Pests in front garden.. eating up my flowers :(?

Question

Hi there, I'm a novice gardener.. planted some lovely marigold infront of the house.. I ave noticed massive holes on the marigold leaves. I don't think these are caused by slugs and snails as I covered the surrounding with pellets already. I can't find any worms (yet!) so what could it be? and what do you do to protect your flowers from pests? (it rains here... so pesticide is short term only!)

Answer 1

Not much you can do. It might me aphids or it could be birds.

Answer 2

The trouble is probably caused by very small caterpillars. There is a special spray that you can buy from a gardening centre and treat the underside of the leaves. Follow the instructions. Most caterpillars are now changing into a chrysalis so it should not be a serious problem. The marigolds usually wilt and die in frosty weather, although I have known some to last all winter in sheltered spots.

Answer 3

Hi there CM!!!! sounds like the chafer beetles, xmas beetles are enjoying your marigolds. Marigolds are excellent companion plants for roses as they detract attention away from the roses for insects like aphids, white fly , etc. Beetles are only really active at night time. Try "Blue Death", sprinkle a little over the plant. I kill most of the insects with a saucer of beer. In the morning the slugs, snails have drowned, the beetles love the smell and taste and ,lots of other flying, hopping creatures.. just try finding a hidden place because cats and dog loooooooooooove it!!!! Hope it helps.

Answer 4

Try a product called PROVADO. It is a systemic pesticide that will last in the plants system for about 3months. It won't do the slugs, and by the way do you know that slug pellets attract slugs so spread them thin. If you are in the U.K. then your plants are going to die very soon so don't waste your money spraying now but remember it for next spring.

Answer 5

you could spray some pyretrum . but truly marigolds do die off , and you will have any amount of seeds from them take off to produce more than enough marigolds than you can poke a stick at ; indeed you can do it yourself by waiting until the marigold flower has died off and then collect the seeds from the dead head and start recycling . patience is the best remedy for a novice or first time gardener . good luck .

Answer 6

its probably your neighbours. my neighbours were jelous of the pond i recently made in the back garden, and started sucking the water up through a large straw (obviously made up of lots of little straws). Luckily i noticed this before they had time to drink too much. I brought my fish inside and urinated in the pond. My neighbour was fuming the next time i saw him. and he smelled like wee.
I think the holes in your plants were also made by a large straw, probably coming from your jelous neighbours garden. If i were you i'd go and wee on your marigolds immediatly.
Apparently neighbours with straws are a much more common problem than you'd think.
I hope that this has been of some help to you.

Answer 7

caterpillars or slugs

never found slug pellets very effective. Beer is better. Bury a small cup in the garden, fill it with beer, it attracts the slugs who come along drink it, get drunk and fall in...dead

Answer 8

Could be rabbits!!!

I planted $200 worth of flowers last summer and the rabbits had a grand buffet in my flower garden!

What I did, and it worked!! ..... go to a hair salon and ask them for a bag of all of the hair they sweep off of the floor. Wet your flowers so the hair sticks to them and sprinkle the human hair all over your flowers and surrounding them. The human scent frightens them off.

Do this about once a week and they will leave your flowers alone.

Answer 9

Late it the season, it's probably grass hoppers. Give the plants a good spraying of water, sometimes that will zap off whatever is bugging them.

Answer 10

get a fence around your garden, and you'll have beuteful flowers and fruits and veggys!!!!!!!!