What's eating my rhubarb leaves?

[JohnD]

it looks like caterpillar damage, but surely this is too early and too cold? It has been cool and dry here, so not many slugs to be seen, and I have scattered pellets.

I had no caterpillar spray, so used a greenfly spray but the damage continued, have used a fruit & veg bug spray today that is supposed to kill caterpillars and most other pests.

It is certainly not a small insect as great patches of the leaves get eaten in a single night.

I grew the plants from seed last year so quite small and may not withstand attack.

 

[snico]

Sound like caterpillars. I was trimming a plant on my pergola last week, and about 20 plus, pretty big caterpillars fell off it!

They must be out already.

 

[enyam]

I would have thought its more than likely slugs.Them blighters just love new tender leaves.You can make a pesticide from the leaves so I wonder if caterpillars actually eat them.

 

[billyclo]

it looks like caterpillar damage, but surely this is too early and too cold? It has been cool and dry here, so not many slugs to be seen, and I have scattered pellets.

I had no caterpillar spray, so used a greenfly spray but the damage continued, have used a fruit & veg bug spray today that is supposed to kill caterpillars and most other pests.

It is certainly not a small insect as great patches of the leaves get eaten in a single night.

I grew the plants from seed last year so quite small and may not withstand attack.

After reading your topic i went out in the garden tonight about 8.30 pm with my torch and there it was a big snail chomping away at the leaves on my rhubarb i was surprised to see it as i had put down slug pellets last week to no avail i planted them this year are snails amune to those?

 

[JohnD]

I used the fruit and vegetable bug spray, then I saw a light-brown fat caterpillar on the ground, about 10mm x 35mm so I sprayed more thoroughly. It might have fallen out of the bay tree which is looking a bit webby.

Also added more slug pellets

Fingers crossed, the damage may have died down now.

 

[billyclo]

I used the fruit and vegetable bug spray, then I saw a light-brown fat caterpillar on the ground, about 10mm x 35mm so I sprayed more thoroughly. It might have fallen out of the bay tree which is looking a bit webby.

Also added more slug pellets

Fingers crossed, the damage may have died down now.

The slug pellets i put down first were organic, The ones i applied tonight are the proper blue type from garden centre.every thing should be ok now.

 

[Susiejb]

Could you put something around the base of the stem to stop them climbing up, or do the leaves touch the ground, apparently coffee grounds are excellent, crushed egg shell, or you could use a tub of beer which of course is good for drowning them.
One consolation is you only eat the stems not the leaves so hopefully the best bit remains intact.

 

[billyclo]

I have used beer before it is a good option

 

[Ingenia]

Forget pesticides! If it's snails or slugs eating your plants pennies are an easy solution. They won't touch copper - there's some sort of chemical reaction between their slimy underbits and the copper that they don't like. Some garden centres will actually sell rolls of copper mesh that you can put around your plants. Pennies are cheaper, certainly, but they won't work as well if they get lost in the dirt.

 

[JohnD]

it was caterpillars, so I sprayed them.

I also use slug pellets which are very effective used regularly. British pennies are made of plated steel.