Hi Guys/Gals,
I planted over 150 hollyhock seeds and they are coming along great this year about 6 inches high with dark green foliage but I have been noticing holes in some of the leaves... Is there a way to prevent bugs from eating at them? Also what is the best ways to prevent hollyhock rust, so far so good in terms of that.
Thanks!!
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Hollyhocks are favored by slugs, cutworms, and leaf eating insects. You need to know which you have to know what to do. The slugs (or snails) usually leave roundish holes in the middles of leaves. You will never see a slug in the daytime, but come out a few hours after dark with a flashlight and look for culprits. The good news is that they can survive pretty much damage without being set back.
Re the rust, it is fungal, so thrives in conditions of humidity/ moisture and low air circulation. So mulch well to keep water from splashing up on the leaves from the soil. Only water the soil, don't water from overhead or get water on the leaves. And be sure they are spaced well apart. The first year from seed, they are very small, but next year they will be huge. They need to be well enough spaced to allow for the getting huge and still have space between them and air circulation.
Re the rust, it is fungal, so thrives in conditions of humidity/ moisture and low air circulation. So mulch well to keep water from splashing up on the leaves from the soil. Only water the soil, don't water from overhead or get water on the leaves. And be sure they are spaced well apart. The first year from seed, they are very small, but next year they will be huge. They need to be well enough spaced to allow for the getting huge and still have space between them and air circulation.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Yeah, slugs would be a good guess. Go out late at night and look for the culprits. They can be hand picked and dropped in a bowl of salt water or you can make a beer trap for them or dust everything with diatomaceous earth. But although mulch is recommended, all those wood chips provide a good hiding place for them.
But the damage at this point is not serious. You could just keep an eye out to see if it is getting worse. Gardeners need to learn to tolerate a few holes; there's always something. You could see if you could import a toad in to your garden. Ground beetles, lizards, and shrews also eat slugs, so cultivate the life in your garden!
But the damage at this point is not serious. You could just keep an eye out to see if it is getting worse. Gardeners need to learn to tolerate a few holes; there's always something. You could see if you could import a toad in to your garden. Ground beetles, lizards, and shrews also eat slugs, so cultivate the life in your garden!
