-
bckyrdgardner
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2013 12:35 pm
Something is eating my plants :(
Hello! I am an amateur gardener. something is eating up my plants and I don't know what it is. I wake up to see lots of tiny holes in the plant leaves and then slowly the entire leaf is gone and then all the leaves are gone. first both of my melon and watermelon plants were eaten up. then it attacked my sunflowers and now it seems to be moving in onto my cucumber and zucchini plants. the tomato and broccoli is doing best so far. please help!!!
It sounds like it could be slug damage? I'm going through the same problem and am nearly positive that slugs are the primary offenders. Last night I went out and hand picked any I could find and tossed them in a tub of salt. I'm trying to get as many as possible before they get quite large by the end of summer. Diatomacious Earth might be a good option if you're dealing with a specific area and don't mind reapplying.
Slugs and snails will go after the tender plants first, they are hard to totally get rid of. I use a lot of bait and go out in the morning and evening and especially if it is raining and hand pick them. They hide under pots, under mulch and in the tall grass and weeds. For every one you find there are probably a hundred that you missed.
Toads, hens and ducks are also good at keeping the slug population down. I don't have a toad, but I have dealt with hens before. They go a good job of eating grasshoppers, geckos, slugs and snails, but they will also eat the lettuce and scratch up seeds and seedlings, so if you have a hen you will need to either pen off some of the plants or watch the hen when she is working, or use the chicken tractor.
Toads, hens and ducks are also good at keeping the slug population down. I don't have a toad, but I have dealt with hens before. They go a good job of eating grasshoppers, geckos, slugs and snails, but they will also eat the lettuce and scratch up seeds and seedlings, so if you have a hen you will need to either pen off some of the plants or watch the hen when she is working, or use the chicken tractor.