brooke71
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:21 am

Help please! What's eating my plum leaves? Help!

Hi all...
I am having a problem with something eating my plum tree leaves. This tree is only 4 years old and has not produced until this year! :) (well not yet but it's full of fruit)
So the leaves as you can see on my pictures are eaten and have holes on 1 side of the leaf and the other side of the leaf is not touched!
I've not seen anything doing this and welcome any help in identifying what could be doing this. I live in Southern California.

Also the tree is now about 15 feet tall.

Many thanks in advance!
brooke71
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These are the other side of the leaf!
These are the other side of the leaf!
Check it out...only eaten on 1 half of the leaf!
Check it out...only eaten on 1 half of the leaf!

JONA
Greener Thumb
Posts: 812
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2014 7:11 am
Location: Sussex. England

Hi Brooke,
The odds are that the likely culprit is the caterpillar of the Winter Moth.
By now it will be long gone.
Next spring get a pheromone moth trap from your local garden centre and this will confirm if the Moth is around.
If you put a grease band around the tree before the tree starts to open its leaves y,our will get the females as they climb the tree in the spring.
Winter Moth females shed their wings in the fall to hibernate under the trees. So they have to climb the tree to lay their eggs.
The males have full wings and these are the ones that the trap is after. No males ....no fertilised eggs!

brooke71
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:21 am

Well that makes sense! Thank you so much for the quick and detailed response. Truly appreciate it!!! I will try your advice for sure. We certainly want to nip this in the bud quick because we have more than 50 fruit trees. :)

Thanks so much once again!
Brooke

sleslie127
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Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 4:53 pm

I found this cacoon on my plum tree.. anyone know what's inside it? It is eating my leaves.. don't know if I need to dismantle it :)
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Anyone know what is inside this cacoon on my plum tree?
Anyone know what is inside this cacoon on my plum tree?

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applestar
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Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

This is actually not a cocoon at this point, but a hiding place for a caterpillar -- it will eventually make a pupa inside. Yes, it's best to remove it during the day when it is likely to be inside, and it probably comes out to feed at night. Look carefully for more, where there is one, there are likely to be others.

If you are curious, try cutting one open.

sleslie127
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2015 4:53 pm

thanks!



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