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Posts

• punkdoc Sheffield, Derbyshire border.Posts: 8,666

  July 2018

  Lucky you.

  Walk out to winter, swear I'll be there.
  Chill will wake you, high and dry
  You'll wonder why.
  

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• B3 Posts: 15,421

  July 2018

  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.

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• Fairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 35,344

  July 2018

  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....
  
  
  

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• BLEEPBLEEP388854 Posts: 13

  July 2018

  thanks for that information I will give the ground a good soaking and see  how I get on sorry don't have a photo

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• Fairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 35,344

  July 2018

  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....
  
  
  

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• BLEEPBLEEP388854 Posts: 13

  July 2018

  thanks again

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