Greenbean Leaf Thief

annascott

Something is eating my greenbean leaves. They are only a few weeks old and doing really well, but something has started to tear huge holes in the leaves. Some of the smaller plants have bee stripped completely. Has anyone any idea what it might be or how to prevent this?

I don't want to use anything poisonous.

ferrigan101

annascott wrote: »

Something is eating my greenbean leaves. They are only a few weeks old and doing really well, but something has started to tear huge holes in the leaves. Some of the smaller plants have bee stripped completely. Has anyone any idea what it might be or how to prevent this?

I don't want to use anything poisonous.

I've only just started gardening myself, but found loads of earwigs eating my tomato plants a few weeks back. Could it be that?

To get rid of them I rolled up a newspaper and scrunched up one end with an elastic band then made it a bit moist and left it beside the plants over night. They all "moved in" to the newspaper and I disposed of it in the morning.

Maybe go out after dark with a torch and have a look?

genuine leather

If you could post up a pic it would be easier to identify.
Which variety of green bean have you sown?
As ferrigan suggested, a night prowl could show you your culprits:mad:

Technophobe

Could be caterpillars...loads of different ones around this year

annascott

It is slugs! I went out at 2am with a torch and found them all over the place. Some large and others tiny. I don't even know how they got to my plants. Do they really slime up the side of the containers, across the soil, up the stalks and on to the leaves? There are hardly any leaves left now. It is getting ridiculous.

Any advice on how to get rid of them without using anything dangerous? I was thinking of putting salt around the base of each stalks, but would that kill the plant too?

genuine leather

If you rub a light coating of vaseline an inch or so wide around the outside of the pot the slugs wont cross it. Also beer traps, crushed egg shells around the base of the plant.