TeflonTrout
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Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 1:49 pm

Something is Eating my Tea Plants?

Hey guys, not sure if any of you are currently growing tea plants but I have recently had a bit of an issue with something eating mine. At first I thought it could have been deer, so I put deer netting around it but that still hasn't helped. Anybody know what it could be, and how to stop it. Thanks.

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

Slugs sometimes chew on mine. Is that likely?
You need to look for them after dark at night or as soon as it's light on wet days. If in container, check under the container near drain holes.

Post some photos of the damage. That might help us recognize the culprit.

TeflonTrout
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It could possibly be slugs, I sprayed them with some seven a while ago. I will post a picture of them whenever I get a chance. Thanks for the quick response.

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ElizabethB
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Location: Lafayette, LA

TeflonTrout - it would be much better to identify the culprit before randomly treating with insecticides. If slugs are the issue they are easily controlled with a combination of crushed egg shells around the base of the plant and beer traps - a shallow pan of beer near the plant. Slugs are attracted to the yeast. They crawl into the pan and drown in the beer. They die happy!

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Sevin is an insecticide and a nasty poison. However, slugs are not insects and the sevin is harmless to them, while killing off honeybees and all other beneficial insects that you would like to have in your garden.

As Elizabeth says, it is really important to know what problem you are treating and use something appropriate to the problem, hopefully starting with the safest, least destructive methods first.

Here's a thread I did with safety information about various poisons commonly used in the garden, starting with sevin: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 11&t=57653



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