Something is eating my climbing hydrangea

Discussion in 'Garden Pest Management and Identification' started by dogfish, Jun 14, 2008.

  1. dogfish

    dogfish Member

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    This plant was doing so well this spring, then suddenly leaves started disappearing... I don't see any slug trails around and am not sure what else might be the culprit. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Sorry I know the photo is not in good focus...
     

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  2. Sharrison

    Sharrison Member

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    Are there notches cut out of the edges of the leaves? If yes, this might be weevils, which are nocturnal leaf eaters. Check after dark, or place newpaper in a few layers at the bottom of the plant. The weevils will sleep in the layers during the daytime, so you can check the paper the next day (instead of staying up at night). If you find weevils, you can pick the adults off to reduce leaf damange, but you'll need to by nemotodes to put into the soil to kill the larvae (which obviously produce more weevils, but also eat the roots of the plants themselves).
     
  3. dogfish

    dogfish Member

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    Thanks for your suggestion! I will try the newspaper trick tonight.
    Is it expensive to buy nematodes, and are there any downsides to using them?
     
  4. Sharrison

    Sharrison Member

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    To be honest we had to purchase such a large amount to cover all the planters in my condo's complex that I can't remember how much a regular amount would have been. We bought them from GardenWorks (we pre-ordered them), so you could contact them for pricing and availability. As far as I understand there aren't any negatives.
    Good luck!
     

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