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green_frog

alright...what's EATING my coleus?

green_frog
19 years ago

Are July and August pretty much an open buffet for any nocturnal squishy thing? I'm dealing with a minor "slug" event in my shade garden and have been "hunting" after dark with the very recommended "ammonia and h20" spray. It works GREAT for the hostas...they seem quite happy and hole free. But I'm assuming that these little slimy suckers are ALSO chomping on my coleus as they are in the same bed so I've been spraying them, too. But they seem to be even holier the next day. DO slugs EAT coleus, too? They don't seem to care for dark, ruffly inky fingers, but they are BIG fans of the tender greens and buttercream mixes. And on some leaves, the lighter ones, the edges have a brown stained effect - like they have been burnt although NONE of the plants get anything more than daytime dappled shade.

Does anyone know if the ammonia sparay could be hurting the coleus or if the coffee grounds that I've been sprinkling around the hostas is not to their liking? Do coleus mind a bit of acidity?

any ideas, thoughts, revelations or "DON'T DO THAT, GARDEN NEWBIE!" would be most appreciated. :)))

Comments (13)

  • Kat SE Wisconsin z5
    19 years ago

    I've never heard of using ammonia and water on plants. But that doesn't mean anything. Myself, I wouldn't use ammonia. JMHO, I think it could be too harsh on the leaves. When I have those problems, I use a hot pepper spray. I've never had a problem using that. I've used that on quite a few different plants. I've read on another forum here that a lady used Tabasco sauce and water. I don't remember if she said how much. I don't think the coffee grounds will hurt anything. I use them on all my household plants. Only my hubby drinks coffee at home so I don't have much of those. But my house plants are doing fine after years of this.
    Good luck on your problem!

    Kat

  • green_frog
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Hiya, Kat! The HOSTA forum taught me the ammonia and h20...but that was for the hostas and slug control...unfortunately the coleus and hostas hang out together in the same bed...so they have been getting it too. :)) i think i'll try the hot pepper spray. Are you talking about the kind you would use on a mugger or something else? thanks! ;))

  • Kat SE Wisconsin z5
    19 years ago

    I make my own spray. I use about a jar of dried hot peppers, soak them in a gallon of water for a day, then strain it. I use an old spray bottle like Windex. When I spray, I just do the ground around the area, the stems and some lower leaves. I don't do the whole plant because they don't even want to climb up them when the stems are sprayed.
    Good luck!

    Kat

  • Kat SE Wisconsin z5
    19 years ago

    Green frog, I finally found the post about that tobasco sauce. It was about repelling JBs, but I'm sure it would work on any other leaf eating bug.

    Kat

    Here is a link that might be useful: hot sauce for bugs!

  • chloedonnas
    7 years ago

    Something ate an entire coleus plant of mine overnight. It also likes basil and a type of succulent that hangs and has a grassy look. It eats the little grassy leaves off the stems. I haven't seen any sign of slugs. At first I thought it was a rat, but don't know that one could eat an entire plant at one time. I am baffled. These plants are in baskets that hang from a fence, and I have never had this problem before. Right now I am covering them at night with the cloth used for frost protection, putting a roll of wire behind each basket and bells attached. I have tried hot pepper and it seems to like it! I just started this procedure last night and all was undisturbed this morning, but don't know that I want to go to that much trouble every night. May have to give up on it. Any ideas?

  • chloedonnas
    7 years ago

    Are squirrels nocturnel? If so, could be. Someone also suggested possums. Not sure what they eat. Anyway, so far covering them at night is working - so whatever it is isn't trying to rip off the covering.

  • Cynthia Borys
    6 years ago

    same problem...but the coleus are in planters....could it be pesky chipmunks?

  • Kat SE Wisconsin z5
    6 years ago

    Chipmunks or squirrels probably. I have both of them running around where I live, but they've never bothered any of my plants or planters except for the squirrels digging in them. They really don't do any harm though. I guess I've really been lucky. How about putting some blood meal on the top of the soil in pots. Might repel them.

    Kat

  • pcampbell4
    6 years ago

    I brought these bags of large leaf coleus and elephant ears at Costco that were to thrive in sun or shade, because I live in an area that is considered to be very dry. July, the coleus and elephant ears did make an appearance but it was for two days because something ate them down to the ground. I have turtles and I thought it was them so me and hubby so we put a fence around them to keep the turtles out. Now the leaves are coming back and this time the leaves look like they have been sawed off (but eaten all the same) Can anyone HELP me?

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    6 years ago

    I have watched a squirrel pull leaves off of Coleus plants and take them up into a tree. I couldn't see what happened after that.

  • Steven Horak
    5 years ago

    Just this afternoon, near dusk, I watched a possum happily munching on my beautiful purple coleus, down to the dirt... Oh well...

  • HU-36131879
    4 years ago

    Just happened to me last night! We have a gopher problem, thinking its that