Slugs in my TREES!?!
CEFreeman_GW DC/MD Burbs 7b/8a
7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (8)
Photo Synthesis
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agohouzi
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Please answer my rose slug question. Tx
Comments (14)>Other question: Do rose slugs only feed from the underside of the leaf??? Has anyone every spotted them on the top side of leaves or on the canes??? Jim, my memory is incomplete. I might have seen some on the tops of leaves, but if so, that's not the most common place to find them. For sure I've seen a zillion of them on the canes, as well as the undersides of leaves. I've also seen multiple times when canes were chewed all the way around, sometimes leaving just a thin thread holding the upper part of the cane still attached but hanging down totally upside down. And I've often seen long, often not so shallow, chewing cuts into the cane, going down or up the cane from somewhere in midcane. Usually, but not always, this results in the cane turning totally black throughout that cane area, necessitating that that dead cane be cut off and sealed. And if I didn't seal the ends of any sizable cut cane, that cane would become black fairly quickly and have to be cut again and sealed. Lots and lots of that happening here, starting in April and going on well into the fall. Until the start of Rose Rosette Disease here, this was by far the #1 problem for our roses--with blackspot, cercospora or anything else not even coming close. My theory is that because our yard has lots of woods and also some pretty low damp areas (especially last year when we had an unusual amount of steady rain throughout the summer instead of drought) it has or had conditions especially liked by sawflies. >I even found an article with the exact picture... I don't think I remember ours being curled around, though some might have done that and I was just focused on the straight kind. Using photographs, I've seen many, many straight ones climbing canes and on stems. They are hard to notice with the naked eye, but enlarging pictures on the computer screen works wonders. I don't have pictures of the undersides of leaves, but for those I turned over, I could notice them with the naked eye better... and there were a lot of those there too. == >I've used iron phosphate products for slugs and snails and it works, but I don't think it's effective for the sawfly larvae. Thanks for your information, Hoovb. Oh, well! We already do have the product, so we'll give it a try anyway, hoping that our varieties are a bit different than yours. Grasping at straws here, I know... The roses I started trying the product out with a couple of weeks ago have already succumbed to RRD, though, so I've no idea thus far on whether there's any chance that it might work here. Your post inspired me to actually read the label (novel idea!) and I did not see any of the specific types of slugs mentioned there that I could find in one of my books as some of the sawfly slug varieties that can affect roses, so your experience might well predict ours too. On the optimistic side, though, it does say that those particular varieties listed aren't the only kinds of slugs it will work with, and mentions also that it's effective for slugs on blueberries and apple trees (plants with some relationship to roses, I think). Anyway, we'll see... assuming that by the time RRD is finished with us here we have some roses left to try the product on. Oh, I did read one other interesting thing: if you don't want to pick each and every one off by hand--no chance!--one of my books says that a strong spray with the hose will work. I don't know what percentage will have the strength to climb back up, but the spray coming from the side will at least put them at some distance away from the cane (and for all our new roses in the pots, they'd have to climb the pots too). I've been mainly doing that for aphids, but it will certainly be a bonus if it helps with rose sawflies too! Best wishes, Mary...See MoreSlug damage on my baby Sugar Maples
Comments (10)I need to correct something I said above, and that is what we have every time we dig a hole are grubs not slugs. I'm sorry that I confused the two.. :But when I looked online the holes on my little maples, that are 3 ft tall, look exactly like slug damage. After reading all of your responses and after realizing I confused grubs and slugs, I need to rethink my strategy of how to stop these holes in my leaves. Edited to add I can get you pictures in a little bit, after dh wakes up. He doesn't have to go into work til 11am this morning.. He's the one who posts my pictures, since I don't know how to do it. This post was edited by ilovemytrees on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 7:12...See MoreYuk yuk yuk...Pear slug on my cotoneasters
Comments (11)No, I did not get a picture of it, and at first when I searched I used words like caterpillar, shiny, wet, and I'd thought it was some sort of cereal beetle larvae, but their shape is different (and I have some red wheat growing nearby just to fill an empty spot). The shape reminds me of a planarium someone posted on the compost forum, but when I chanced upon the pear/cherry slug photos, I knew I had 'im. Also, when I bothered it and made it roll over, I could see it's underbelly was drier, and it had legs, so I knew it was not a slug - just looked like one (and obviously was nicknamed as one). I only have 3 cotoneaster plants this year, just to see if they survive the winter well in the exposed area I've planted them in, so I used tweezers to pry them off the leaves and dropped them in a container with vinegar. I also use vinegar on the spruce sawflies in the spring, seems to do them in. Only works for small infestations (if the gardener is willing to pluck). I think they are feeding so late because our spring was a good 2-3 weeks delayed with unusually cool weather, so everything's set back?...See Moreslug solution? Will it harm my hosta?
Comments (13)Have not had ONE slug since putting down fluffy long-needle pine "mulch' three years ago where the berms are planted with about 300 hosta. Son brought it from Cincinnati (he's in landscaping). I didn't like the looks of it because it's so fluffy and sort of 'curly' - it was about a foot deep - but it breaks down. The bastards must not like it - probably have a hard time navigating over it. I did not put it inside a fenced patio area where I have several hosta and found one slug hole last week so used the ammonia. (So I take that first part back - I did have ONE slug). Cut off the leaf and no more holes. The long-needle pine stuff isn't like regular 'mulch' because it's so fluffy and airy. Westy PS I've seen Maryann's garden and I can vouch for Deadline because I didn't see a slug hole - and she has a million hosta!...See MoreCEFreeman_GW DC/MD Burbs 7b/8a
7 years agoMike McGarvey
7 years agoMike McGarvey
7 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
7 years agoTerri Y LeBlanc
29 days ago
Related Stories
NORTHWEST GARDENINGPacific Northwest Gardener's March Checklist
Prepare for edible harvests and invite feathered friends to the garden — offering them slugs for lunch is entirely up to you
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNSimple Pleasures: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
Slugging down any old sludge while pulling on socks is no way to start the day. Learn to brew amazing java and savor the experience here
Full StoryCHRISTMAS20 DIY Ornaments to Give or Keep
From classic to quirky, easy to more involved, these Christmas ornaments will perk up your tree or make a great gift
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGarden Myths to Debunk as You Dig This Fall and Rest Over Winter
Termites hate wood mulch, don’t amend soil for trees, avoid gravel in planters — and more nuggets of garden wisdom
Full StoryFALL GARDENING5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
Improve your soil and yard the organic way with a valuable garden booster that grows on trees
Full StoryCURB APPEALTake Your Hell Strip to Heavenly Heights: 8 Design Ideas
Trade weedy dirt and trash for a parking strip filled with wispy grasses, low-growing flowers and textural trees
Full StoryOUTBUILDINGSMy Houzz: Simply Escapist in Santa Cruz
Thrifty furnishings and a romantic willow tree turn a backyard cabin into a comfy, unpretentious hideaway
Full StoryTHE ART OF ARCHITECTUREOutside In: You, Me and Nature, Cozy Together
From reclaimed tree trunks to soaring coastal views, designers and homeowners are finding ways to bring the inspiring outdoors inside
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Garden Combo: 3 Wonderful Plants for a Deer-Resistant Screen
Protect your privacy and keep deer at bay with a planting trio that turns a problem garden area into a highlight
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES10 Tips to Start a Garden — Can-Do Ideas for Beginners
Green up your landscape even if you're short on time, money and knowledge, with these manageable steps for first-time gardeners
Full Story
Mike McGarvey