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What's stripping my dahlia?

SwedboySwedboy Posts: 394
in Problem solving
Something has totally stripped the leaves of one of my dahlias but I have no idea what has done this. I suspect the very ungraceful wood pigeon that frequents the garden. I've a second potted dahlia less than a meter from it which is almost unscaved.
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Posts

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Not sure about pigeons. They have attacked our fruit trees earlier in the year but do not go for the garden plants apart from veg plants!
    What about slug damage? Dare I say @Lyn snails?
    Earwigs love dahlias but then they tend to be found in the flowers.
  • SwedboySwedboy Posts: 394
    I didn't think the evil slug stripped the leaves like this but I am probably wrong
  • SwedboySwedboy Posts: 394
    I thought earwigs didn't go for fresh leaves only decaying stuff 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited August 2021
    In my experience slugs don't go for just the centre of leaves and they work their way in from the outside. They don't usually strip down to the stem, either, but eat the whole leaf. But of course, you might have various types of critter on the go.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Not Earwigs, they eat the flowers.
    Slugs and snails ae the culprits.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • msqingxiaomsqingxiao Posts: 482
    Last weekend after rain I saw three snails at different heights up my flowering Dahlia. Luckily the Dahlia is big enough so the snails are not doing that much damage, but the leaves are just really ugly now.
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Posts: 1,957
    Looks the same as some of my salvia. Slugs and snails. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Slugs and snails 😡 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    Cyrils and/or Brians ;)
    East Lancs
  • Mrs_MigginsMrs_Miggins Posts: 60
    I've not found slugs on mine lately (busy killing my other plants) but have seen plenty of snails. 

    Don't throw them away though, unless dead, as they can return! Going out at night will soon solve the mystery however. 
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