I have half a dozen pots with hostas on the shady side of my small patio backyard. This year the plants have thrived and the flowers have been better and longer lasting than ever. BUT there has been some attack by I know not what. I don't think it is slugs because a) we never have that problem, it is possible the foxes keep them under control. b) I have not seen one slug trail. The damage is not as widespread as when the slugs get at hostas. Is there another explanation for some other bug having a go. Somebody said it could be ants, ever heard of that? Here are a few pics and look closely and you will see damaged leaves.
My first thought is to look under a leaf at night for something eating the leaves. Next have you looked under the pots for slugs? Slugs like to hide under pots and rocks during the day. Have you put out a saucer of beer for them to drown in? Jerry
If I had to guess, I would say that is damage from earwigs. https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-i-get-rid-of-earwigs-1402695
I would start with what Mr Jerry suggests. It looks like how they leave, leaves. Find a small saucer and place it near or under the plant being eaten and fill it with beer early in the day. Actually shake it before you pour. They like it flat and warm and stale. If you have slugs, you will find them in the saucer in the morning. Then you can use more beer or another treatment to rid them specific for them. BTW, fill the saucer to the brim..LOL
I used beer one summer in my big hosta garden and it got so warm that the beer stunk so I changed it often....I dug a little hole in the ground and I used margarine tubs to sit in the hole and filled it with beer...we had so much rain that I even had to get rid of my mulch because it was turning moldy.... I finally bought something for slugs from Gardens Alive and that took care of my slugs...
Hello @Raddang How are your Hostas? It would be slugs doing this as they love Hostas I had two here that went through the same process and wwere finally removed ….slugs are night howlers and I brought a plant this year which would turn a lovely red in autumn and with in no time it was ruined as you can see...we found the actual culprit the 2nd night after checking a couple of times at 1am in the morning in the centre of the plant.
That is one unhappy slug, with guilt written all over its face if you can find its face. The plant, while not pleased the slug made breakfast of it, has enough xylem and phylum to survive. Plants are resilient. Jerry
Hi Jerry, I actually thought the plant was no good as it was badly damaged on every stem...so it ended up in the bin ...slugs are a nightmare here
If I composted every plant that had a bite out of it, I would have no plants left. Birds love to eat slugs. A birdbath is a great way to invite potentially hungry birds to your yard.
The trouble is mate slugs are night howlers mainly and I've got a bird bath in the back garden as well as the front and the trails on the slabs of a morning are shocking but thank fully I have plants in the garden now that don't attract them
That is true, I'm sure most of them hide successfully from the birds during the day. Hostas do have a reputation for being irresistible to slugs. I don't get much involved in the critter department. I install, move, cultivate plants, and then let nature happen. If pests come, so do the predators of those pests, generally. It does get frustrating when that kind of rescue does not happen at the speed at which I would like. Like you have done, if a plant does not do well under those conditions, I can and will replace it with one that can. The possibilities are nearly endless. You might find something of value in this article: https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/20-ways-control-slugs-permaculture-garden-or-allotment
Hi have to agree with you on this point...anything that messes with my plants they're out and replaced..the money alone this year gone down the drain is totally sick but i'd rather have plants that thrive and are in the conditions they like without predators or aphids which can spread to your other plants and thank you for the link
Happy to share it. Sounded like relatively local info for you, compared to talking to me on the other side of the pond. Aphids are somewhat ephemeral, and with so many different kinds, they're a somewhat specialized pest in that a particular type of aphid usually has a preference for just a few different plants. Luckily, predators that eat them are too numerous to name, and not at all particular about what kind of aphids they are. Often aphids are just on a flower bud or small part of a plant and can be instantly dispatched by trimming that part of the plant off. Some plants just get aphids periodically, like Gardenias, but that does not affect their long-term growth. If things are micro-managed too much, a natural balance can not establish. I've never lost a plant to aphids, or gotten rid of one because I saw a few. They are also easy to get rid of by rinsing with a strongish stream of water & knocking them loose with your fingers. The type of struggle I was describing about plants that can't grow well in the conditions I have to offer was in regard to the conditions like high temperatures & excessive humidity, low altitude. There is nothing I can do to control these things, and if these conditions make a plant weak, it then becomes much more susceptible to attack by pests. Monocultures are another factor that can support pests in quantities that could cause long-term damage to plants and described as an infestation. One Hosta among many other kinds of plants may not be the destination for slugs as 15 Hostas planted closely together. That would also fall under the category of conditions, but not an uncontrollable one. Expectations are also malleable. If one expects to have zero holes chewed in any leaf, there can be a lot of disappointment. If one expects plants to be healthy and grow well while occasionally sacrificing a few leaves or occasional flower to the critters that share their environment, there can be a lot of joy.
Hello @purpleinopp the 5 plants I had that had aphids on them was terrible and I got bit and had a right swollen eye and looked up aphids and some can bit humans...we put the plants in the bin to start with and my hubby sprayed a car solution in the bin that carmed them and we thought they was dead and in no time the critters was all over the bin..hubby doubled lined bags and took them down the skip straight away...never again would I have those plants they flower nicely but aphids adore them. Slugs are a pain here and especially if it gets damp I tried this year several garden centres for Hostas that don't attract them and there was none so I left well alone, I had those cabbage looking plants also at one stage when the garden was done and they destroyed them quickly...I've put some new grasses in this year and they're lovely and checking up on them if temps drop below -5 you can lose them, I think come next year i'll be buying again but also I do love the garden and I live for the home and my plants
