Slugs and snails are the most destructive pests to Dahlias, they will target young Dahlia sprouts oftentimes leading you to wonder why your Dahlias have not sprouted. These pests can literally eat the Dahlias in a matter of days, even if you have a crowded garden they will still focus on eating the Dahlias first.
To protect your dahlia plants from snails, you can create a barrier around them using various materials. Coffee grounds, cocoa shells, crushed eggshells, or shells can be effective barriers as they make it challenging for snails to reach your plants. By placing these materials around your dahlia plants, you create an obstacle that deters snails from accessing and damaging them.
If you want to protect your Dahlias but don’t like the look of plastic bottles in your garden then my personal recommendation is to use plastic plant covers that also have vents Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Slugs and snails are more prone to eating the new Dahlia sprouts rather than mature plants, although they will eat the leaves of mature plants as well if there is a lot of competition for food. The good news is that the bigger the Dahlias grow the less bothered they will be by slugs and snails. The bad news is that slugs and snails will eat the new Dahlia sprouts which oftentimes can kill off the entire tuber, as sooner or later the tubers will not have enough energy to sprout again.
There are a lot of homemade remedies against slugs and snails, but most of them don’t work, and if you try them then your dahlias will pay the price for it. Egg shells for example don’t work against slugs and snails, in fact, you are actually feeding them. Coffee grounds don’t keep them away and copper bands literally do nothing to stop a hungry slug or snail. Slugs and snails will actually eat the Dahlia flower buds if given a chance, for more information check out my recent article Dahlias Not Flowering ( Top 7 Reasons ).
How To Protect Dahlias From Slugs And Snails
To protect dahlias from slugs and snails, there are several effective measures you can take. Start by creating a physical barrier around your dahlias using materials like copper tape or diatomaceous earth, as slugs and snails are deterred by these substances. You can also place slug and snail traps near your plants, filled with beer or a mixture of yeast, sugar, and water, to attract and drown them. Regularly inspect your plants and manually remove any slugs or snails you find.
Additionally, consider cultivating slug and snail-resistant plants near your dahlias to divert their attention. Another natural deterrent is applying organic slug and snail repellents, such as crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, or seaweed mulch around the base of the plants. Finally, maintain a clean and tidy garden by removing plant debris and hiding spots for slugs and snails.
With Plastic Bottles
By far the best and the most effective way to stop slugs and snails from eating your Dahlias is to use plastic bottles. Cut off the bottom of the plastic bottles, remove the bottle cap, and place the plastic bottle around the Dahlias. This has to be done before or when the Dahlias start to sprout, as at this time they are the most vulnerable to these pests. The plastic bottle will create a physical barrier that will stop the slugs.
In addition to this, the “smell” of the Dahlias sprouting will come out on top of the bottle so slugs and snails will not even be able to smell them. It is extremely important to remove the bottle cap for air circulation, if you fail to do it then the Dahlias tubers might rot due to the increased moisture, or they might even get powdery mildew. Make sure not to leave any space between the bottle and the soil where the slugs could enter.
You will know if you have placed the plastic bottle correctly if you see water droplets forming inside the bottle after a couple of minutes. Make sure that the bottle is not touching a fence, wall, or any other plant as these can be used by the snails to accidentally come across the sprouting Dahlias. Once the Dahlia leaves are big enough that they are touching the side of the plastic bottle, it is time to remove them, or else they might get powdery mildew.
From there on you have to protect the Dahlias in other ways like with slug pellets for example, although you will notice that the bigger the Dahlias are the less bothered they will be by these pests. This method can be used both if you grow Dahlias directly in the garden or in pots as well. One of the main reasons why Dahlias don’t sport is because all of their sprouts have been eaten by slugs and snails, for more information check out my recent article Dahlias Not Sprouting ( Top 6 Reasons ).
With Pots
Another extremely effective way of protecting Dahlias against slugs and snails is to simply grow them in pots. Dahlias will need relatively large pots in order to grow well, and the bigger the pots are the harder time will slugs and snails have to get to the plants. Try to avoid placing the pots directly into the garden where they are in direct contact with the soil, as this will invite the slugs and snails to live under the pots.
