Holes in plant leaves all over garden? PHOTOS

[paulnjgarden]

Hey all,

Thanks for the help thus far for a newbie gardener I'm noticing various holes on leaves from most of the veggies I'm growing (on a small % of the total plant, so frankly if this is all it is I can deal with it). Is this normal? What kind of bug does this? Should I get a toad?

[img]https://img136.imagevenue.com/aAfkjfp01fo1i-25093/loc500/629507908_holeinlea_122_500lo.jpg[/img]

And perhaps this is the bug that's doing it?

[img]https://img23.imagevenue.com/aAfkjfp01fo1i-11578/loc419/629508795_bugonleaf_122_419lo.jpg[/img]

[cynthia_h]

The photos aren't showing, so we can't give you advice on the problem.

Be sure to follow the Webmaster's advice in [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23]Tips & Tricks for New Members[/url].

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[paulnjgarden]

Ah- sorry about that. They worked when I first posted but the links are now broken.

[img]https://img690.imageshack.us/img690/5603/holeinlea.jpg[/img]

[img]https://img824.imageshack.us/img824/4688/bugonleaf.jpg[/img]

[TZ -OH6]

Slugs or some sort of catarpillar are the usual supects. Home grown almost never looks as perfect as storebought.

[rainbowgardener]

Large, roundish holes in the middle of leaves like that are most often slugs or snails. You will never see them in the daytime, but if you go out at night with a flashlight you will. Or lay a board down on you soil and come back in a couple days in the heat of the day and lift it up, they will likely be hiding under it. Type slugs or slug control in the Search the Forum Keyword box (that comes up when you click on Search the Forum in the horizontal menu above) and find tons written here about them.

Incidentally, you want to pinch/ clip those flower spikes off your basil. If you let it flower, it will tend to stop producing more leaves. If you clip the flower spike and the top couple leaves, it will branch out at that point, so the plant gets bushier.

[Moley]

I use beer traps, seems to work well enough, I'm trying to herd them towards the Hostas, and away from the strawberry's, slime trails tell me it is working somewhat.

[paulnjgarden]

Thanks everyone!

[scottaa1]

Incidentally, you want to pinch/ clip those flower spikes off your basil. If you let it flower, it will tend to stop producing more leaves. If you clip the flower spike and the top couple leaves, it will branch out at that point, so the plant gets bushier.

Awesome, thanks. I wondered how I was supposed to know when to prune them.

I've got something munching on my baby basil too. I'll try the beer trap. Sounds like a good excuse to buy beer I have a chipmunk that lives out there too, might he be making pesto on the sly?

[rainbowgardener]

Not too likely the chipmunk would bother your basil...