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Does this dahlia have a virus?

arransrUWvJX3JKarransrUWvJX3JK Posts: 6
in Problem solving
This is my first year growing dahlias so I don’t know what to expect, but I just received a dahlia plant from ordering online, and it seemed quite yellow around the veins and also patchy yellow in some of the lower leaves. I’ve seen on the internet that dahlias can get viruses such as mosaic virus and yellow veins and patches are symptoms. Just wanted to check with anyone if there is a problem and if the plant looks like it has a virus?

Posts

  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Hard to tell at this stage. What sort is it and what compost is it in? That's a tiny pot for a dahlia, what are your plans for when it gets bigger?
  • arransrUWvJX3JKarransrUWvJX3JK Posts: 6
    I’ll be planting it out in the garden this week but wanted to find out about this before I do.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    It might have just been starved of light for a wee bit long in the packing and postage, so photosynthesis was temporarily interrupted. I don’t think it’s mosaic virus, they tend to be more spotty and uneven in the discolouration, but can’t be sure. You could try a foliar spray/soil drench using liquid seaweed with added iron as a general tonic, but now it’s in natural light, see if it greens up on it’s own first.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's easy to panic when you look at stuff on the internet, just as it is when it's something wrong with yourself.  :)
    I doubt there's anything to really worry about there. Once it's planted and is getting plenty of food and water, it'll probably be fine. If they dry out a bit too much, it can also affect growth. As @Nollie says - the mosaic virus doesn't generally look like that - it's more mottled, as the name suggests. 
     
    It's also apparently pretty rare in the UK - the USA has more problems with it as far as I know. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    @Fairygirl is right there, once in the ground and well watered it should be fine. The internet is a double-edged sword, it can be really helpful sometimes but can also make us all paranoid and anxious!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • arransrUWvJX3JKarransrUWvJX3JK Posts: 6
    Thanks for your help, I think I’ll plant it and see how it goes!
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    That's what I would do.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
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