Penny, I never pull stuff unless it's dead. I sometimes give them a bit of light fertilizer to help them regain strength. Otherwise I just remove awful stuff and wait till next year. This practice usually works, at least with basically healthy plants which are coping with unusual conditions. Lucinda > > Every summer I grow 9 very tall and prolific dahlias in front > of a hedge of Upright Yews lined against the house, > ESE exposure, 6 hours of FULL sun. Seven of them > always survive the winter (zone 6) altho they should not, > and return each spring with vigor. > > This year they were all hit with a virus which I have not been > able to contain. The tops are still blooming away; the middles > and bottoms are decimated. And to my surprise, several of > them have sprung fresh stalks from the bottom! > > This has been a summer of total drought, with temps at > 94* for weeks, and humidity at 75%. The dahlias were > watered the normal way: being on the edge of a big flower > bed with drip irrigation, they received a low level drip > 3 times a day, for 10 minutes. They never wilted, they > never rotted -- in fact, the tops are luxurient. > > Nonetheless, with 2/3rds of the leaves having turned > brown (but clinging), they look atrocious. > > Any suggestions...? Do I pull them all out and > fumigate...??? > > Penny, NY > > > > . > > ________________________________________________________________ > GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! > Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! > Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.