This is really bugging me now!

I have a little vine in a pot, with pretty lime leaves flushed with pink. It should be quite a big vine by now as I've had it 4 years.
I thought it didn't like being potted when I moved, as it has declined since then. It's turn came today to be planted, and I now know why it wasn't thriving! I have never seen so many bugs in one pot. There were 3 or 4 vine weevils but the main offenders were what I think are tiny chafer bugs- they are cream coloured, about 2-3mm long and have legs. The biggest have a browner head. I didn't know about these before I moved here and have mainly found them under grass. I carefully picked them all out and left them in a tray for the robin's attention- they dont seem to crawl away.
I've now put the vine in fresh soil in the greenhouse as it has loads of little roots, and am hoping it will recover....

[ 16. May 2006, 04:40 PM: Message edited by: Liz ]

 

Ah! The dreaded chafer grub! Like a larger version of a vine weevil but with legs. I have lost a lot of plants to these twin evils. Nematodes seem to be the only treatment for chafer grub but it's a bit early yet as the soil needs to warm up well before you dose an area.

Capital Gardens Just one site of many that do bio control

 

Twin evils indeed and ones that can only be treated organically. Even conventional gardening books admit that "chemicals available to the gardening public are ineffective". It is the vine weevils' larva that are the culprits. Not a problem in the open garden because other creatures attack them. Big problem in containers, but as the adults can't fly, you only have to prevent them from crawling into your pots to lay their eggs. A sticky band of grease around the base of your pots will suffice.

Chafer grubs are more of a problem, but they are tasty meals for lots of creatures. Blackbirds and starlings will remove them from your lawns.

 

I had thought that chafer grubs came only from the May bug, that silly blundering enormous beetle that bashes into lighted window panes at this time of year, and not common in my garden [I've seen 2 this year]. Not so. There are quite a few chafer beetlles, large and small, and all the grubs live under the soil and eat roots! I have never seen the largest described, a beautiful metallic green that likes roses. If its grubs grow larger than the May bugs' they must be fearsome beasties!
We do have a problem round here with creatures digging in the lawns to get at the grubs, but it isn't the birds, it's the badgers! They regularly attack my elderly neighbours' lawn at this time of year, leaving rather a mess. I think they leave mine alone because of the dogs.

 

Liz
We recently had a "Badger Battle" in the local press, where it was reported people were up in arms over the destruction they were causing.... anyway, an expert wrote in to say the best deterrent for Badgers is to "Mark" your territory. Apparantly it worked wonders!! Get your elderly neighbour to have a few mugs of tea, then do his marking!!!

 

If I was lucky enough to have badgers in my garden, they could do whatever they liked to my lawn.
People are funny!

 

Ok MF, but now I would like to apply this principle to my situation. :D We have heavy clay soil and the badgers are too lazy to bother with this, so they go for anything in containers that are full of nice soft compost! Putting in heavy gauge wire mesh bent down to go right down the sides and let the plants grow thro' was a suggested text book cure?

No bother to a badger, they come with a complete set of tools to deal with this (and I have a photo to show what they do) so have not been able to deal with this so far.

I havn't been bothered this year yet, but my new elderly next door neighbour asked why her new planted up container in the front garden was completely wrecked?

Now picture the scene, :D are you suggesting that I take one of Paladin's stone planters full of this stuff (as previously mentioned), and creep into my neightbours front garden and mark the territory? :D :D :D

Just how would I do it with dignity? :D :D

Surely it would....mmmm...like the staircase in a London underground station?

 

Is someone taking the peeeee here?

 

Electric fence powered by a car battery?

 

DAG..after a few cans .....Who carzzs who seezze yu?????????

[ 17. May 2006, 10:20 PM: Message edited by: Paladin ]

 

MF: Thanks for considered reply! :D

Joking aside, This is just one example of what a badger did to my carefully prepared badger-proofed container of bulbs in March 2005!



As you can see the wire mesh has been ripped out from the rear half and bent at right angles up and exposing the rear half of the container. I agree that they are fascinating creatures, and I wish them no harm, but I would rather they were in somebody elses garden!

Hornbeam: I did consider electric fences, researched this and apparently not very reliable as other plants/leaves etc. short it out and what a bother to set up and very expensive...for me perhaps a bit over the top, but thanks for the suggestion. Like your general approach to gardening by the way!

Paladin: Got any planters without holes in the bottom? :D :D

 

Made to order DAG!

Try going to your local Barbers and getting hair sweepings...Old tights filled with the stuff hung where the critters enter your garden really does work to turn 'em around....soaked in a little of the above mentioned also adds a certain extra...bouquet!