I am running into a new outdoor pest issue this year that i haven't ran into before. Each day i visit the plants outside and there is more missing,a leaf stem chewed and hanging here,leaves and new growth chewed there.In only a matter of a week or so,two plants are almost completely devoid of foliage.Whatever it is leaves behind little brown spots on leaves that look like fine dirt and it just chews leaf stems,sometimes barely touching leaves.Whatever it is really likes the new growth as most things do.I kind of thought grasshoppers,but there are none around.Then slugs came to mind,but there are no slug trails.Whatever is doing the carnage is coming at night or is so small it isn't easily visible,i have even brought chewed leaves inside and looked under magnification. I originally started spraying a mix of tobasco sauce and water,which usually will help with some pests,but had no effect,then i switched to Neem spray,which did not seem to have any effect either.It still could be slugs at night and the dew in morning washes away any trace of trail,but idk,usually still find them under leaves in morning. Does anyone have any idea what this could be and how to remedy situation before it spreads to other plants? It has already been gnawing on the other two,but damage is nothing like first two.
Pests...
- Thread starter saemc
- Start date
Phytoplankton
Well-Known Member
Really need to see pics of the damage, could be numerous pests, grasshoppers/crickets, caterpillars, or a host of other critters. Set a pan or two of beer around the base of the plants, if it's slugs, you'll see em in the morning.
I really don't have any way to take pics of it,but may put out some beer traps and see what happens with them.
Phytoplankton
Well-Known Member
I doubt it’s roly polys, they eat dead/decaying plant matter, not normally growing plants. Plus I don’t see them climbing into the plant to forage.
Check the plants over very well, look under the leaves. If you’re not seeing any pests it must be something feeding at night, or hit and run bugs. I’m leaning towards crickets/grasshoppers or caterpillars. For caterpillars BT spray works well and is not toxic to humans. Could it be rabbits?
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They are in cages,def not animals.Yesterday i put pulversied egg shells around the bases with some used coffee grounds and today they seemed like they weren't touched anymore.I had also put orange peel halves inside which supposedly will harbor slugs if present and there weren't any.So,idk what it was,the egg shells and coffee is supposed to work for slugs.There was some small poop in the orange peel halves that looked similar to very small cricket or grasshopper.
Phytoplankton
Well-Known Member
My favorite grow was a couple years ago, I have an open top greenhouse and had a couple praying mantis take up residence in the plants, they ate all the bugs!
Praying mantis are awesome,i have had a few over years take up residency on my plants.One of best i have had in past were green anole lizards,same as the praying mantis,they will stay in one spot if food is plentiful and eat pretty much everything,but they will also eat the praying mantis,but they can also get eaten by them as well.
big bud man 413
Well-Known Member
Show a pic.
I really don't have any way to,i don't own a cam or phone