Central States Dahlia Society just put out a great list of pests that attack dahlias, and more importantly, how to get rid of said pests. We’re talking about bugs, deer, and rabbits.
Looking for more good info on dahlias, or a club near Chicagoland to give you tips and tricks to grow dahlias? See the Central States Dahlia Society website.
Bugs: We’ve seen some of these on our dahlias over the years, and really don’t find dahlias any more susceptible to bugs than other garden plants. So if FOB (Fear of Bugs) is stopping you from growing dahlias, don’t succumb!
| Thrips ‒ Slender pests with fringed wings, thrips damage plants by puncturing the leaves and sucking out the juices. Although thrips rarely kill dahlias, they can affect the appearance by causing stippled leaves, leaf drop and stunted growth. They can also spread virus from one plant to another. Pesticides aren’t usually helpful because the pests move from plant to plant so quickly. How to get rid of thrips The strategy in the battle to get rid of thrips is to use yellow sticky traps. Park Seed & Harris Seed has them. |
| Spider mites ‒ About the size of a tiny speck of sand, tiny spider mites are difficult to see with the naked eye. You can locate the pests with a magnifying glass, but a magnifying glass usually isn’t necessary because you will notice telltale strands of thin webbing on the leaves. Spider mites are often more apparent during dry, dusty weather. How to get rid of spider mites Set the water to a high pressure and try to target the underside of the leaves in particular. This should help to wash spider mites away. (You should do this often in dry weather.) Spray underside of leaves with homemade rosemary oil or Neem oil. Spray underside of leaves with dishwashing soap or insecticidal soap. |
| Aphids – How to get rid of them Dilute in water, 1 tablespoon lemon dish soap in 1 gallon of water & spray on your plants. You can also use insecticidal soap or Neem Oil that you diluted with water & add some dishwashing liquid too. Put up a hummingbird feeder. Ruby-throated hummingbirds feed on aphids & thrips. |
| Slugs and snails are capable of doing tremendous damage to dahlias and other plants. However, they are easy to spot; they chew large holes in leaves, and they leave slimy, mucous tracks wherever they go. Slugs look like an exceptionally fat worm with two snail-like eyestalks. How to get rid of snails & slugs Put out slug bait immediately after planting and at least every two weeks thereafter. Fill some small containers with beer and bury them in the soil, so they are level with the surface. Slugs are attracted to the smell & crawl in and drown. Buy commercial slug & snail rid pesticide, Sluggo Plus. You will have to sprinkle this on the surface several times, especially in damp weather. Kill slugs with cornmeal, It’s a lot cheaper, but may not attract as many slugs. Put a tablespoon or two of cornmeal in a jar and lay it on its side. Keep the cornmeal dry, and it will kill slugs by expanding inside them. |
| Earwigs – How to get rid of them Use oil traps. Fill a tin can with leftover vegetable oil. They will crawl into it and drown. Trap them with a rolled up newspaper or a short length of old garden hose. Sluggo Plus also gets rid of Earwigs. |
| Grasshoppers While not a major pest of dahlias, grasshoppers do occasionally feed on the plant’s leaves. How to get rid of grasshoppers Use a garlic spray. Fill a spray bottle with one part garlic solution and three parts water. Once ready, spray the solution onto the leaves of affected plants. Be sure to spray the undersides of the leaves as well. |
| Caterpillars – (the larval stages of moths and butterflies) Caterpillars leave no slime, but like slugs, they chew holes in the leaves. They often roll themselves up in leaves, and rolled, curled foliage is a dead giveaway that caterpillars have been feasting on your dahlias. How to get rid of caterpillars Use SAFER caterpillar killer. WalMart has it. |
| Cucumber beetles The larvae tend to gnaw on the roots of your plants, and the adults chew on the foliage. Even worse, they spread plant disease. How to get rid of cucumber beetles Use Safer Brand Yard and Garden Spray to get rid of them. |
| How to get rid of Japanese beetles Unfortunately, the most effective way of getting rid of Japanese beetles is to hand pick them off of plants. It’s time consuming, but it works, especially if you are diligent. When you pick them off, put them in a solution of 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent and water, which will cause them to drown. |
| Wireworms are the larva of click beetles and develop from eggs laid in the soil. After they tunnel into bulbs, they hollow out the plants stem, causing it to fall over. Leaf miner, any of a number of insect larvae that live and feed within a leaf, which causes white lines on your dahlia leaves. Use Permethrin Sprays to get rid of the larva. |
Those cute deer and rabbits.
| How to get rid of rabbits or deer Purchase Irish Spring bars of soap. Cut the bars into 1” cubes. Put the soap into cheese cloth or netting & hang the soap from bamboo sticks about 6” from the ground for rabbits & higher for deer. Mix ¼ cup of milk with four drops of lemon dish soap. Place the mixture in a spray bottle, and fill the rest with water. Spray the mixture on garden plants every 10 days and after rain to keep deer away. Put a tablespoon of cayenne pepper in a sprinkling can, fill it with water and sprinkle it on your plants. If it rains, be sure to repeat this process. |
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