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Can anybody help with identifying what's happening to my plants please?

lucy 981lucy 981 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
These plants are kept in my conservatory and something appears to be 'eating' them. If they were outside I would say it was slugs but they haven't been outside at all. It's happened to 4 of my plants - 2 geraniums, 1 parsley plant and 1 tarragon plant. There is no sign of any spider mites and they all have automatic water feeds. I'm stumped as to what to do with them.


Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    you might well have slugs in there. It's not unheard of.
    Devon.
  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    My friend ran downstairs in her bare feet and got a huge slug right up between her toes! 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Lift the pots, look underneath, round the rim, they could even be tiny baby ones, but slugs (or snails!) love a warm damp place with meals laid on!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Indeed ppauper - that's never pleasant :D
    Slugs/snails most likely - they've been having a lovely feast! The little snails do the most damage.
    Possibly a caterpillar or two as well. 
    I presume you mean pelargoniums when you say geraniums? Keep them relatively dry, which will help.  :) 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384
    It could also be small moth caterpillars.  I get leaf damage regularly on pelargoniums grown indoors on windowsills etc. and the little caterpillars responsible are very difficult to find until they get larger, by which time there is a fair bit of damage.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    I know for a fact that snails and slugs manage to get into my greenhouse. Door is always kept shut, metal base is bolted and sealed with silicone to concrete floor slab. No idea how they manage!!
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    I have seen slugs climb up a greenhouse onto the roof and in through the roof vents . 😠
  • lucy 981lucy 981 Posts: 3
    Thanks everyone for your responses - you've been most helpful to me as an amateur. I didn't even know I meant pelargoniums :smiley:
    BobTheGardener - you are spot on!!! I moved my pelargoniums (see - I'm learning) last night leaving just the parsley in the conservatory. I hadn't found any slug trails which is what had confused me. But I came home this evening to find 7 great fat caterpillars finishing off the remainder of my parsley plant!
    We have had a lot of moths and butterflies this year, which I had thought was a good thing....I guess I shall have to be more vigilant.

    Purplerallim - those are some determined slugs you've got there! I don't think ours have to be that desperate as they have more than enough food in our garden but the flies normally show that level of tenacity.
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