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Homeowner Forum / Lawn and Garden / July 2008Something is eating my Datura
The leaves of my datura are being eaten, leaving the veins untouched. have examned the plant and cannot see any of the usual pests (spide mite, mealy bugs, aphids or caterpillars). I suspect earwigs but woul like some help please -- DurhamRanger On Jul 15, 7:07 am, DurhamRanger <DurhamRanger. 2f25...@gardenbanter.co.uk> wrote: > The leaves of my datura are being eaten, leaving the veins untouched. I > have examned the plant and cannot see any of the usual pests (spider [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > -- > DurhamRanger Place a pan or trash can lid of soapy water beneath the plant, the culprit will fall in and you can begin to decide, rule out aphids, spider mites and mealies because they eat by piercing/sucking. Think Japanese beetle/ caterpillar or other CHEWING insects. >The leaves of my datura are being eaten, leaving the veins untouched. I >have examned the plant and cannot see any of the usual pests (spider >mite, mealy bugs, aphids or caterpillars). I suspect earwigs but would >like some help please. Tomato or tobacco horn worms are eating the folilage. They turn into magnificent hawk moths which have a six inch wingspan and pollinate your plants. Please just let them be. They are important insects. http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Pests/tomato.htm http://yardener.com/YardenersPlantProblemSolver/DealingWithPestInsects/PestInsec tsInTheVegetableGarden/Hornworms If you must kill them, or get rid of them, you can gently remove the leaf they are on and put them somewhere else in the garden or yard. I don't kill them and never will. I earn money producing datura and brugmansia so have them frequently. I remove them and put them on something else in the yard. They eat foliage of solanacea aka nightshade family. Datura has some pretty good chemical defenses, but I am not surprised that the tomato or tobacco hornworm has defeated them. Around here they seem to leave the jimson weed alone, preferring the tomatoes and tobaccos. I have not yet seen them on my Datura inoxia. The adults visit my moon flower vines frequently, and are not at all shy: http://personal.ecu.edu/wuenschk/SphinxMoth.htm ========================================================================== >>The leaves of my datura are being eaten, leaving the veins untouched. I >>have examned the plant and cannot see any of the usual pests (spider [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > something else in the yard. They eat foliage of solanacea aka > nightshade family. > Datura has some pretty good chemical defenses, but I am not surprised >that the tomato or tobacco hornworm has defeated them. Around here they >seem to leave the jimson weed alone, preferring the tomatoes and tobaccos. >I have not yet seen them on my Datura inoxia. The adults visit my moon >flower vines frequently, and are not at all shy: >http://personal.ecu.edu/wuenschk/SphinxMoth.htm I have so many D. wrightii and D. inoxia if they started eating them now it would take all summer to get through the entire collection. For some reason, probably too hot at night, my Brugmansia's are having foliage problems, some stunted, some yellowing, etc. I do have to repot them, but that is a major project seeing most are in no less than 30 gallon tubs. For many years I have allowed Jimson Weed to grow here and there, but I have not had another Datura until this year. My son got into seed exchanging last year, and got some "moon flower" seeds that did not look like what he expected (he expected Ipomoea alba). He started one and gave it to me as a "mystery plant." The young plant looked similar to an eggplant to me, so I put it out in the garden at the end of a row of eggplants. Adjacent was a double row of green beans. While picking beans I brushed up against the moon flower and recognized the (unpleasant to me) odor of Jimson weed. An Internet search confirmed that the plant is Datura inoxia. Next year I shall place one closer to the house, where I can enjoy the enormous nocturnal blossoms with ease. So far I have not seen a single tobacco/tomato hornworm here. Very curious. On a couple of occasions I thought I saw the adult, but then it turned out to be a hummingbird. I grow my Brugmansia alongside the branch that runs through my lot. The only problem I have had with them is that they are so late to bloom, close to the time we get killing frost here in eastern North Carolina, that I have little time to enjoy them. =============================================================================== >> Datura has some pretty good chemical defenses, but I am not surprised >>that the tomato or tobacco hornworm has defeated them. Around here they [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > repot them, but that is a major project seeing most are in no less > than 30 gallon tubs. |
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