What to do? Caterpillars on potted plant.
Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years ago
So, my husband brought some plants for his aquarium not long ago. Looking them up for placement, one was not a true aquatic one. He gave me one of the stems in the bundle and I put it in a pot. It did well, but started looking bad about a week ago. I thought it’s probably slugs. Well. It’s these guys. There is not enough of that plant, I think. If I would know what kind of caterpillar, maybe they eat about everything? I know the name of the plant. Alternanthera Ficoidea. Think there is something close enough in a messy South Carolina garden?
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Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Caterpillar eating all my dill, what to do?
Comments (10)Thanks for the suggestions guys... I went out to check on the plant/caterpillar again and it's gone. I don't know if it may have burrowed into the pot or if it got eaten by something-- I put a sort of "cage" over the pot because something kept digging up the dill so I think the caterpillar would have been fairly well protected from being eaten, but who knows... The plant isn't doing too well unfortunately either :P I am wary of planting dill in the actual garden because I've heard it spreads like crazy, which is why I went with a pot. Maybe next time I'll just get a whole bunch of pots and that way maybe some dill will survive! I think this is the 3rd or 4th planting I've done in that pot this season-- the first one, something dug the seeds up, and the next time something dug the young plants up...something out there really likes dill! I actually tried to plant a butterfly garden in the back of my yard from a "butterfly garden roll" (a roll that supposedly had seeds for a bunch of plants) but it never sprouted. I tried again with a butterfly garden mix that came in a shaker can, but only a few plants came up......See Morewhat to do with potted plants when moving and renting?
Comments (10)Depends on the area and how a large a house. I'm only familiar with the north end. 2-3 bedrooms (~1600sf or so) go for around $1200-1500 in the Shoreline/Montlake Terrace/Lynnwood area, same for Everett. Add a couple hundred more for Richmond Beach, Edmonds or closer to the Sound :-) On the eastside, you are probably looking at $2000 and up. If you know anyone up here already, perhaps they can plantsit for you until you find suitable acommodations. I am currently tending to several dozen of a friend's containerized trees and shrubs. They were evicted from his apartment balcony - the manager was sure they were going to cause it to collapse :-)...See MorePotted plants doing better than garden plant
Comments (7)I've found that potted plants outperform in-ground plants for a couple of reasons. The growing medium in a pot can get warmer much quicker and maintain that higher temperature. The plants seem to respond to that temperature difference by accelerating growth. Another reason is that the garden soil, while cooler, is more compact that the container mix, thus allowing frustrating root growth. Raised beds are usually mostly non-soil mediums like the various composts - manure or mushroom. This year, as I always do, I purchased a few mature hybrid plants. This is my way to get earlier tomatoes The six plants were all from the same grower and were all about 16 inches tall. I put three into 18 gallon containers with potting mix (no "soil"). The others went into the main garden. The plants in the garden are now about 3 feet tall and are showing some fruit set. The plants in the containers are now almost 5 feet tall and have some fruit that are nearly 3 inches in diameter. The variety is Big Boy. My conclusions over several years of getting the same results, as stated above, remain unchanged. It has to be the consistency and the temperature of the growing medium. Plants in pots are "pampered", while plants in the ground have other problems to solve. Ted...See MoreCastor bean plant : width? And, how do they do in pots?
Comments (5)I hadn't seen a tag, but it was in there, just pushed deep into the soil. The variety is Carmencita. I didn't have a large clay pot, so I put it into the largest plastic pot I had (1 foot in diameter) and put a brick in the bottom under the soil to help weigh it down, and used a soil potting mix (not soilless) as it was heavier. ....See MoreIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years ago
Jay 6a Chicago
5 years agoTry giving it lambsquarters, Amaranth, or Celosia. I'll check and see if I can find more. Lambsquarters is a weed that's everywhere here. Not sure about down ther
e by you.
Iris S (SC, Zone 7b) thanked Jay 6a ChicagoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agoI put a pot with a cutting I took in Spring from the swamp rose mallow right next to it while I try to figure out what weeds I have (or other plants in that family) If they do go for it, great. I will still have learned what I have in my yard. Hope this is really rose swamp mallow. The mother plant popped up about 10 years ago in my brush pile. Since it is by now in deep shade and still flowering nicely, I thought I will take some cuttings. This is a look at the poor aquarium plant and the hopefully new food source.
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Jay 6a Chicago