Your Dahlias Need a Therapist
The other day one of my crew members asked why do dahlias get green centers? I explained it was a sign of stress. She responds with: “Poor little dahlias, they just need a therapist!”
Some days I feel like a dahlia therapist- there’s a reason my Instagram is called “Flower Therapy”. One of my goals in life is to show people that growing can be fun and not stressful. Gardening should be a form of therapy - there have been so many times in my life where it has played the role of therapist- good and bad times!
I feel like I’ve gotten more panicked emails from growers this year. Not sure if the weather is worse or why exactly. I do know this- there are a lot of brand new dahlia growers who have found their way here. That makes me really excited! If it’s your first year, you are in the right place!
Today, I want to normalize some things for you. I hope in the future that new growers will find this post and realize there’s no need to panic!
No particular order here but I want to explain some things — these are all drawn from emails/questions I have received from new growers this season.
1. Green Centered Dahlias- As stated- stress is usually the cause. In particular heat stress. During a hot summer, a lot of dahlias won’t open well and they tend to push a big green center as a heat response. It is possible that genetic breakdown can be the cause of this too but if you are in a hot climate, it’s usually heat. Once the weather cools in the fall, it goes away.
2. What do you do if a plant falls over or breaks off? Clean up the break if it broke off and you’ve still go a plant left- cut back to the next node. Make sure to keep it watered and fed and it will grow back. Falling over is lack of proper support- and learning how to support your dahlias takes a few seasons. Stakes, tomato cages, netting are all good options.
3. My dahlia rotted. Losing a few dahlias each year is par for the course if you grow in a hot climate. Loss is normal and should be expected. We lose 15-20% of our plants every year- usually to too much rain or too much heat. There’s only so much you can do about it- best thing is to observe what happened and try to fix it for the future.
4. I’ve got these white spots all over my leaves (especially in June/July). Most likely you have thrip damage. See the picture below. A good pesticide will take care of it- Capt’n Jacks Dead Bug Brew is an organic option that I like. You’ll need to keep up a regular spray schedule for a month or two until the thrip pressure lessens in your area.
5. My leaves look stippled and are starting to yellow. You’ve got spider mites or broad mites (maybe both). The Capt’n Jacks will work if they aren’t at infestation level yet but if you need something stronger- Avid is a good option.
6. My plant is gorgeous and green but has zero bud or flowers (asked in June). Hang in there- dahlias put on their show in late summer and fall. If you see people with earlier blooms, they probably overwintered their plants.
7. Half of my bloom doesn’t seem to want to open. This is thrip damage again. Thrips can cause this distortion and also turn a light colored bloom brown overnight. They are tiny brown bugs- visible with a magnifying glass. Organza bags have worked well for keeping the thrips off the blooms. You must put them on before the bud begins to open.
This is not a complete list by any means but I hope it will normalize some things that happen to all of us. There’s no need to panic and maybe you can avoid taking your dahlias to the therapist.
