cotyledons eaten off

ease8

Active Member
i've got 6 tiny little cotyledon stage plants outside in pots, can't bring them inside

when i checked them this evening two of the plants had (ONLY) their 4 little starter leaves eaten away completely, leaving just a little stem. obviously those plants are done for.

what could've caused this? i checked all around the plants but couldn't see anything except some ants. i'd definitely like to prevent this from happening to my other plants if possible.
 

ease8

Active Member
i put some beer out and rubbed a little soapy water on the leaves, hoping for the best...

thoughts?
 

ease8

Active Member
nope, it's just a tiny little stem with the first 4 leaves eaten off

what eats the first 4 leaves like that and leaves the stem?
 

ease8

Active Member
what would the most likely be? midwest US

like i said, i put some beer out in case it was slugs and rubbed a little soapy water on the leaves so hopefully that helps... my poor little plants died before they even had a chance :cry:
 

dopeedogg

Well-Known Member
there are tons of thing that could possibly of eaten it!
ha ha yup........ Many thing

In my area grasshoppers are back this time of year....I Always see them for a couple months each year and they love to eat anything green.... They eat the leafy material and leave the stems. Snails do the same thing
 

dopeedogg

Well-Known Member
I know this is an old thread but what ever happened? My guess is that it was asian beetles or leaf hoppers. You could try covering them with a 2 liter bottle with the bottom cut off next time. I've also heard that azamax or garlic spray works.
AZAMAX or AZATROL are great...I mean GREAT ! ! !....It takes about 2 or 3 application to work, like 2-3 weeks, But it works awesome! ! ! Totally stops the grasshoppers from eating my babies... Theese are also very good against spidermites and aphids......I believe they are both organic, and are systemic pesticides...(correct me if im wrong). You spray the leaves and the plant absorbs it in and when the bugs eat the leafs they will die off. As opposed to most sprays where you have to have a direct contact kill, the spray has to actually touch the bugs to kill them.

And you can use it in hydro in the rez.... The plant will uptake it in through the roots..

.....

"

Item Description

Azatrol is a broad spectrum botanical product for control of insects and mites on indoor and outdoor vegatables and crops, shrubs, flowers, garden vegetables, fruit and nut trees. Azatrol offers an array of effects by acting as a repellent, anti-feedant, insect growth regulator and ovipositioning deterrent. As a molting inhibitor, it prevents insect larvae from developing into adults. Insects will feed less or not at all on treated foliage, ultimately starving to death, they will also fail to mature and reproduce. This complexity also makes it impossible for an insect's resistance to develop - Low odor and OMRI listed.
What are some of the pests Azatrol controls?
  • Mites
  • Caterpillars
  • Aphids
  • Leafminers
  • Fungus Gnats
  • Flies
  • Whiteflies
  • Psyllids
  • Thrips
  • Beetles
  • Weevils
  • Scales
  • Mealy Bugs
Benefits of Azatrol
  • Broad Spectrum Control
  • No build up of Pesticide Resistance
  • Organic approvals from: OMRI, USDA-NOP, IMO-IFOAM, RIOA, BFA
  • 4 hour re-entry; can be applied day of harvest
  • foliar or tank application
Anti-feedant Activity
Azatrol has primary, secondary and tertiary anti-feedant activity. Azatrol acts on the‘taste’ receptors in the insect’s mouth, stimulating deterrent neurons and inhibiting attractant neurons. The result is that the insects starve or just nibble for survival before they die. Insects which require more specific plant foods are more susceptible to this primary anti-feedant activity.

Azatrol affects the movement of food through the insect’s digestive system. Food stays in the gut so feeding is suppressed. Thus, the secondary anti-feedant activity disrupts normal feeding behavior, also contributing to the starvation of the insect.

The tertiary anti-feedant activity of Azatrol affects digestion through inhibition of digestive enzymes.

What this means to your insect control program: Insects fail to damage plants and ultimately starve to death.
Insect Growth Regulator (IGR)
Insect growth regulators work in a variety of ways, but the most common is to disrupt the maturation cycle of the insect. Azatrol also works in this way affecting hormones that regulate growth.

Larvae treated with Azatrol will experience decreases in weight gain, delayed or disrupted molting and an inability to shed old body capsules and, generally, death. In the event of larva escaping growth regulation, pupa and adult growth is affected, leaving them unfit, malformed or dead.

What this means to your insect control program: Insects will fail to mature and reproduce. This eliminates populations over time and keeps them at minimum levels.
Anti-ovipository and Repellent
Several studies have documented the anti-ovipository characteristic of azadirachtin. Simply put, many insects will not lay eggs on treated plant tissue. Azatrol also acts as a repellent to many insect species.

What this means to your insect control program: The likelihood of insect infestation is greatly decreased in treated plants. This also adds a preventative aspect to your control program.
Application:
foliar: 1-4 tbs per 1 gallon of water
drench: 1-2 tbs per 1 gallon of water
 
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