What is eating my Balloon flower?

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sstringf Goshen, IN Jul 08, 2011

I have one beautiful balloon flower in my front garden and something is simply dessimateing it. There are lilies, hostas and ferns in the same bed and it doesn't seem to be bothering them- it is chomping the leaves starting from the closest to the ground up, which make me think it's some kind of insect, but everything I've read says that balloon flowers don't have any natural enemies other than perhaps deer. I sprayed it with Sevin but that doesn't seem to have made any difference. Any ideas?

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themoonhowl Prairieville, LA(Zone 9a) Jul 09, 2011

Slugs and snails like platycodons...a quick way to see if they are in your garden is to put a shallow container filled with beer near the plant...Slugs can't resist the yeasty/hoppy draw of beer. They climb into the container and don't climb back out.

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sstringf Goshen, IN Jul 11, 2011

Would they only pick on the Balloon flower?- I thought slugs and snails went for hostas too?

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themoonhowl Prairieville, LA(Zone 9a) Jul 11, 2011

Maybe they haven't moved that far into the bed....it could be rabbits, or chipmonks or squirrels....it could also be a type of grasshopper/locust You may have to check on it periodically through the night to see what is getting it....or check on at just at sunrise. Those are the prime feeding times for a lot of critters

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Allison28 Jul 11, 2011

I've always blamed the rabbits...I would watch that Sevin stuff, though...pretty strong chemical.

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sstringf Goshen, IN Jul 15, 2011

Well, I sat out a dish of beer and got no takers, so I don't think there are any slugs, but I think I might have an idea of what is the culprit- earwigs. I've seen several of them scurrying around the mulch. I don't think there's any way to eradicate them around here- they seem to be pretty much an epidemic.

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themoonhowl Prairieville, LA(Zone 9a) Jul 15, 2011

Sstringf, here is some info on earwigs for ya.Now we know earwigs are teetotalers....GRIN

http://www.scotts.com/smg/solve/solution/solutionArticle.jsp?detailId=11900028

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74102.html

http://www.weekendgardener.net/garden-pests/earwig-110811.htm

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sstringf Goshen, IN Jul 17, 2011

Yes, the one article that you provided says put out a tuna or cat food can with a little oil in the bottom of it to attract the earwigs- between that and the dish of beer, I've got quite a smorgasbord going!

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themoonhowl Prairieville, LA(Zone 9a) Jul 18, 2011

Perhaps that will give your balloon flowers a break. Hope it works.

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