The last time I planted basil and lettuce it grew well in my climate but something kept eating the leaves. I thought it might be the lizards, or bugs so I bought some Neem. This did not help, as the bites are big.
I decided to pull the garden and start from scratch, now with basil, lettuce, and cilantro. The basil is starting to sprout and I am worried that the same thing will happen again....
What preventive measures can I take, and is it to early to apply the Neem?
Thanks all, and may your crops prosper.
fallin
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Fallinazael
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rainbowgardener
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You need to know what is doing the damage. Especially on lettuce, my guess would be slugs/ snails. The Neem oil is not effective against them. Slugs tend to leave roundish holes in the middles of leaves:
https://www.thegardenerseden.com/wp-cont ... ettuce.jpg
If they keep eating on it, eventually the leaf becomes sort of lace like with a pattern of holes. Severe damage:
https://www.thegardenerseden.com/wp-cont ... severe.jpg
Does this look like what happened to yours? If you start seeing the holes, you need to go out a few hours after dark with a flashlight and look for the culprits.
https://www.thegardenerseden.com/wp-cont ... ettuce.jpg
If they keep eating on it, eventually the leaf becomes sort of lace like with a pattern of holes. Severe damage:
https://www.thegardenerseden.com/wp-cont ... severe.jpg
Does this look like what happened to yours? If you start seeing the holes, you need to go out a few hours after dark with a flashlight and look for the culprits.