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Something eating my Bhut Jolokia leaves?

Everyday new leaves look like they're getting chomped on. There are no signs of mites, aphids, beetles, etc. and my plants live on my deck, so no mammals should be getting them right?

 
hogleg said:
Horn worm maybe
 
I've looked everywhere for worms man. Nowhere to be found!
 
I sprayed the plant with soapy water and sprinkled some chili powder on the leaves. Hopefully this works.
 
Sorry to hear you're going through this. I am as well, but my problem was some caterpillar-type bugs. Hope the soap/chili powder works for you!
 
Mate I had the exact same thing a few days ago on my Orange Bhut and 7 pot Jonah plants. Couldn't find who it was.
 
I ended up chopping some of the worst leaves and sprayed the plants with some soapy water every day on top and under the leaves. And this seemed to have stopped now. Hopefully it works for you as well but worked mint for me.
 
Might be slugs, you have to check at night or very early in the morning to catch em in the act. Had the same problem last year with leaves being chewed on and not being able to find any caterpillars or such and checked late at night and sure enough a couple of fat slugs were munching away
 
Scorched said:
Might be slugs, you have to check at night or very early in the morning to catch em in the act. Had the same problem last year with leaves being chewed on and not being able to find any caterpillars or such and checked late at night and sure enough a couple of fat slugs were munching away
 
Maybe.... I see slugs outside my house a lot at night, especially when it rain. It rained today so maybe they'll be out there. I'll check in a bit. If this is the case, the mix of the salt in the chili powder should surely irritate the fuck out of them. LET'S PRAY.
SentencedToBurn said:
Mate I had the exact same thing a few days ago on my Orange Bhut and 7 pot Jonah plants. Couldn't find who it was.
 
I ended up chopping some of the worst leaves and sprayed the plants with some soapy water every day on top and under the leaves. And this seemed to have stopped now. Hopefully it works for you as well but worked mint for me.
 
You may have had a case of mites or something. Glad that worked for you!
 
There are lots of suspects but I'd guess something more like beetles, leafcutters, grasshoppers, etc. because of the way the leaves are cut out.  Often pests are easier to find after dark or in the morning.
 
Dave2000 said:
There are lots of suspects but I'd guess something more like beetles, leafcutters, grasshoppers, etc. because of the way the leaves are cut out.  Often pests are easier to find after dark or in the morning.
none of my other plants are getting eaten up like this though. It's strictly on my bhut jolokia.
 
^  Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason why bugs will pick a certain plant, or even just one leaf on one particular plant.  Is it on the end of a row or closer to a wooded area or cooler at some point in the day or further from a big spider web or ???
 
Dave2000 said:
^  Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason why bugs will pick a certain plant, or even just one leaf on one particular plant.  Is it on the end of a row or closer to a wooded area or cooler at some point in the day or further from a big spider web or ???
The plant is literally right under a spider web
 
Then my best guess is that for whatever reason it is in the path of more insects prompting the spider to pick that area, more insects making it higher risk.   As for animals or slugs, I don't have experience with the wildlife in MD but around here animals take a big chunk out not a cut looking area and when slugs damage plants the leaves were near or on the ground and the damage looks like holes and trails rather than cuts.  I did leave out one suspect - Ants., though spiders far less often build webs in response to ants.
 
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