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Dalia disaster can anyone suggest the reason for this tragic mess? Thanks Fellow Gardeners

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  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 22,300
    edited July 2019
    Well, perhaps it’s not as much of a disaster as you imagine. 

    The “disaster” is affecting a lily flower. The black “turds” that you can see are the larvae of red lily beetles.

    Your dahlia is there, doing fine, it just hasn’t flowered yet. Probably feeling a bit crowded out by the lily plant.😊
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 9,586
    I'm stumped. Is there more than one plant in there?  The foliage looks like dahlia but the flowers look more like lilies or something similar.  If they are, the black bits on the flower in the second photo could be lily beetle poo, possibly with larvae hiding in it.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 53,942
    There's a Dahlia on the left - you can just see the foliage/buds. Get yer big specs on, Jenny  :D
    I'd remove all those flowers from the lily @Robert343, and any affected foliage too. The beetle larvae cover themselves with their poo, and it's easy to miss them. The beetles themselves are easy to spot, as pansyface indicates - bright red uppers. They can really devastate lilies. 
    Once your dahlia has finished, it's worth removing the lily and replanting somewhere else, giving it an additional bit of liquid food to boost it. Keep an eye on it though next year, and if you see any adult beetles in the meantime, remove and squish them.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Robert314Robert314 Posts: 21
    Thankyou all for the useful comments Lily now removed and will await the delightful Dahlias. Will take care not to mix them in the future.
    Bob
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 53,942
    They're both greedy plants in terms of food and water, Robert, so best kept separate so that you get the best from both of them  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 9,586
    Fairygirl said:
    There's a Dahlia on the left - you can just see the foliage/buds. Get yer big specs on, Jenny  :D
    I'd remove all those flowers from the lily @Robert343, and any affected foliage too. The beetle larvae cover themselves with their poo, and it's easy to miss them. The beetles themselves are easy to spot, as pansyface indicates - bright red uppers. They can really devastate lilies. 
    Once your dahlia has finished, it's worth removing the lily and replanting somewhere else, giving it an additional bit of liquid food to boost it. Keep an eye on it though next year, and if you see any adult beetles in the meantime, remove and squish them.  :)
    I said I could see dahlia foliage :D.  My varifocals cost a fortune so they better not be letting me down :)
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 53,942
    JennyJ said:

    I said I could see dahlia foliage :D.  
    Oops - so you did - maybe I should get mine on!  :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Gardenpixie99Gardenpixie99 Posts: 25
    Those lily beetles are gits, they totally devoured one of my Lily’s 🙁. Now I wipe the leaves down with a tissue and remove their hidden lavae and squish them. Any beetles with the red jackets I get rid of too. You have to stay on top of it and do it daily. 😊
  • dpatel2130dpatel2130 Posts: 196
    Lilly beetle must be the culprit. Black poo and destroy the lilly plants.
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