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wtf's eating this pepper?

boutros

boutros

IMG_2069.jpg


It looks like it's getting serrated on the edges to start. New growth is almost always the first to go, but whole bigger leaves eventually go down to the center rib as well. I can't find any caterpillars. Have earwigs around, but I thought they left more holes than anything.

I've never used any pesticides other than pyritherin insecticidal soap or bacillus thuringus (sp)for catapillers. Never really needed to. Any body have any guesses or suggestions on pest control? Thanks!
 
Man, whatever it is it sure deserves to be punished!

I think I've had similar damage (but less) done by earwigs. But to be sure you might have to sneak up on them after midnight, when they crawl out to do their evil.

/pb
 
Neem OilNeem Oil Neem Oil Neem Oil Neem Oil.

Neem Oil.

I'm with IGG, it's probably caterpillars- regardless of what it is, neem oil will kill it if you use it properly.

Get some BioNEEM and follow the directions- specifically about spraying UNDER the leaves. Also, use very cold water in the mix. Spray Spray SPRAY. Spray again. Then spray it again tomorrow, then again the next day. Then in about another week (even if you don't see signs of the bastards) do it again about three days in a row- that will kill off the hatchlings when they come out, if there are any. The trick is to do it more than once- if you just do it one time it will not work. You have to repeatedly harass the bastards until they realize it ain't worth the trouble.

I recently recovered from a full on attack by spider mites and neem oil did the trick. If the plant is in a planter you can also wrap the planter up in a trash bag and fill a five gallon bucket full of COLD water with the proper neem oil mix and dunk the plant in it. Then the next day do it again. Regardless of what bug is macking on the plant a solid neem oil bath will cure them right up. I did this to two plants that would fit in a bucket and it worked great and the plants were no worse for wear- definitely no worse than being the friggin' daily dinner for the little bastards.
 
Thanks all for your input. Bummer, I was at a hydro place today and saw neem oil. It just didn't register as I was there for other stuff. I'm usually good at finding the green caterpillars. And I plan on doing some late night lurking later. I sometimes see these brown ones in the dirt when I really dig and move it around. Are those cutworms?
 
I'm with the others boutros...check for worms...whatever it is has to be stopped...
 
I don't think it's a hornworm cat, when I had one it ate the whole leaf, rib and all. I thought it was deer damage until I spotted the bastard. They really blend in well, you have to look hard.
 
klorentz said:
Look out for snails and slugs too. Both are very common in Southern California.


Kevin
Click to expand...

I'm out in OC and I haven't put in peepers outside yet, but I have a lot of snails / sluggs. I put a line of flat copper along the bed and they don't dare cross the line. Not sure what it does, but it has worked better than any other chemical sluggo I've used in the past.
 
Good idea on the copper. I watered a heavily mulched bed of serranos and Hungarian yellow wax peppers today and saw a ton of earwigs fleeing the scene. I made some traps I read about on uptightweb-


You invert a cut water bottle top towards the bottom and throw some cat food in there. Then bury it so the top is at soil level (and I made one that just sits on top to experiment) We'll see if it works tonight. And I'm still going to neem oil. Got a good 360 sprayer bottle from the hydro place.
 
I usally get an old newspaper add a 1/2 can of cat food in the middle and roll it up as tight as possible. Then wrap one end really tight with string. Leave overnight and in the morning just pick the whole thing up and throw it away. I usually spay the end with some type of raid before it hits the can to make sure they are dead first.
 
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