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Help! Slugs and Fatsia

dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 356
in Problem solving

Hello, slugs have nibbled on the necks of my Fatsia japonica's new growth. I'm taking measures to prevent further damage, but can anything be done to save these leaves? If I straighten them up somehow, will they heal into position?
For the stems whose leaves have fallen off, is there any reason to prune them, or can I leave them as they are?

I really don't want to lose a year's growth:(

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Are you sure it's slugs (ie caught them in the act)? Even the new growth doesn't usually get nibbled here. It does often look quite droopy though. Here's mine - it's a (very) mature plant, but you can see that the smaller new leaves are flopping down. They'll firm up as they mature.
     
    Older leaves are shed naturally too. You can just pull off the brown ones.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 356
    Yep, I've caught them in the act alright. It's the little ones. I put a beer trap out last night and there must be about 50 of them in it. Bleugh. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Just cut them off. It'll grow new foliage quite rapidly if it's otherwise happy.  :)
    I have to cut them back every year to remove dead/damaged foliage. They get a bit manky in winter here. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited May 2023
    Mine gets a bit manky over the winter too. I took out a binful (three or four stems right back close to the base) a couple of weeks ago. They're resilient plants generally. Mine's been cut right back to stumps once when we needed to have that soil pipe in the pic replaced, and it grew back fine. It was already mature when we moved here in 1988 so it must be at least 40 years old.
    I think yours will probably outgrow the damage, but if any leaves have had the stalk so badly nibbled that they don't recover, you could cut them off (flush with the main stem).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 356
    Phew! That is great news. I love my fatso 
  • dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 356
    As if by magic...

    Two or 3 might still drop, but I'll give them a fighting chance :)
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    That looks great :)
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • christinechan2362christinechan2362 Posts: 1
    dangermousie said:
    Yep, I've caught them in the act alright. It's the little ones. I put a beer trap out last night and there must be about 50 of them in it. Bleugh. 
    I am a beginner of gardening. I found little slugs in my plants last night, which were scary:(. I will try beer trap after learning from your post. Thanks
  • dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 356
    Welcome to the club! If you have ALL the slugs, I highly recommend nematodes too. I can't vouch for the slow release ones yet, but the ones you mix with water were amazing for us last year. I've managed to rescue my alliums with copper mesh, and I think the grazers spray works well on my sunflowers. I have sooo many, I have to battle on all fronts or severely limit what I grow. 
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