Hello all! I have hoards of Cannas, 7 different beds and varieties, and cutting off the leafs of the canna worm infested ones is wearing me DOWN! I am squishing the worms as I cut them. I have several questions.... #1 - Is the brown droppings the worms leave in the leaves feces, or eggs? #2 - I have been told the only pesticide that will work for these worms is Thuricide, but will it run off of the slick Canna leaves? #3 - I understand that the eggs will remain on the ground around the Cannas after cutting back in the fall or spring. If I saturated the ground with Thuricide after cutting them down after they've died, will this reduce/prevent the worms next year?
I am so tired of dealing with this....Thanks everyone! Karen in Tyler
Canna worm woes - Tyler, Texas 7b
That's my only beef with Canna's is trying to keep the worms away. I think they are larvae for a small non-descript grey moth. I've tried Bayer Systemic Tree and Shrub on them this year and it seems to have helped. At least I've had very few problems with them, so I'm assuming that's what did it. I put on one application (granular) around the whole bed just as the ground warmed up and the shoots were starting to show. I probably need to reapply now, because I think it works for 3 months. I'll have to double check the lable to make sure, because it may be for 12 months. You might give it a try.
Here in New Orleans, these worms can also be a big problem. I've tried growing cannas before, and was totally disappointed. This year, I also tried the Bayer Systemic. First the one for roses that lasts 6 weeks. And then the one for trees & shrubs. I also use it on the ensete banana that has had worm problems in the past. Here's one canna, along with the banana to the left.
Since I haven't had any problems at all, like crowellli, I'm assuming it's working.
