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Eaten plants
Rachael4
Posts: 2
i don't know what it is but lots of my plants seem to be delectable snacks. Last weekend did lots of planting and now have lots of stripped stalks ? any ideas on what it is and how to save my remaining plants
0
Posts
At this time of year, most likely caterpillars Rachael. Slugs and snails are also able to destroy soft new growth rapidly on many plants.
What plants do you have the issue with?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Go outside with a torch at night ... you will probably find the culprits munching away! There are a few threads on slug-wars on this forum currently. New plants are a banquet for caterpillars, slugs and snails. You could consider potting-up some of the damaged plants and trying some of the creature-defence strategies, such as copper tape and beer traps, until the plants recover. I have done this and then returned the plants to the borders still in the pots. You may find that choosing more slug-resistant plants, eg. hardy geraniums, many alpines and most hairy/spikey-leaved plants, is the way forward.
Rachael - this is all that's left of my clematis Piilu. This fellow and no doubt some friends have disposed of all of it and it was still going at it during the day when I took this pic. Couldn't believe the audacity!
Thank you for all your responses, can confirm the, now very fat, snails are the main culprits
first time it has been so bad, and expensive !!
They're b***ers Rachael aren't they? I get great satisfaction chucking them over the fence into teh road to take their chances with the traffic
Slugs are worse than the giant snails here but a drier winter than usual has meant they've been less of a nuisance. I also gave up growing susceptible plants. Clematis are the biggest issue but, again, the drier weather as they emerged has really helped. Picking them off at night,when they come out in early spring, and 'dispatching' them is the best method of control if you can manage it.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...