new growth on this years dahlias. The new growth as of the last couple weeks is curled up. It is not happening on all of my dahlias, only some. I have two Santa Claus that have bloomed and appear unaffected. I have a few others that I bought in a mix, so I don't know what kind they are yet. The new growth is firm to the touch and a brighter green than the rest of the plant. The buds that appear on these plants stay buried in the curled leaves and don't grow rapidly. The buds seem to stay very small and the leaves that grow with the bud become very large and the bud isn't visible unless I move them. I have had to pinch many buds because they look unhealthy or they won't grow. They usually begin to turn black, but they still feel firm to the touch. I have included pictures. Any help is appreciated.

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Comments (2)

cicivacation
9 years ago
Three possibilities come to mind:

herbicide overspray or contaminated mulch
virus
spider mites

Dahlias are very sensitive to herbicide, and can look like that if exposed. The plants should grow out of it if just overspray, but may be killed if in the mulch.

If it is just in the top growth, it probably isn't virus.

If the curled leaves feel brittle, spider mites is most likely the cause-- check carefully for webbing, bag all effected leaves and throw away (not compost), and spray down all neighboring plants with neem oil or insecticidal soap. Remember that most folks can't see the mites. Google or search in this forum for more info about them.

Let us know what you think, and the end results! Good luck!
Rachel Cross- Harder
9 years ago
Top pics looks like thrip damage & I second on what cici said. Do u smoke ? I know tobacco mosaic virus infects a lot of plants & causes the tops to be light green - if I forget to wash my hands before handling my plants, I transfer it to them bc I'm a smoker :(
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