My rhododendrons have been affected by black vine weevil I am afraid. They show the typical round holes at the leaves. I've already tried nematodes - also with my aralia which I keep potted in the house during winter. I just found new holes! Should I use chemicals? Which ones? Shall I try to catch the beasts by hand???
Please help!
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bullthistle
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1152
- Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:26 am
- Location: North Carolina
Go organic, rhododendrons are hosts.
The soil dwelling grubs can be controlled using predatory nematodes which can be bought from some garden centres, and by mail order. They are simply mixed with water, and watered onto the soil.
Adult weevils can be controlled by using sticky barriers on the trunks of affected plants, as the weevils return to the soil each day.
Adults can also be manually removed from plants at night when they can be found feeding on leaf edges. Use only a dim torch or candle light to search by, as they will drop to the ground if startled by bright light.
Adults may also be controlled using the fungus Beauveria bassiana, which is a biocontrol.
The soil dwelling grubs can be controlled using predatory nematodes which can be bought from some garden centres, and by mail order. They are simply mixed with water, and watered onto the soil.
Adult weevils can be controlled by using sticky barriers on the trunks of affected plants, as the weevils return to the soil each day.
Adults can also be manually removed from plants at night when they can be found feeding on leaf edges. Use only a dim torch or candle light to search by, as they will drop to the ground if startled by bright light.
Adults may also be controlled using the fungus Beauveria bassiana, which is a biocontrol.