What is eating my poor Zinnias?

9 years ago

I love to go on hunt and destroy missions but so far I have been unable to see what creature is feasting on my zinnias! Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (7)

Stellabee
9 years ago
Hi, mine are like that too! I'm not sure what it is, but I saw a cucumber beetle chowing down on one the other day?? Maybe it's something else too though.

Hope someone else will chime in with what it is and how to stop it.
User
9 years ago
Maybe slugs?
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It could be flea beetles. You might be able to catch them in the act of eating a small hole in a zinnia leaf, if you observe your zinnias from time to time. Flea beetles are skittish, and can jump like a flea, so hand-picking them is out of the question. I had a flea beetle outbreak in my zinnia garden a couple of years ago, and our guineas made short work of them. I have no idea what caused the outbreak. It was sort of like a population explosion. We live in a rural area, surrounded by farm fields, and we have had some interesting insect problems in the garden. Occasionally blister bugs would fly in. They seem to have a taste for zinnia pollen florets. Oddly, nine-spotted cucumber beetles were something of a problem in my zinnias. I hand picked a few of them. I have some forceps that I use to grab blister beetles. I don't know how seriously to take that "blister" in their name. I suspect it is over-rated, but I could be wrong about that. That flea beetle damage doesn't look too serious. Minor cosmetic damage. If it gets no worse than that, I think you could just ignore the problem. This could be a case of, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." ZM
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I did a google search on the Enchantress and Violet Queen, (and I grow Purity) and from what I saw, the colors you have look pretty good. (Except for your last photo - that one looks kind of orange!) I did read that Enchantress sometimes has a two-tone look to it, and I found one site where someone said theirs was a lighter pink than what they expected. I'm not sure what you expected??? And I'm still not quite sure why you seem so upset. Yes, in some of your photos some of the blooms look a bit ratty, but could it just be the blooms are old? It looks like you have yours in at least part sun, along a sidewalk, which reflects heat, and if it is as hot where you are as it is here in CT lately, then that rattiness may be expected, especially if the blooms are a few days old. The white bloom does look messy, as well as the one purple one above, but again, how old were those blooms when you photographed them? Have you found any insects in amongst them? Has it been excessively rainy or wet there? Did you get your seed from a reliable source? I'm just trying to throw out ideas here to help. Maybe if you tell us what you were expecting compared to what you have, it would be helpful. I think overall your zinnias look quite nice and I hope you can find some enjoyment in them. :) Dee
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Hopefully seeing my plant will make you feel better... My other three brugs are fine, but I let this poor guy get eaten thinking that I was raising Sphinx Moth caterpillars (hornworms). It wasn't until they got a little bigger that I realized that they weren't hornworms at all! I've since removed the cats and the new leaves are coming in nicely. In a few weeks, you'll never know that I was so cruel to my brug...
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connieconsumer
Original Author
9 years ago
Went out last night around 11 pm and saw the culprits - Asiatic beetles. Found this on Gardens Alive! and will rig up my light tonight:

"Remove the mulch temporarily and lay down wooden boards or old flat pieces of scrap wood on the soil around the plants being eaten. In the morning, go out with a five gallon bucket with a few inches of soapy water in the bottom and use a piece of flat metal to scrape the beetles (and any slugs cohabitating with them) into the soapy water. Never use gasoline, kerosene or other dangerous material for this chore; soapy water works perfectly well and you wonÃ¢ÂÂt risk destroying your garden (and groundwater) if you stumble and spill the bucket.

And rig some long-term light traps outside the garden. Not too far away, but not in the center of your plantings either; no sense leading the pests to dinner. If you have a lamppost, wrap the area underneath the mantle in sticky paper and leave the light on at night for awhile."
Stellabee
9 years ago
Thanks, Jan. I found an Asian beetle on a bean plant the other day. I bet they're eating the Zinnias too...
Stellabee
9 years ago
Thanks, Jan. I found an Asian beetle on a bean plant the other day. I bet they're eating the Zinnias too...
connieconsumer
Original Author
9 years ago
Known enemy = plan of attack! I set up a lamp with a flood light and taped fly strips to the rim. Caught a few but they would end up dropping off onto the cardboard below. They were too heavy for the fly strip. Don't know if there is tackier tape out there. Had it set up about 15' from the plot.
When I saw it wasn't working I just went out with a bucket of water and hand picked those buggers. My husband checked on the plants about an hour later and said that there were markedly less beetles. I probably picked about 30. It was hard to stop!
Iris GW
9 years ago
Better to hand pick. Sticky traps like those kill other bugs that may be beneficial to your garden.

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What is eating my poor Zinnias?

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Stellabee

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connieconsumer
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What is eating my poor Zinnias?

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Stellabee

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connieconsumerOriginal Author

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