I have sent this question twice now on the newsgroup, but I am having trouble with my ISP. I can't even find the second message on Google, and there was no response to my first. I would appreciate advice.
Something is devouring my basil leaves. How can I stop this? My rhubarb leaves are also being decimated - is there a treatment for this?
Many thanks. I'd appreciate a reply.
Dora
Sounds like snails.
Interesting.
Don't you even think of getting "herbal viagra" over the internet.
Seems you have a pest that favors pesto!!! Olive oil and garlic would be the next things to add.
Trying to get into a rhubarb over rhubarb too?
What exactly do snails sound like?
Sponge Bob's pet snail Gary goes meow. Is that what you mean?
The first step is finding out what is eating it. Do a careful inspection, the inspect again 2 hours after dark. My basil leaves have a few chew holes, but I've been eating them anyway. Snails and slugs will do damage, but we have plenty of night-hunting toads.
Frankly, I have never seen a snail or slug since we moved here, plus toads and frogs are getting increasingly rare. The only pests I have seen are on the basil - tiny winged bugs scurrying all over the place. I'm trying to find out what to spray with - will insecticidal soap work, or is it toxic? I'm not concerned about the rhubarb - the leaves won't be eaten, anyway.
Dora
There are a number of food-safe insecticide products you can use, including insecticidal soap. However, I have had limited effectiveness with insecticidal soap.
Do you mean aphids?
Ok, what exactly do you mean by 'decimated'? Are there only a few holes (thus the word 'decimated' being overreaction), or are there only little strings remaining on what once were leaces? If the latter, I would be worried about the health of the rhubarb, too. After all, the leaves carry nutrients to the roots, and after a few years, you won't have any rhubarb to harvest.
Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel.
-- Aldo Leopold
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