Have your dahlias fallen victim to mildew? Here's what to do to stop it from spreading
After the hot, dry summer, your dahlias may be covered in mildew, but don't fret, there's hope for them yet
It's no secret or shock that our plants have experienced some rather unusually intense weather this summer. Aside from premature withering and drought, the heat has made dahlias particularly susceptible to mildew.
Learning how to grow dahlias is such a rewarding task in the garden; they flower well into autumn and provide a unique petal formation that comes in so many bold shades of colour. So when they fall victim to a plant disease like mildew, it's all too easy to panic and assume the worst for your beloved florals.
However, whilst mildew isn't the easiest disease to get rid of or even prevent when the weather is so intense, there are ways you can help your dahlias and stop it from spreading any further.
As some of the most beautiful late summer flowers, dahlias are a popular choice for many plots. With the weather being so hot and dry this summer, though, the plant has become vulnerable to mildew more than ever.
"So this summer has been very stressful for our plants, and we've had a lot more mildew on our dahlias than we normally do. We often get a bit of mildew, but this year it's much more severe," explains Josie, Head Gardener at Perch Hill (@sarahravensgarden on Instagram).
"It's not great for the plant; it does spread. So what we do is strip off the lower leaves just to help the plant out a bit because in September you're going to have at least six weeks of flowers," she adds.
Luckily, the solution is rather simple and will only require your essential gardening tools, such as a pair of secateurs, to be clean and sharp.
"So, on a plant like this, we'd take off the bottom third of the leaves, just taking the worst ones off. There's still some mildew on the higher leaves. We've got to leave some leaves on the plant for it to photosynthesise," Josie points out.
"We want it building up its tubers and still flowering, but as the new ones come through, we can take the worst of the mildew leaves off again," she continues.
Whilst you continue to tick off your September gardening jobs, just make sure you keep an eye on your dahlias as they produce new leaves. Then you can make sure any mildew-affected ones are removed as soon as possible.
Once your dahlias have survived their last blooming period, make sure you overwinter them properly so you can enjoy the mesmerising flowers next summer too.
