Anybody having problems with flying insects that chew the top leaves off the plant? My Hostas look horrible, but I dont think its all Slugs, they are chewing great big bites of the leaves. Its so depressing I cant wait for them to die back into the ground. I should have taken pictures ... will do tomorrow If it is slugs, i will know by tomorrow, I squirted Dead Line everywhere, then I sprinkle stuff to keep the Feral cats out of there. At the beginning a bunch of flies were swarming everywhere. They came after I put the mulch down, its just been on thing after another. :(
Whats eating my Hostas/plant?
My plants, of almost all types are looking poor this year. I definately feel your pain. I only have 3 hosta and they were being eaten by slugs. I haven't noticed any flying insects other than the cucumber beetles eating leaves and flowers but not the hostas.
C
I was having a lot of problems with slugs and snails this year, until I put out some beer traps. It is amazing how effective those are!
Only three Hostas, why newtonsthirdlaw, you should be ashamed of yourself, you need to get more Hostas out there, lol.
Well Newton, the upside is that the roots will continue to produce new growth, just continue to water. Just because you dont see them does not mean they are not there.
Dennis, I know you can drown slugs in beer, but just the idea of removing them gross me out.
I could swear something was in that mulch I applied, my Hostas appeared to go limp ant one point until I discovered the yard man had laid the pavers on top of the laser cut soak-er hoses. But those flies! what do the Cucumber Beetles look like?
Newton, we got to do something about getting you some more Hostas. lol
I only have one spot with shade that holds some water and that is where they live. I can't imagine trying to grow them in more sun...sounds like a lot of watering to me.
C
Snails are my plaque here too. I use the sluggo at the first sign though and it seems to keep them at bay.
Sylvia...for the flies you might try the cedar mulch it is a insect repellent. We have put a boundary around the primeter of the yard and house. We haven't had as many mosquitoes or fleas this year as in years past. We also threw some under the deck.
Sheila, it was cedar mulch I put down, I remember it had a strong smell ... maybe it was pine? I wish I could find the bag, I dont want to ever buy it again.
could have been cedar or cypress mulch most likely, new mulch has usually recieved a dose of weed inhibitor, dont mulch up to the plant itself. Arlington is heaven to slugs, have to salt the concrete aroun the dogs bowls to keep them away...
omg ... thats exactly what we did . I must have used 20 bags and those guys just dumped it, got on their hands and knees to spread it. I never knew that. I better not use anymore Surflan for a while. Whats a good anecdote? Thanks Kitt!
Kitt do you know Smockette? She lives in Magnolia.
I don't use any mulch as heavy as they recommend. I use just enough to keep down some weeds. I use the cedar only around the edges as a bug repellant but in my beds I use the cypress because it won't float away. Those of you who have been to my place remember the slope. We had flooding up to within three foot of the house in '04. I was using pine back then and it all floated away. Since then I only loose what is hit by rushing water. I wish the city would put a concrete drainage ditch across my back yard....if wishes were horses then beggars would ride as they say.
I cant find any snails Sheila, but I see hundreds of those little black bugs that shape like a turtle.
Sylvia, can you take a pic of those bugs?
Cheryl
I sure will ... will do tomorrow. Thanks!
I read that leaf beetles are pests on hostas. Look at these and see if you can id your pest.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=leaf+beetle&searcher%5Bbugorder%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&Search=Search&offset=0
i dont think I see it Sheila. Its been so wet, I have not been able to go out side. These Beetles are in the soil, I never seen them on a leaf. I will try again tomorrow. I have my jar ready.
lots of elm leaf beetles down here, and both var of pine beetles, shape like a turtle? roly polies? I will ck dau hosta in am, if skeeters dont kidnap me first.
chinch bugs? not proper spelling I am sure, they've been horrid since last yr
Kitt, I think you are right. I tried doing a collage, but I got another that shows detail.
this shows the detail of the back. I have seen this beetle a lot, does it eat things? Did they come in that pine mulch?
Thanks
Check out this bug, I think its quite handsome. My friend on Facebook posted it.
You need glasses girlfriend!! What you have are just pill bugs or sow bugs!!
All the moisture you have in the hosta beds incourages them. Two websites said you can control them with diatomaceous earth. Here is some info I copied.
Sow or Pill bugs:
AKA: Doodlebugs, woodlice, woodlouse, rolypolys. Small terrestrial isopods having a convex segmented body that rolls up into a ball. Pill bugs are actually relatives of shrimp.
Pill bugs and sow bugs are different. Both pill bugs and sow bugs will inhabit the same area. They are difficult to tell apart. How can you tell? The pill bug can roll into a tight round ball and the sow bug can sort of "hump" up. It cannot form a "pill" like the pill bug can. Both bear young twice a year or more. They carry them until the young are able to keep up with the rest of the colony. The young may leave mother at times however it is not unusual for them to come back, allowing her to to take care of them for as long as she can. As food supplies dwindle, colonies will relocate and forage to nearby areas that fill their dietary needs. Most feeding is done during the night.
Sow bugs also have gills and need constant moisture to live. They tend to live in moister northwest climates. They are primarily nocturnal, and eat decaying leaf litter and vegetable matter. They sometimes feed on the tips of young plants, but they also help the environment by breaking up decaying plant matter and help speed up the recycling of the nutrients they contain.
Use corncobs as a bait to trap these intruders. (Guess you pick them up and toss in the garbage next day?)
Remove their hiding places such as piles of plant material, boards/wood, bricks, large rocks, etc.
They do eat small seedlings but mainly decaying matter like dead leaves.
Sheila, what I read here dont sound like they are whats eating my Hostas. :(
Nope...not to me either. I have the pill bugs too, but they don't cause that much damage.
Maybe it was slugs, I dont see anymore damage since I spread that Deadline. My Hostas are looking a lot better since all that rain ... hopefully it washed away all those chemicals that was in the mulch.
Thanks for all your info. :)
best cure for the mulch, water it til it spreads, yes, many bugs hide in the mulch, helping in the decay of plant matter, I am not really sure if they actually use a growth inhibitor, or if it is the natural inhibitor of the wood, like an oak throws out tannin which inhibits most acorns from growing under the parent, and cedars have the same ability, tho it isnt tannin, new mulch tends to increase a mold too, 2" to 3" is plenty deep for the mulch, and just pull it back from the plant a bit.
I like more decomposed mulch, like hardwood. Cedar lasts but I think it contributes less to the soil overall.
C
Kitt, my hostas look so much better since all the rain, so maybe it wash what ever was in there. I hope so.
There was thread where we were talking about amending the soil ... anybody remember? I know this is a dumb question. lol