What's eating my dahlia 'gallery art deco'?

Dahlia 'Gallery Art Deco', a gallery (pot) dahlia, faces the classic dahlia pest trio: slugs on juvenile growth, earwigs in the double blooms, and aphids on shoot tips. Its compact size makes container growing practical, which can reduce slug pressure but earwig trapping remains important.

Irregular holes in lower leaves and stems; seedlings and emerging tuber shoots wiped out. Copper tape around container rims; ferric phosphate pellets at base; nighttime hand-removal.

Petals and leaves eaten at night; earwigs hiding deep in the double flower heads. Trap with rolled damp newspaper; upturned pots on canes; shake into soapy water at dawn.

Distorted soft new growth with visible colonies; honeydew and sooty mould on foliage. Insecticidal soap or neem oil spray; water jet knockdown; introduce ladybird larvae.