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Rhododendron

lorraine.wheatleylorraine.wheatley Posts: 21
in Problem solving
Something is eating my rhododendron what should i do

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Can't tell as need photo of  eaten leaves please.
  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    edited March 2021
    There are insects, caterpillars and larvae that can cause damage. Some of them damage the foliage at night and hide during the day so you may need to look during the day and at night to see if you catch them (search under leaves, under the soil/rocks). Then post a picture or take a sample in a sealed, plastic bag to a local plant nursery. Then there are deer, squirrels and bunnies....  :o(
  • lorraine.wheatleylorraine.wheatley Posts: 21
    Here you go
  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    edited March 2021
    I would rule out the big animals and try to catch insects (weevils, etc.), caterpillars and larvae (during the day and night) so they can be identified and proper action taken. Is this damage something that happened very recently, though? Or has it been a while? If it has been a while, the pests could have left already and then you just need to be ready to take a picture if they return in the future (I make a note on my wall calendar to begin checking about 1 month before the problem started).
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Check roots for vine wevil grubs,we had this,then I actually saw the leaf cutter bee
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Small notches along the leaf edges are classic vine weevil damage. The adults eat the leaves, but will be very hard to spot in the bark. The larvae attack roots. They are 'C' shaped creamy - white grubs with brown heads. There is a nemotode treatment available to treat them, but it only works with temperatures rather higher than we are getting at present.
    Its not impossible that you also have leaf cutter bees, but you are unlikely to have so many that they pose a real threat to your plant. The leaves look a little  bit yellow though. Is it growing in ericaceaous compost or acid soil? If not it may be suffering from a mineral deficiency.
  • lorraine.wheatleylorraine.wheatley Posts: 21
    thankyou for your comments, yes its in an acid soil bed i will go to the garden centre  with a few of the leaves i think 🤔 
  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    Have you looked around to see if there are pests in hiding somewhere? I sometimes take pictures of a plant from the same angle for several days to see if I can detect "new" damage on the pictures. If not, I assume the pest has left but leave the plant under visual observation for a few more weeks... I also make a note in a calendar so I will be ready ahead of time next year.
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