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Dahlia insect problem

14 years ago

Hey there,

I planted some dahlia plants in my garden and it bloomed well for a couple of days and then i noticed that there wwere some insects(not aware of what they are) biting the leaves of the entire plant. Can someone help me indentify of what these insects might be so that I can buy some pesticides to control them.

Link for the pics:

http://img34.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=img0001mmm.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:642166}}

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Comments (8)

oscarthecat
14 years ago
looks like slug or snail damage'. Get some slug bait and sprinkle some of the pellets about a foot away from each plant. Steve in Baltimore County.
pdshop
14 years ago
Definitely looks like slugs to me. I have bait Sluggo around mine but also have some holes.
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I just left another thread the other day here about insects on mine. I had what I believed to be spider mites, and some other brown bug that was eating the veins running through the leaf centers. The spider mites were always in patches of many bugs, and some times I noticed ants around them also. I didnt see any webs, but I dont think they spin webs, but I could be wrong. They were really small though. I didnt have any insect control, so I sprayed the undersides of all leaves with the hose with a moderate stream, which washed them all off, then I broadcast granular insect control onto the ground all around them to stop them from returning, but I will still spray them eventually.
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As best I can determine, plastic mulches are the worst, providing places for the bugs to hide. I've only seen tomatoes growing over plastic mulches here, in commercial fields. One solution I read is to plow under organic mulch materials and plant cover crops in off-season. I use a lot of pine straw mulch, that being what grows here. It seems to have a natural repellant quality. Where I pile pine straw for future use, there are no insects in or under the straw when I pick it up. Last fall, I hauled peanut hay out of the field where it is left to decompose until it is plowed under. The leaves quickly dry up and disappear and what is left is long coarse stems. It is dense enough to smother weeds and grass, but to my surprise, a dahlia grew straight up through a pile about 8 inches deep. I haven't seen insects or slugs underneath this mulch, either. I try not to think about what half-life the pesticides sprayed on that field may have had. Nell Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Controls of Squash Borers
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Probably fruitworms. They are moth larvae. The moth, usually active at night, lays tiny eggs. The eggs are hard to see unless you catch them at just the right time, in just the right place. When the eggs hatch the very small larvae find the fruit and burrow in. That's where the larvae stay and grow, along with the fruit. Once big enough, they sometimes travel fruit to fruit leaving a mess behind them. I have never noticed the eggs and never noticed the larvae on leaves. I'm not sure I want to notice them. But they are hard not to see once they invade the fruit. :-) I hate these things - they give me the creeps. I found that spraying the plants with an insecticide for vegetables (such as Safer for vegetable gardens) every week or two has prevented this from happening. I don't get too fancy - just spray the leaves, especially near the flowers and young fruit. I don't go crazy with getting undersides of leaves - I hit them when I can but don't bother with the ones that are too difficult to get at. I start at the flowering stage and then spray every week or two (usually every 2 weeks because I'm forgetful). That does a good job of keeping the fruitworms at bay. I've rarely seen a fruitworm in the last couple of years as a result. I realize that doesn't help you now because the damage is already done, but it may help in the future. I just grow about 10 tomato plants and find that the quart/liter bottle (no mixing required) lasts quite a while. If I run out, I just get an additional bottle. I wouldn't go crazy with stocking up and I wouldn't go crazy using a lot of product unless you have lots of plants.
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Thanks carol and cpartist. I sprayed it down with a solution of 3 T/gal Castile soap. Let it sit overnight, washed it down in the morning, then noticed the ants at work. Dusted for the ants and will watch it closely, repeat next week if necessary. It is interesting how the ants product the bugs, even moving them to another plant sometimes.
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redmond_phyllis
14 years ago
My husband went to the hardware store and picked up some 4 inch drainage pipe that's used to drain water. He cut it into 5-7 inch lengths. As soon as a sprout emerges, I surround the growth, mounding some dirt around the edges on the outside of the pipe. I leave the pipe around the plant until the plant is bigger than the pipe, then remove it. To date, a slug has never bothered the plant inside, and I've been using this method for several years.

Can anyone tell me how to deal with the little no see'ems that attack the top of a plant? I've been using the soapy water method my mother taught me, but the result isn't 100%.
Poochella
14 years ago
Brilliant use of the drain pipe! Probably gives the sprouts a little more heat in our cool springs too.

What kind of damage do the no see'ems do to your dahlias? I'm tired of the little gnats that always go for my scalp in the evenings but I don't think they hurt the dahlias.
redmond_phyllis
14 years ago
They seem to chew the new center growth as a first choice, but also also chew the ends off the leaves. I can tell they've been there because of the lack of leaf symmetry. I also notice that when they are around, the center leaves seem disinclined to open. I think the soapy water spray helps, but it's not 100%. Used to use a pesticide prep of some kind, but I never thought it worked any better than the soap, and cost a lot more. I'm open to suggestions!
jaguarjungle_comcast_net
12 years ago
I had something eating my Dahlias. Come to find out it was earwigs. So slugs aren't the only pests to chew them.
pdshop
12 years ago
Now maybe I am having a bad day, but I don't get the drain pipe thing. I know what gutters are? Do you have any pictures?
GeorgePichardo
12 years ago
Bad news! Aside from learning how to properly grow dahlias, I still need to find a suitable area where snails and slugs are nowhere to be found.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dahlia Pests: Let's Talk About Slugs and Snails

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Can I start Dahlias inside in cardboard boxes instead of pots?

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