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leaf damage looks like vine weevil but no grubs

earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
in Problem solving
have a very sad looking rhododendron in a container that has very droopy leaves and damage that looks like vine weevil bites- pulled at trunk and it came out of container pretty easily with a small root ball (like size of original pot it was purchased in), but no sign of grubs. They would definitely be visible wouldn't they? Maybe it just died? Its been in container for 3-4 years now so would have expected the roots to be a lot more spread out. Would like to replace it with another one- 

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  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    If the rootball is still a reasonable size, then it might not be a vine weevil larva problem as they usually leave the plants with hardly any roots attached. The best way to check is to turn the soil out of the pot to see if any larvae or pupae are buried in the soil away from the rootball.
    If vine weevil are not the problem, the pot could have become waterlogged over winter. Even if a pot has good drainage holes, if it is standing on slabs or concrete, in a wet winter the water doesn't drain well and it is a good idea to raise the pot on bricks or pot feet of some sort.
  • earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
    thanks Ceres- am going to empty it out, check drainage and start again! the root ball is strange- hasn't been eaten but something has definitely had a go at the leaves. The roots are just very small and brittle. As I mentioned up thread am really surprised they haven't grown much at all.....
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Vine weevils eat the leaves but often lay their eggs elsewhere. Having said that you can get grubs tucked up in the rootball doing damage to the softer roots and you'd never find them unless you wash all the earth off. They're sneakier than they look.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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