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ants

I have ants coming up through some of my dahlias and then they break of at the base

Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Lucky you.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Ants like it dry. Are you able to give the ground a good soaking?it'll probably do the dahlias some good too.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's not the ants that are damaging them. Ants farm aphids for their honeydew excretions, so that's what they might be doing. Aphids suck the sap from plants and they are more likely to cause some damage, although it's unlikely they could damage a stem to that extent.
    If you have a lot of ants around your dahlias, it suggests they're very dry. Dahlias need a lot of moisture  and sun to grow well, so it sounds like they're very dry at their base. 
    Slugs may eat stems as they come through, but it wouldn't affect a mature healthy plant - it will shrug off attacks from molluscs. 
    Do you have a photo?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • thanks for that information I will give the ground a good soaking and see  how I get on sorry don't have a photo
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    There are loads of people more knowledgeable than me re Dahlias - but it's  my best guess from your info, and  without a photo  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • thanks again
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