Habaneros?

Has anyone grown those hot peppers before?

What sort of pests would be eating the daylights out of the leaves? I planted a couple and have babied them through the spring temps only to have something chew up those pretty leaves!

Any ideas? Will the plants survive being eaten like that?

Reply to
Natural Girl
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As I grow older and mix up pyerthrum and rotenone in the crevices of my mind, I find considerable benefit to just looking. But carefully, and over longer periods of time than I could manage as an impatient youngster. If you watch carefully (or let a cheap videocamera do it), you may catch the leaf-eater in action.

Major leaf-eating is usually caterpillars around here - may be leaf-cutting ants in other places. At least, that is, until you move up to deer (rats with hooves) or rabbits. Telling the difference involves looking at the way the leaf is eaten, for tracks, for frass (caterpillar manure) and for webs. Or a line of ants carrying leaf parts.

Look under the leaves, along the stems, look for/in rolled-up leaves. Caterpillars can, surprisingly, be somewhat hard to spot as they can match color very well (though some don't, in positively Alice-in-Wonderland ways.) Any "spiderwebs" on the plant were probably spun by and may be hiding a caterpillar.

Also look for egg masses under the leaves, but an egg mass isn't eating

- yet.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

It could be slugs. They have totally eaten my kale seedlings this year. Try using Sluggo. It's an organic (iron phosphate)treatment that works wonders on slugs and snails.

Reply to
Steve Peek

using Sluggo. It's an organic (iron phosphate)treatment that works wonders on slugs and snails.

I put some D.E. *diatomaceous earth* all around them... it looks like the chewing has stopped, but the leaves look pitiful even though it's not dead. Do you think it will recover and put on new leaves? Are they hearty plants?

Reply to
Natural Girl

Thanks for the info ... now I'm going to practically dissecting my pepper leaves. :)

Reply to
Natural Girl

My advice would be that if you don't need that spot for something else, wait and see what happens. If they aren't being chomped now then they should recover as the season progresses.

Reply to
Farm1

I checked the habaneros this evening and they are still alive. I guess they are waiting for more warm weather to start growing! My peas are doing well, though, and a few tomato plants have baby tomatoes on the vines. So far so good.

Reply to
Natural Girl

All the advice is good, but you haven't told us if there are slugs or snails in your garden. If you have them, Steve's suggestion that you try a ferric phosphate (iron phosphate) bait is a good one. It is harmless to just about everything except gastropods (slugs or snails). Do you have white flies? You may try spraying your plants with water, especially underneath. To cover all bases, take a flashlight and go look at your plants at night.

"The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow." - Anon

Reply to
Billy

I've been looking and haven't found any at all. When I planted these peppers in this container there were ants in it, but they were like those tiny black ones. I don't know if they chomp on pepper leaves or not. Since I put diatomaceous earth all around the plant and some on the leaves I haven't seen any further destruction of the leaves, but they were pretty chewed up by then.

I'll have to get some of that slug bait. Thanks for the idea.

I haven't seen any.

I've looked when it's getting dark, but not actually after it is dark. The weather here has been cold and rainy for a while so I haven't wanted to get myself out there to look after dark. But it's a good idea.

Reply to
Natural Girl

Reply to
Dick Adams

My garden has had Scotch Bonnets and Red Savinas for the last 12 years plus Ghost Peppers for the last four years. Unfortunately the management of my house requires a few vegetables - otherwise I would only grow Habaneros.

I don't many pests because my plants because I spray every with the pesticide you will find at:

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OR tinyurl.com/d9qweo9

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams

ok I think I will give that a try. Thanks!

Reply to
Natural Girl

I wonder how that's fares with stink bugs. They attack the fruit. The thing is, I had no problem with scotch bonnets. I had problem with ghost peppers. I have not planted red Savinas lately. The stink bugs will attack the sweet peppers, tomatoes, etc. I'm planting scotch bonnets !

Greg

Reply to
gregz

Sounds like you could use a bird feeder in your garden.

Reply to
Billy

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