What's eating my plants?

flogen

I bought a variety of plants (and a few shrubs) to try to make the bit of earth in the front garden look nice and after a bit of a slow start (due to me under-watering them) they're starting to come to life a bit.

The one issue I seem to be having is with insects of some kind eating at them - and particularly the Salvia plants.

Of the few I have down one has gotten savaged while the others have taken damage - I've a feeling whatever it is will make its way through the lot if left too.

Any idea what could be doing it - and any advice on how best to stop it?

(I took the below snap in a rush when heading out the door today - can take a better one if needs be)

blindside88

I'm having the exact same issue and I've put it down to slugs. I was going to put down slug pellets but am afraid to with the dog

flogen

blindside88 wrote: »

I'm having the exact same issue and I've put it down to slugs. I was going to put down slug pellets but am afraid to with the dog

I've not seen any sign of a slug around mine to be honest - no trails or anything. I did see some moth-type things flying around some of the flowers last night but they didn't seem to be too bothered with the Salvia.

Given that they're in the front garden I might chance some pellets all the same - at the very least it will rule out that possibility.

Oldtree

It does look like slug/snail damage. Plant plants they dont like or it will be an ongoing war forever.

I worry about neighbours dogs (or any animals for that matter) eating the slug pellets so I don't use them. I worry too about hedgehogs eating poisoned slugs. Ive even seen people using pellets around their vegetables :eek: .... rainsplash. not for me.

flogen

Oldtree wrote: »

It does look like slug/snail damage. Plant plants they dont like or it will be an ongoing war forever.

I worry about neighbours dogs (or any animals for that matter) eating the slug pellets so I don't use them. I worry too about hedgehogs eating poisoned slugs. Ive even seen people using pellets around their vegetables :eek: .... rainsplash. not for me.

Thanks - I think there might be a cat digging around that I want to get rid of too but not even I'm sadistic enough to see pellets as the solution there!

As it turns out I've some Fuchsias to plant and from what I can see they're on the list of things slugs dislike... probably a stupid question but will adding them in nearby be enough to force them to seek dinner elsewhere or is it more a case of giving up altogether on the Salvia and replacing them with anti-slug plants?

Oldtree

flogen wrote: »

Thanks - I think there might be a cat digging around that I want to get rid of too but not even I'm sadistic enough to see pellets as the solution there!

you'll be wanting this book then

flogen wrote: »

As it turns out I've some Fuchsias to plant and from what I can see they're on the list of things slugs dislike... probably a stupid question but will adding them in nearby be enough to force them to seek dinner elsewhere or is it more a case of giving up altogether on the Salvia and replacing them with anti-slug plants?

Anti slug plants I'm afraid. I've not found a successful method of controlling slugs or keeping them at bay, they seem to find a way past any sort of defense, so I leave them alone, they're great little composters.

flogen

Oldtree wrote: »

you'll be wanting this book then

Is 'use as a sacrifice to the gardening gods' in there?!

Anti slug plants I'm afraid. I've not found a successful method of controlling slugs or keeping them at bay, they seem to find a way past any sort of defense, so I leave them alone, they're great little composters.

Dang. What got my hopes up was the fact that there's a few Salvia in a row and the worst is on the left, getting progressively less eaten as they go along... I suspect that's because there's a Lavender bush to the right and they're not as keen on getting close to that, but then it would have a much stronger smell than a fuchsia anyway. Guess I'll have to just jettison what's there and try again!

DX85

This post has been deleted.

marask

I use Neudorf's sluggo, its not toxic to birds or animals if eaten, and it seems to have reduced the numbers greatly,
and the damage on the salvia is from slugs/snails, I have loads of plants they tried and looked like that

RebelButtMunch

Could be birds? Try hanging a cd or a bit of tinfoil near it to scare them away.

josip

Have you tried copper mesh?

kathleen37

I still find beer traps the best for slugs. Have to empty and refill every night at the moment as they certainly get filled up. Though we have a new wisteria that is getting decimated, so i have to go out with a torch once it's dark and pull them off that... yuk...

Won't use pellets due to wildlife/pets. Is the Sluggo the one that they eat then go back under ground and die? I have tried that in the past, and not found it as effective as the beer...

RebelButtMunch

kathleen37 wrote: »

I still find beer traps the best for slugs. Have to empty and refill every night at the moment as they certainly get filled up. Though we have a new wisteria that is getting decimated, so i have to go out with a torch once it's dark and pull them off that... yuk...

Won't use pellets due to wildlife/pets. Is the Sluggo the one that they eat then go back under ground and die? I have tried that in the past, and not found it as effective as the beer...

