One of my Dahlias caught some kind of blight this year. I trimmed off all affected leaves and shoots. It looks a little sad but is getting a lot of fresh greenery and there have continued to be plenty of blooms. Are Dahlias prone to blights? This is only my second season with them so I know very little.

This is the second time one of mine got mildew. I'll be cutting it back and checking if the entire plant is covered with it.

As long as yours got fresh leaves, Jennifer, it should be just fine. I think the mildew happens due to a lack of good air circulation.

I luckily haven't ever had mildew or other diseases on my dahlias, but I know it can happen. There are some nasty funguses out there, and bacterium wilt that can effect dahlias. The funguses are the most problematic as they get into the soil and over-winter, and can be very hard to get rid of.

You don't really explain what your plants symptoms are, do you have photographs?

Mandolls: No, I could take some now but all you would see is a sparse leafed plant. If I suffer the same problem again, I will take pictures. I did notice a couple of slugs that had to be removed. Though, seeing Pirl's picture, it was not mildew. I also need to inspect plant # 2 because I think it may be starting to get some mildew on the areas closest to the ground. I'll need to compare because right now it's just a few spots. (This morning, any way.) That I will take a picture of.

Not a bad idea for a dedicated thread, in fact: pictures of Plant Ailments.

It happens when I crowd them in - no air circulation. I did remove all stems that showed any signs of mildew. We'll see what happens with new growth.

If yours is a plant that is supposed to rise to 3.5' or 4' (or more) you can always remove the lower leaves. It will not harm your plant.