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What's attacking my Salvia Amistad ?

stephenlewis141stephenlewis141 Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Fora number of years some of my salvia amistad plants have been afflicted with something that is making them appear like lace and skelatal. I don't think it is slugs,snails, catapillars or vine weevil all of who's damage I am aquainted with, there is no sign of aphids or any other insect life that I have been able to detect, the plants grow well and keep producing new leaves but most eventually become affected and make the plant far from attractive. Has anyone else had a similar problem or any idea what is causing this problem ? and if so any idea how to resolve it all suggestions would be gratefully received.
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  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Welcome to the forum  :)
    My instinct is that it's possibly snail damage, a friend of mine had something that sounds very similar and there were tiny snails everywhere !
    Do you have any photos showing the damage? This may help to identify the cause.
  • stephenlewis141stephenlewis141 Posts: 5
    ive cut plants down so no leaves to photograph at moment but I tended to rule out snail damage as there was not a sign of them and these leaves become really threadbare and mosaic in nature as if caused by lots of minute holes. There is no signs of any creature whenever I inspect them, so I am inclined to think it is something difficult to see with the naked eye or a flying insect or nocturnal or some sort of virus. I was hoping it was something particular to salvia as no other surrounding plants seem affected, not even salvia hotlips which I have growing nearby and has no signs of it at all. It just seems to affect the bigger leaved Amistad for the last two years which is why  i've cut it back in autumn rather than spring to see if that stops its re-emergence this year coming. However I am grateful for any suggestions that might provide a solution, thankyou. 
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I have seen similar on my S.amistads over the last few years. Never been able to find the cause, but does not seem to cause any real problems.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • stephenlewis141stephenlewis141 Posts: 5
    no it does'nt kill the plants but makes them unsightly like spiderweb effect and not attractive when most of the leaves are affected except maybe at halloween
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Japanese Beetle can cause that sort of damage, but I think you'd have noticed them.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    It's well worth going out at night with a torch and having a good look what's going on - obviously when the plant is in leaf. All manner of creatures are invisible during the day but busy at night. I'm not aware of a disease that would do this but others may know better.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    My Amistad suffers from the same problem, but because it’s a tall plant at the back of the border, I don’t notice the damage much and it doesn’t seem to affect flowering. Certain types of leafhoppers can cause this damage as they suck the sap from the underside of the leaves, eventually causing the holes, so that may be the culprit. Other salvias are much less affected, so Amistad must be particularly tasty.

    As Posy says, some pests are only active at night so a future torchlit safari might be instructive. I only have a minor snail population, but aside from dahlia shoots, they do make a beeline for Salvia Guaranitica Black and Bloom (Amistad is also a Guaranitica type). You would see the snail trails in the day though, which is why I think a sap-sucking insect is more likely.

    You could try spraying the underside of the leaves with insecticidal soap. A weak solution of neem oil may work too, but be wary of using this in the sun or if sunny weather is forecast as it can burn the leaves.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • stephenlewis141stephenlewis141 Posts: 5
    Thankyou, Nollie, Bob and Posy for your feedback. I haven't noticed any beetles but will keep my eyes open and yes I think I will have to plan some night time safari's when the plants are up and growing again. Otherwise I will probably have to try some type of insecticide if the problem reoccurs this year. Thanks for all the comments very helpful and nice to have contact with fellow plantaholics 
  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    If you’re a member of the RHS it is worth sending them pictures- they are pretty good at diagnoses 
  • KayJKayJ Posts: 82
    Don't know if salvias are attacked by specific sawflies, but some of my hardy geranium leaves are reduced to skeletons in the summer by geranium sawflies....I lost a berberis to sawflies that I didn't even notice till too late, they were tiny!
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