u/RevolutionaryWolf787

Hi hi! It’s been a sad day. I planted these dahlias pretty late for the season - in early May. I’ve already lost all progress on one due to rot last month. Now I’m having the opposite problem with the dry, HOT weather we’ve been having. The dahlias have been surviving the heat itself ok. I’ve been focusing on morning sun and afternoon shade.

Then….. a couple days ago…. I noticed the leaves were looking particularly sad. I’ve had plenty of plants in the past but this season I’m being particularly hands on and am very invested in their well being. So, I did some research and came to the conclusion that I was dealing with a spider mite infestation. Once I became aware of it, I started to notice them practically everywhere. They’re in my potted plants on the other side of the house and my complex’s community garden. I also noticed that I had lace bugs (as seen on my zinnias) but that’s not as concerning for the time being.

Because it’s getting up to 100F during the day using pesticides or even neem oil seems to be a bad idea due to the risk of leaf burn. My course of action has been a serious spray down with the hose, focusing on the underside of the leaves morning & night. I picked up some MicroLife Super Seaweed today & sprayed the underside of the leaves on all of my potted plants. I’m hoping it’ll help the damaged plants bounce back a little faster.

Very open to your thoughts on my plan & any experience you’ve had with spider mites.
TIA! 🫶🏼🌱

Hi hi! Sad day in Texas zone 8b. I planted these dahlias pretty late for the season - in early May. I’ve already lost all progress on one due to rot. Now I’m having the opposite problem where we haven’t had rain for weeks. It’s high 90’s - low 100’s during the day and low 90’s - high 80’s at night. The dahlias have been surviving the heat itself ok. I’ve been focusing on morning sun and afternoon shade.

Then….. a couple days ago…. I noticed the leaves were looking particularly sad. I’ve had plenty of plants in the past but this season I’m being super hands on and am very invested in their well being. So, I did some research and came to the conclusion that I was dealing with a spider mite infestation. Once I became aware of it, I started to notice them practically everywhere. They’re in my potted plants on the other side of the house and my complex’s community garden.

Because it’s getting up to 100F during the day using pesticides or even neem oil seems to be a bad idea due to the risk of leaf burn. My course of action has been a serious spray down with the hose, focusing on the underside of the leaves morning & night. I picked up some MicroLife Super Seaweed today & sprayed the underside of the leaves on all of my potted plants. I’m hoping it’ll help the damaged plants bounce back a little faster.

Very open to your thoughts on my plan & any experience you’ve had with spider mites - especially in HOT climates.
TIA! 🫶🏼🌱

First time dahlia grower in zone 9a. I’ve been babying these dahlias for 6+ weeks. It’s been an especially wet & humid summer thus far & yesterday the heat index was 115. I moved them all to the north side of the building pre-heat wave so they only got direct morning sun. Yesterday I came home from work & noticed my Cornel was looking SAD. I panic watered & waited it out over night. This is how she looked this morning. Squishy stem. RIP Cornel. Devastating.

Luckily the other 3 seem ok so far. Blizzard, Rose Toscano & Valley Rust Bucket (from left to right). Going to get rid of all of the soil from the infected plant & bleach wash the bag. Doubtful I’ll get another tuber to replace Cornel given the outside conditions.

You win some you lose some. 🥲

Howdy ya’ll! I’m out here trying to combat Texas heat, crazy spring storms, very limited space & planting my dahlias late. I was inspired to plant dahlias after I got married in February & fell in love with the florals. Tubers went into these fabric grow bags on 5/4 and seem to be doing pretty well! The one on the far end didn’t start sprouting until this week but she’s well on her way.

I do plan to prune off some of the lower leaves & add more soil to the pots once the stems are about 3-4” above the rim. Then I’ll pinch once they grow a bit more.

Had a bit of a snail problem recently. Hoping the copper tape & a sprinkle of sluggo will help.

Varieties are Blizzard, Valley Rust Bucket, Cornel & Rose Toscano. Any advice for this first timer is appreciated! 🌼

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