Tips
What's eating my plants?
Do you sometimes go out in the morning to find pieces of your plants have disappeared overnight? Identifying the culprit can be difficult, but this is a bit like one of those television detective shows where you have to weigh up all the evidence before you can nail the guilty party.
First, clear the names of any suspects that couldn’t possibly have caused the damage. For a start, you know it’s not a sap sucker – they siphon juices out of the plant – so that eliminates aphids, mealybugs and mites.
Next, look at how much plant material has been removed. If big chunks have disappeared, then clearly a large animal has been at work. Possums will be your number one suspect. Listen at night for possum thumps on the roof or for the screeching and gurgling sounds of their nocturnal antics. Commercial possum deterrents can work well if you’re persistent about application. Otherwise try applying home-made remedies like fish sauce or moth flakes, or festoon plants with balls of dog hair or Dynamic Lifter knotted into stocking toes. While these methods work with some possums, there are no guarantees. Often it’s a matter of learning to live with the possums’ nocturnal snacking.
Rats can also eat plant parts, particularly starch-filled sections such as bulbs, swollen stems or ripe fruit. Rats are definitely garden undesirables that can be controlled with a rat bait (called a rodenticide). Choose one that’s most suited to your needs, and make sure you follow instructions carefully. Ratsak is a multiple feed product, which means a rat must eat the bait over a number of days in order to ingest a lethal amount. Ratsak 1Shot is faster acting and more moisture resistant but, like traditional Ratsak pellets, should be kept in as dry a spot as possible. Here’s a tip when baiting outdoors: place bait inside a T-shaped piece of plastic plumbing pipe where it will be protected from the rain and from inquisitive dogs and cats.
Birds are rippers and tearers. They use their beaks to tug at pieces of plants and they’ll rip through the bark searching for fat, juicy borers. If birds are causing lots of plant damage, try some of the bird repellents, or resort to physical barriers such as netting.
Check for caterpillars. By this time of year caterpillar activity is starting to slow down, but it’s amazing how much plant material they can still chomp their way through. Cabbage grubs, lily caterpillars, lawn armyworm, super-sized hawk moths and codling moth caterpillars are chewers to look out for at this time of year. Yates Dipel, a naturally-occurring bacteria which is harmless to humans, is a non-toxic control for caterpillars of the moth and butterfly family. A relatively new solution for problem caterpillars is Yates Success which, having been synthesised from a natural soil extract, also has respectable green credentials. Success will also take care of hard-to-kill pear and cherry slug, a shiny grub that’s a member of the sawfly family.
Other chewers are grasshoppers, weevils, earwigs and beetles. Baythroid, a low toxic synthetic pyrethroid, will control many of these pests.
Snails (pictured) and slugs are voracious chewers that leave slime trails as evidence of their activity. Sprinkle Baysol or Blitzem pellets to protect seedlings from their attack. Place pellets inside a container (e.g. a piece of plastic tubing) to ensure they’re out of reach of domestic pets.
Comments (17)
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This area is for general comments from the Yates Garden Club community. Questions posted here will not receive a reply from Yates. For specific gardening advice visit Ask an Expert
Margaret
Yates site member
12:32, 04 November 2010
Thank you for the snail info, don't get many out the back yard but do in front yard , have blue tongue lizards out back , have seen them but not out the front. did not want to harm them spreading snail bait around so now will follow your advice. Thank You. Margaret
Margaret
Yates site member
12:32, 04 November 2010
Thank you for the snail info, don't get many out the back yard but do in front yard , have blue tongue lizards out back , have seen them but not out the front. did not want to harm them spreading snail bait around so now will follow your advice. Thank You. Margaret
Braden
Yates site member
18:51, 01 May 2011
I have grasshopper problems in my veggie garden. Does anyone know of an organic grasshopper killer that I could use?
Donna
Yates site member
09:54, 16 May 2011
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darryl
Yates site member
22:19, 24 May 2011
I am still finding many types of caterpillars,slugs and snails devouring my vegies and garden.such a blessing to have all this rain i guess they think so as well.i find yates success to be very helpful to control them and earth friendly as well.vigilance is also a key diagnostic tool happy gardening
ROY
Yates site member
11:42, 23 June 2011
Bright green caterpillers with red spike on tail ( hungry little buggers) what are they, & what's thr best way to get rid of them ---thanks
Vic
Yates site member
12:05, 03 August 2011
Something has attacked our mint, been growing for ages, now totally demolished,basically overnight, something loves it as well as us, any ideas would be appreciated. thanks
Steve
Yates site member
10:00, 16 November 2011
We had the same with our flourishing Mint...found 3 green caterpillars in there yesterday! They took a hike and now I'm off to buy some Yates Success so they don't come back!
Clarissa
Yates site member
22:01, 25 August 2011
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Janette
Yates site member
12:14, 07 September 2011
How do I get rid of slaters and what damage do they do? I would appreciate help with this. Thanks Janette
TRACY
Yates site member
14:15, 05 October 2011
I have bought a pink Justicia plant and a Fuchsia plant both are in pots on my front veranda both of their leaves are getting eaten by something can any one help with what i can use to stop them from getting eaten, plus i have grown Marigold, Nasturtium,Cosmos and Sunflowers from seeds how do i stop seedlings getting eaten as they begin to germinate
Richard
Yates site member
21:23, 12 December 2011
Hi, When I log in as a member - which I am - and select videos - the following - as an example - occurs: The line on the screen appears as follows and says - "Gardening Home - Pest Control Tips - What's eating my plants?" and this has at the end of that line a note that "I am lgged in". As soon a I press the flower or whatever on the RHS of the video panel the "I am logged in" note changes to read as follows: "Loading membership area..." and then nothing happens. I am yet to see a video - any of them as this seems to be a standard "response". The Flash Plater I am using is Version 111.102.55 which as I understand it is the latest version needed to run these videos. Look forward to hearing how I can get this to work. Thanks and regards, Richard
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Yates site member
00:01, 26 December 2011
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Yates site member
19:03, 27 December 2011
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Yates site member
19:16, 27 December 2011
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Kolobov
Yates site member
15:08, 03 January 2012
Только здесь металлочерепица на любой вкус
George
Yates site member
13:14, 22 January 2012
Can pick off lily grubs by hand.
Gwen
Yates site member
16:32, 07 February 2012
I had some flourishing rhubarb plants which started dissapearing for no apparent reason. Then I found out why. CURLY GRUBS, eating the roots. I hAVE NOW LOST ALL OF THEM. Can someone please tell me how to get rid of them before my whole garden is invaded.?
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