Forum home Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Mint and Sage under attack!

2

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I usually find thrips are the cause -
     you can hear them jumping in the foliage when disturbed

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Nick Gurney 250Nick Gurney 250 Posts: 22
    edited October 2021
    The things I am seeing are miniscule (one or two millimetres) and fly off from the plant when disturbed - nothing grub or insect like is on the leaves when you inspect - on or under the leaves.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Do they fly, or do they jump a long way?   

    I’m thinking they sound like flea beetles. We get them on our beet and radish leaves. 

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





  • A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • I have identified the pests I can see as Thrips, via sticky traps and jeweller's loupe...
    Would they be responsible for the shotgun holes in the leaves,as reading online it says they are sap suckers?
    Garden is infested - Basil in the tunnel, Horse Radish, Mint, Sage, Salvias - I am afraid to look any further!
    How do I exterminate them? :D
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    You don't want to be spraying an insecticide on your herbs for obvious reasons, so consider the method I mentioned in my previous post.
    I used to have 2 large planters full of herbs just outside my south facing lounge. Whilst the plants were very happy there, thrips caused plenty of damage.
    Moving the plants elsewhere has solved the problem.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Pete.8 said:
    You don't want to be spraying an insecticide on your herbs for obvious reasons, so consider the method I mentioned in my previous post.
    I used to have 2 large planters full of herbs just outside my south facing lounge. Whilst the plants were very happy there, thrips caused plenty of damage.
    Moving the plants elsewhere has solved the problem.

    Gonna be tough to move half the garden around... ;)
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Pete.8 said:
    You don't want to be spraying an insecticide on your herbs for obvious reasons, so consider the method I mentioned in my previous post.
    I used to have 2 large planters full of herbs just outside my south facing lounge. Whilst the plants were very happy there, thrips caused plenty of damage.
    Moving the plants elsewhere has solved the problem.

    Gonna be tough to move half the garden around... ;)
    The pleasures of gardening eh? 😂

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





  • Pete.8 said:
    You don't want to be spraying an insecticide on your herbs for obvious reasons, so consider the method I mentioned in my previous post.
    I used to have 2 large planters full of herbs just outside my south facing lounge. Whilst the plants were very happy there, thrips caused plenty of damage.
    Moving the plants elsewhere has solved the problem.

    Would you identify as Thrip damage the holes in the plants in my photos?
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    It was some years ago now so I can't be sure the holes on your plants are caused by thrips, but I remember thrips do leave masses of small dots on the leaves 

    If thrips are causing damage to your plants the plants will be weaker and other bugs may come along to join in the feast - maybe the thrips weren't there first and they arrived after some other bugs started to have a munch

    It's a constant war out there!

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Sign In or Register to comment.