One of the few problems with dahlias is the yellowing of their leaves. Before treating the yellow leaves of dahlia, we have to understand what is the reason behind it.
One important thing to note is that the plant gradually prepares for a dormancy period at the end of the growing season. At this time the leaves of the plant start turning yellow. When this happens, don’t panic. This is a normal process.
But it’s still too late for the end of the growing season and you still see your dahlia leaves turning yellow, so there’s a problem.
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Causes of Yellowing of Dahlia Leaves
There can be many reasons for the yellowing of dahlia leaves and those reasons are mentioned below…
- Poor or unfavorable soil
- Lack of water and sunlight
- Disease
- Pests
To preserve this wonderful flower, you have to find out which of the above reasons are affecting it. Let us understand them in a little detail…
Circumstantial reason
If you are seeing dahlia leaves turning yellow during favorable weather, there could be some circumstantial reasons behind it. You can overcome this problem by creating ideal conditions.
- The soil should not be heavy/hard. It needs to be loose so that water logging does not happen. With good drainage, there is no danger of water filling the roots and tubers.
- The soil should also be slightly acidic. Also, there should be no deficiency of iron or magnesium in the soil.
- The pH level of the soil should be between 6.5-7.0.
- It needs full sun to perform well. Yellowing of leaves is possible in low light conditions.
- It needs to be watered deeply at least once per week.
Yellowing of dahlia leaves due to diseases
- There is a problem called Chlorosis, which occurs due to iron deficiency in lime-rich soil, due to lack of sunlight, or any other disease. When plants have this disease, then the plant’s green color starts decreasing and the leaves start turning yellow.
- The cause of yellow spots on the leaves is a fungal disease called smut.
- Another cause of yellow spots on leaves can be mosaic disease.
- If you see yellowing along with wilting leaves, then Verticular Wilt could be the reason.
- The root/tuber may have rotted for whatever reason that you cannot see from the outside. When this happens, the leaves first wither and then turn yellow. Along with this, the flowers have also started withering rapidly and new growth stops.
Apart from these, dahlias are at risk of many other diseases and other symptoms are seen in them along with symptoms like yellowing of leaves. In such a situation, you will need to be a little careful and take care of the health of your dahlia.
Yellowing of dahlia leaves due to pests
Apart from diseases, pests are also one of the main reasons that turn dahlia leaves yellow. Information about some pastes is given below…
- One of the pests that bother dahlias the most is Leafhoppers. It eats the leaves and can cause a disease called “yellows” in which the leaves turn yellow.
- Armored scale is also a name in pests responsible for the yellowing of dahlia leaves.
- Mites and Aphids are pests that cause a lot of damage to dahlia leaves.
With a little extra care, you can prevent a lot of damage to your dahlias. Most diseases and pests do not kill plants, but if left untreated, can cause severe damage to the plant.
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