Forum home› The potting shed
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Alan4711

Alan4711Alan4711 Posts: 1,657
in The potting shed
Morning ,In the last few weeks our geraniums or some of them are being eaten ,small holes all over some of the what were very healthy plants, so far this year we haven't had any probs at all with slugs, snails etc, I find it strange to get such a new prob in these cold months, could this be something living in the big pots ,I cant see any creatures on the plants at all, and I imagined any flying probs would be gone in these frosts, anyway the plants are spending the winter outside as the greenhouse is chocka block, any help will do, Many thanks Al.  
«1

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Are we talking pelargoniums here Alan?
    We still have plenty of little slugs around despite the cold, so I'd guess it's still those, although I didn't think they usually bothered much with those plants.
    I rarely grow them, so not sure.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Good morning @Alan4711  good to 'see you'   ... hope things are ok with you.

    Are we talking about hardy geraniums or pelargoniums ... sometimes mistakenly sold as 'bedding geraniums'.   My mother in law lives in Lincolnshire ... I can't say I'm hopeful for the survival of pelargoniums outside ... she overwinters hers on windowsills indoors. 

    Without a photo I can't help thinking that snails are likely culprits ... even if you don't see them ...



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Snap Dove   ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Alan4711Alan4711 Posts: 1,657
    Right ,Many thanks for your help all ,and yes were good thanks Dove, Kate bought these in summer and I took cuttings (MANY) the greenhouse is full and we know Nothing about Geraniums/Pelogs, but we will have an awfull lot next year,so I looked for slugs but found none so I will keep looking, these pots  are 20"plus across the top and about 20" deepwith big plants, could I keep them in the soil and garage over winter or do I need to de-soil and hang them again in the garage ,dry but very cold, Thankyou for welcoming us back and we thought we would start with a good prob,
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited November 2018


    Hardy geraniums are as tough as old boots and will overwinter outside and cope with whatever Lincolnshire can throw at them.  They'll die down and disappear over winter and reappear in the late spring.

    The pelargoniums/bedding geraniums on the other hand are frost tender and won't cope outside except in the mildest of winters.  Wet and cold will kill them off.

    Hope that helps ... good to hear all is good with you ... is that a new garden you have?  :)





    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Alan, there are small moth caterpillars which can eat pelargoniums.  I had one which I grew in the kitchen and was fine for months but round holes started appearing in some leaves and I eventtually found a thin green caterpillar about 10mm long which had hidden itself under another leaf.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I was just going to say the same thing as Bob. If you put your potted pelargonium onto a clean surface you will, in the next day or two, see little brown dots on the surface. I always imagine these to be caterpillar poo. The caterpillars are not easy to see. This happened when I brought my pelargoniums in this winter, I have also found a couple of small dead moths on the window sill where they are.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Those caterpillars are  the tiniest little things, they only attack pelargoniums. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Richard HodsonRichard Hodson Posts: 790
    Best to go out after dark with a torch and you will find caterpillars probably.
  • Alan4711Alan4711 Posts: 1,657
    Well now,ours are definitely Pelargoniums,red flowers with varied leaf and white with a plainer leaf if that makes any sense, SO I will start to hunt for the predators,now with this info am I right in thinking I have to remove from pots shake most of soil off  brown bag and hang upside down in the shed or garage for the winter then soak and replant (so i was told) , and Monty has made some changes to the site I see,this is going to take some time to get used to ,and with my NON smart phone uploading pics is going to be a little difficult I think, I will endeavor to learn AGAIN,many thanks everyone ,just like the old days in Norfolk onere aintit   😎
Sign In or Register to comment.