Hi, are these leaves damaged by slugs or is there something else. It only seems to bother certain plants, and even tho I look, I've never seen a slug and no slime where they've been.
Seems to bother MG's, sunflowers, impomeas, brugs, daturas and like that. Sometimes an elephant ear.
I have seen what I think are leaf hoppers or little grasshoppers. LOL
It's possible - see http://www.utextension.utk.edu/fieldCrops/soybean/soybean_insects/insect_images/Slug-Damage-beans-web.jpg and http://www.blackthornarable.co.uk/photography/osr/pests/D10906.jpg for examples of slug-damaged leaves. However, without seeing the culprit responsible, it's still a guess.
You might look for caterpillars at work. You have damage to the edges and holes, some all the way through, some not. Young caterpillars can't eat a hole all the way through, but as they grow, they not only eat holes, but the edges of the leaves, too.
There are beetles that can do this kind of damage, too, but my guess would be caterpillars.
If you don't see action in the daytime, go out there with a flashlight at night. Look under the leaves too.
I'll check.!! I haven't seen any catapillars, but of course that doesnt mean they aren't there. I should have gotten something, with all the slug bait, the sevin dust and the other bug spray. I think I've tried it all. Lol.
The pictures of the slug damage look like mine, but but there are some where they've eaten the whole leaf and just left a stem.!! Hungry little devils , whatever they are.?
Will they kill the plants, or just eat a few leaves?
Sounds like some big caterpillars... Have you looked really hard on your daturas and brugmansias for hornworms? They'll eat a plant to the ground! They are very hard to see, too. Look for black poop on leaves.
To check for slugs/snails, you could put something flat like boards, or plywood on the ground next to the plant, and then check underneath the next day. Dampen the ground a bit first. They like to spend the day under those kinds of things, and come out at night to do their chowing down.
Some suggestions: For slug bait I suggest Sluggo or Escargot or something made with iron phosphate. It kills snails and slugs, but isn't attractive or harmful to other animals, like dogs. The other baits are made of metaldehyde and are dangerous to pets. http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com/pet_health/snailbaitpoisoningindogs.cfm
And it also breaks down to feed the plant. Double good.
Sevin dust has a couple of things going against it. Even for the non-organic gardener. It can cause phototoxicity and damage to leaves of plants, and it is highly toxic to bees which can carry it back to their hives, killing many bees in the nest.. And we need those little guys for pollination. If you use Sevin, use the liquid and spray at dusk, when the bees have returned to their hives for the night.
But, I wouldn't use anything until I knew what I was battling. If it is caterpillars, Bt would be the product of choice, as it is not toxic to anything but the caterpillars. But Bt doesn't work on beetles...
And - by using all of those pesticides you are also killing off any beneficial insects that might have been able to help get rid of the nasties. So my final suggestion is to wait and see what is causing the damage, and then treat accordingly.
Let me know what you find!
Iwent out to check the sunflowers which are being eaten alive, and found these little tiny bugs on the stems. Instead of doing like a smart person and taking the camera out there, I brought the bugs in here and tried to get a picture.
Maybe you can tell a l ittle bit about it. See the little thing up in the left , I thought if you saw the shape, you might know. They are tiny little buggers.
This one will really make you nuts, but they are little about the size of fireants, but fatter and kind of oblong shape. You can almost see two of the little dears on this stem. I know y ou probably can't tell, but here's hoping. They are gonna eat everything if I don't get rid of them!!
You can see the plants behind this and how something is destroying them, the leaves are yellow.
I'm sorry, but the photos didn't help. The first one didn't show anything recognizable. I think you may have a couple of things happening, so I'll just show you a few things and maybe you can match up the correct things to what you see.
You may have aphids. Now, these suck juice from the plants and will not account for the holes you are seeing. But they are tiny and oblong. And they multiply at an amazing rate. http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/b-6047.html
http://hortipm.tamu.edu/pestprofiles/sucking/bartaphid/bartaphid.html
You will often see sooty mold on leaves, caused by a mold growing on the sap the insects don't digest, and eliminate as excess. The sooty mold is black, and it is caused by a sucking insect, which includes scale, mealybugs, and whitefly.
Another thing you might have is spider mites. In severe infestations, you will see fine webbing around the leaves. They are so tiny, you will definitely need a magnifying glass. Another method is to take a leaf and hit it several times on a piece of white paper of cloth. Wait a bit, and then watch to see if the tiny black specks move. http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg371.html
Both of these insects cause discoloration of the leaves, by injecting an enzyme that helps to digest their food, and by removing chlorophyll from the plant cells. Neither makes holes.