I've seen nematodes for sale to kill the slugs. Wildlife friendly.

rojito

josip wrote: »

Have you tried copper mesh?

Yeah, I've read that copper repels slugs but have never actually had the chance to try it out. Worth trying OP if slugs turn out to be the problem.

Knine

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

I've seen nematodes for sale to kill the slugs. Wildlife friendly.

Where did you see that for sale?

RebelButtMunch

Knine wrote: »

Where did you see that for sale?

Saw it in MrMiddletons brochure. You can get them on ebay too.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Slug-Nematodes-12-Million-Treats-40sq-m-Organic-Slug-Control-Nematode-Nemaslug-/221686067720?hash=item339d84f208:g:JzcAAOSwKtVWuv2O

I also saw a way on the internet to grow your own. Gross but if you can get a load of slugs in a jar, its likely some of them will be infected. Leave them in there to let the nematodes breed, and the slugs die, then mix with water and sprinkle. A bit gross.

Shemale

My wife loves broad beans but it looks like slugs/ snails do too, the leafs have been destroyed and then the poxy ants have savaged the flowers so I had to bin them, they were about 5 foot high.

There are no trails and I have only found two snails.

Our garden is all cobble lock so the ants can get in and out everywhere, they are both driving me spare.

I tried a cup of beer sat in a moat of salt but no takers after a week.

Any ideas? My plum tree and blueberry plant are getting it too.

Finbarr Murphy

Shemale wrote: »

My wife loves broad beans but it looks like slugs/ snails do too, the leafs have been destroyed and then the poxy ants have savaged the flowers so I had to bin them, they were about 5 foot high.

There are no trails and I have only found two snails.

Our garden is all cobble lock so the ants can get in and out everywhere, they are both driving me spare.

I tried a cup of beer sat in a moat of salt but no takers after a week.

Any ideas? My plum tree and blueberry plant are getting it too.

I have Brocolli plants and the leaves are getting destroyed as well. I also thought slugs were the culprits but it turns out there are 10,000,000 catterpillars hidding underneath the leaves. Now how do I get rid of them?

exaisle

I had a slug problem....which suddenly disappeared....then realised that next door's hens were coming in for their breakfast....

Shemale

I have not idea what the hell is going on, we have cobblelock out the back and my plants have very sharp stones around the base of them.

I went out the back at 11pm Tuesday night with a torch and found and killed 6 slugs, I put down beer traps and went out this morning to find no new slugs and empty beer traps.

11pm Wednesday I went out the back and killed about 50 slugs and 10 snails, some were sliding around on the sharp stones no bother on them.

What I don't get is why they aren't leaving slime trails, some of my plants are in tarp bags and others in wood but there are no signs of slug or snail trails anywhere in the garden?

marask

Shemale wrote: »

My wife loves broad beans but it looks like slugs/ snails do too, the leafs have been destroyed and then the poxy ants have savaged the flowers so I had to bin them, they were about 5 foot high.

There are no trails and I have only found two snails.

Our garden is all cobble lock so the ants can get in and out everywhere, they are both driving me spare.

I tried a cup of beer sat in a moat of salt but no takers after a week.

Any ideas? My plum tree and blueberry plant are getting it too.

If the beer cup was in salt then no wonder you didn't attract the slugs.
Salt kills slugs and snails, and regardless what you had in that cup, they wouldn't touch it..

Try copper tape on the trees.

the_syco

blindside88 wrote: »

I'm having the exact same issue and I've put it down to slugs. I was going to put down slug pellets but am afraid to with the dog

Try beer traps; http://www.slugoff.co.uk/killing-slugs/beer-trap

My mum found my gone off cider gets dozens of them!

exaisle wrote: »

I had a slug problem....which suddenly disappeared....then realised that next door's hens were coming in for their breakfast....

Fricking hens eat the greenery faster than the slugs! Mother has mesh to protect the shrubs from the hens

GrumpyMe

flogen wrote: »

I've not seen any sign of a slug around mine to be honest - no trails or anything...

Cutworm?

Eve222

Slugs eat holes in plants and snails eat the edges of plants. They don't like sand or sawdust.

Eve222

Finbarr Murphy wrote: »

I have Brocolli plants and the leaves are getting destroyed as well. I also thought slugs were the culprits but it turns out there are 10,000,000 catterpillars hidding underneath the leaves. Now how do I get rid of them?

I'll pass on what I have heard to control caterpillars. sprinkle flour on wet leaves,the pasted caterpillars will fall off. Brush sour milk under the leaves to kill the eggs. Also plant sage and thyme with your plants to repel the butterflies.

topmanamillion

It's definitely slugs.
How am I so sure?
I can see one in the bottom of the picture you took!