Ideally, you should place the potted Dahlias on walkways or patios where the slugs and snails would have to cross open areas in order to get to the plants. Slugs and snails will avoid open areas as they are afraid of predators, although rainy summers can get their numbers to explode and at that point, they will climb up even walls. Dahlias that are wilting will attract pests, for more information check out my recent article Dahlias Wilting After Transplant ( Top 5 Reasons ).
Pre Sprout Dahlias Indoors
Pre sprouting Dahlias indoors protects them when they are the most vulnerable to getting damaged by slugs and snails. It takes on average 4 weeks for Dahlias to sprout, although some will sprout earlier while others later. Pre sprout the Dahlias around 8 weeks before you are planning to plant them out, if they sprout in 4 weeks then they will have 4 more weeks to grow bigger to a point where slugs and snails will hopefully not bother them anymore.
Although pre sprouting Dahlias is a good idea, but it has a massive downside when it comes to the strength of the stems. Dahlias that are growing next to a window will get rather tall and leggy, and as they do not have to face the force of the winds their stems will be rather weak. In this case, it is highly recommended to use some grow lights, rather than just placing them next to a window. You should also pinch the Dahlias to encourage bushier growth.
Slug Pellets
Slug pellets are a good way of protecting Dahlias, especially if they are growing directly in the garden. Once the slugs and snails ingest these slug pellets they will die, although it will take some time until the pellets actually start affecting the slugs and snails. Sprinkle lightly the slug pellets in your garden, once a week or once every two weeks. There are a lot of different types of slug pellets on the market, pet friendly, with iron, chemicals, and so on, just get one that actually works.
Avoid at all costs slug pellets that are ineffective when they get wet, as slugs and snails will come out to feed after a rain and it is kind of important for the slug pellets to be actually effective even when wet. The main downside with slug pellets is that they do not kill the slugs and snails fast enough. Oftentimes slugs and snails will have enough time to eat fresh Dahlia sprouts before the slug pellets actually kill them.
As the slugs and snails die to the slug pellets they tend to leave a trail of slime, which looks disgusting.
Beer Traps
Beer traps are one of the few home remedies against slugs and snails that actually work. You simply place down a small plastic dish with some beer in it and the slugs and snails will be attracted to it, some of them will fall in and drown. The problem is that not all the slugs and snails that actually drink the beer will fall in and die, at which point you are actually feeding these pests. If you have pets then they might also drink from these beer traps which could have a lot of dangerous viruses and bacteria due to the dead slugs and snails.
Beer traps do work if you have relatively few slugs and snails in your garden, although when you start seeing some serious damage in your garden caused by them, then the odds are that you have more than a couple. Placing a lot of beer tarps in your garden will catch more slugs and snails, but your garden will look like it is full of piss containers, and changing the beer in them will be a lot of work.
Nematodes
Nematodes are small worms called phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita and they are an extremely good ally to have when it comes to protecting Dahlias. Nematodes will enter the body of the slugs and snails where they will secrete bacteria that will decompose them. You can easily find nematodes for sale, but using them is not that easy. If you want to use them make sure to read the instructions on the label, and you will have to follow them precisely.
Slug And Snail Sprays
There are different types of sprays on the market and there are even ones that you can make at home which in theory keep the slugs and snails away. Most homemade sprays contain garlic or some other ingredient that contains capsaicin as this is what slugs and snails tend to hate. If you spray your plants with these sprays then the slugs and snails will stay away from them, until it starts to rain.
While some of these sprays do work, but all of them become ineffective with a light rain, you know when you would actually need them to work as this is the time when slugs and snails come out to feed. My advice is to avoid anything that becomes ineffective with even a light rain.
Key Takeaways
- The best way to protect your Dahlias from slugs and snails is to create a barrier between them, and a simple plastic bottle will do the job. Pre sprouting Dahlias indoors will also protect them from these pests at the time when they are at the most vulnerable. Slug pellets, beer traps, and nematodes are also good against slugs and snails, but they all have their fair share of cons as well.
- Avoid using any method of slug and snail control that becomes ineffective when wet.
- Do not experiment with home remedies against slugs and snails, as they can eat your Dahlias entirely until you find a home remedy that actually works.