Something Eating My Zinnias?
davemichigan
15 years ago
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maineman
15 years agodavemichigan
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Something eating my zinnia?
Comments (4)Usually slugs eat a leaf that way. Maybe you missed seeing it in the dirt of the pot or maybe it hadn't come out yet when you looked or it may have been in the edge of the pot between the dirt and the soil. They hide under pots too. Lift up your pot and see if anything is under it. I doubt there's more than one or 2 or there would be a lot more damage. I'd spread a little safers slug bait around....See MoreTwo Zinnia problems
Comments (14)Alicia, "I have yet to see any bugs/slugs on my Zinnias. It's mostly when I first plant them outdoors and they're small." Slugs are nocturnal feeders so, unless you have checked at night with a flashlight, you probably wouldn't have seen them. I agree with Mantis_OH that slugs are a likely suspect. I don't know if it is available on "your side of the pond", but I have found that Sluggo is a safe and effective slug bait. It is based on iron phosphate, which breaks down in the soil to provide both iron and phosphorous as nutrients for your plants. If it is not slugs, then cutworms would be my next suspect. But they usually leave some evidence of their work, like at least part of a fallen seedling. They, too, do their work at night. When I see a fallen zinnia seedling, I probe around in the soil near the plant to find a fat cutworm just below the surface. And I destroy it. That is a bit like "closing the barn door after the horse is stolen", but it prevents the cutworm from killing another seedling in the next night or two. You can kill cutworms in their juvenile roaming stage with a spray containing BT on all of the plants, including small weeds, in the immediate area of your zinnia planting. That kills them before they get big enough to kill your zinnia seedlings. ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)...See Moresomething is eating the zinnias and sunflowers
Comments (3)Actually, I really don't think it's a rabbit. I thought that might be a possibility too, but after looking at them again today I don't think so. After a few more google searches, I think it might actually be adult June beetles. I don't know much about them other than the grubs have eaten my lawn. They are all over the place in my neighbourhood right now, so it kind of fits. It doesn't explain the sunflower/zinnia pattern, but maybe that's just a coincidence. Does this sound familiar to anyone?...See MoreZinnia ER-- Help Please!!
Comments (11)IMPE, there are always some that survive and move on to other plants. Check the base of the plants, as they will often curl up and hide there. They can grow to a couple of inches long, but as you can see in the photos I posted, they start out very very tiny, and some will hide on the undersides of the leaves alongside the veins, and blend in, making them difficult to spot. I just smoosh 'em with my fingers when they're small like that. Hope this helps - good luck 🙂...See Moredavemichigan
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15 years ago
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davemichiganOriginal Author