Hi Carol,

I didn't do anything at all to get the second flush of leaves without holes.

I think in the older flush the big holes are slug dinner evidence, and the little teeny holes are where I broadcast pre-emergent herbicide and it hit the leaves and then began to dissolve. This can happen with granular fertilizer too. It's a sloppy practice and I've stopped doing it.

Lainey

Hi Lainy,

Gosh, we wish we knew for sure, she did not broadcast any thing,execpy on the ground, around her hosta, and she has SEVERAL hundred hosta,all are affected with these white spots that turn into holes,what do you think, could this be slug damage?,they look just like your picture,all of them.I wish she would post and talk to some of you.I will call her,see if she will.Thanks,Carol

Hi all, I'm Carol's neighbor with all the hostas that have holes in them. As Carol mentioned this is my second year with this problem and I do have a lot of hostas and they are all infected. They start out as a tiny white spot and then turn into a hole. I have seen a few other pictures of hostas on this forum with holes in them too. I am at a loss as to what this problem is and what to do about it. If it is SLUGS then I must have a million of those little critters. We sprayed last year and this year with "seven" thinking it was a bug. I don't see bugs, but I do see what looks like a few specks of dirt under the leaves and when you pick it off it does smash and look like a really tiny tiny bug. My husband also sprays "hinder" all the time to keep the deer from munching on the hostas. I often wondered if this might have something in it that is causing the holes, like a burn. But then we have used hinder for years and the holes just started the last 2 years. It is frustrating to have all these beautiful hostas and then see their looks ruined by holes!!! Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

go out after dark and look for slugs...

put down a piece of 2x4 .. and check under it every day for slugs ...

piece of refuse lettuce at night ...

check FAQ's for slug hunting techniques ...

try the search function also ...

denial of the problem does NOT lead to slug depression and them leaving for a garden that loves them more.. you MUST be proactive ...

sevin is useless on hosta .. slugs are not bugs.. they are mullosks ... bug-a-cide is not mullosk-cide ... you wont kill a slug with a crabgrass killer ... follow ...

ken

Ken, I am not in denial that I have slugs. We sprayed with seven in case it was "bugs making the holes", we were not spraying seven to kill slugs. I was just trying to find out if it was a bug or if it was slugs making the holes. If it is slugs, like I said... I must have a million of them! How could they have gotten so bad in 2 years when I didn't have them before? Just trying to get answers. Thanks

This doesn't sound like slugs to me. Maybe earwigs?? I was at a tour garden a few years back where all the Hostas had these tiny holes and everyone talking about it were pretty much in agreement that it was earwig damage.

I know it drives a gardener nuts if there's a problem and they can't figure out what is causing it. Yes, I looked at the picture, and it was very much like what I saw a few years ago. Every plant in the garden exhibited the same tiny holes in the leaves. Too bad, because there was some nice specimen plants there.
I hope your friend solves the problem!
Rox

Thank you rox,

Nancy,are you out there? Earwigs!!!! Maybe..

See, there really are "some"-most! nice people here, don't stop from coming by.

Carol

Hostarox thanks for the input. This is what confuses me so much. If I do have slugs is that what they do, leave a white spot that turns into a hole? It's the white spots that come before the holes that makes me think it's not slugs. Maybe I have both slugs and bugs! I still wonder about the black specks under the leaves that seem to smash like a bug, these are very very tiny. I searched the internet last night trying to get more answers but nothing seemed to help. I will keep searching, I am not in denial about slugs, I just want to know for sure so I can use the correct treatment to get rid of this problem. It's those darn white spots before the holes that drive me nuts!!!

Nah, it's not earwigs. Being a research scientist, I naturally figured a little research could bring some light to this puzzle. So I did my research and it turns out that flea beetles cause damage just like buckshot to the leaves. Teeny buckshot, that is. Since I've seen other evidence of flea beetles on my plants, I'm suggesting that's what you've got, and Sevin should do the trick. BIG BUTT here, you'll kill the ladybugs as well, so you may want to re-think putting Sevin down, because the damage is done and the flea beetles have gone onto a new phase of their life cycles where they don't eat plants.

Lainey

Hi Lainey,

Thank you for this information, nice to have a research scintist on board,if you don't mind one more question, what would one do in the early part of the growing season to get rid of these little buggers?

They sure ruin the looks of your garden.
Again, thank you,

Carol

Lainey, tomorrow I will look for flea beetles, but I don't recall seeing anything like that. I also haven't seen many earwigs around. I would love to go on a slug hunt tonight but the mosquitoes are TERRIBLE out there. I'd look like the hosta leaves when they got through with me! What do you think of thripes? Someone told me last year it could be thripes. I also have a lot of roses and something has been turning their leaves into lace. I have found little green worms on those leaves but never have found these on the hosta leaves. It's a bad year for pests in the garden, must be from all the rain.

Okay my husband and I just got done pulling all our hostas and ground cover b/c of those yucky green worms they were everywhere,,everything was eaten and had holes only a small patch of ground cover was green..I don't think I helped the cause b/c I bought slug killer and broadcasted it as the directions stated and I think I helped kill or damage my plants..my husband had seen a slug but not as many as the doggone green worms and there were so many in the soil..help what are those green worms!! I worry about my other plants now...and ps: I will not use the slug killer again..I tried beer but the wild life around here must be thirsty :-)