Hosta question..What to use to prevent leaf eating bugs?? (hostas, leaves)
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Hi, Thanks in advance for any replies. My hubby and I put in a nice hosta bed last year, really lucked out and bought essentially a ready made hosta bed from the new home owners who didn't like flowers Anyway....got some leaf eating bugs later in the season. I used powder...this year I thought I might try a Neem spray. Any suggestions regarding what to use....and I love home remedy type things too...Suggest away.Thanks
We have many varieties of hostas, and all are basically 'bug free'...slugs occasionally, but handpicking for a few days in a row, at night or before sunrise, really knocks them back.
We live in 'the woods', on a mtn ridge at 5,000 ft, but 'bugs on our hostas' just don't happen. What kind of 'bugs', indeed...
GL, mD
Hostas really don't get bugs as much as slugs - try ditomaceous earth...I've also used grits and cornmeal. Or let 'em go happy, drown 'em in beer.
I have tried the earth stuff..can't spell it either LOL. I do use a slug bait. It seems to be something that lands on top of the leaves. But thank you all for the replys!!
Have you tried little bowls of beer sunk in the soil, or jar lids of it? I seem to drown out a number of them every year, but I have more success with the gritty stuff. There's something in that link about using copper, but I've never tried that one. Sounds kind of messy anyway! The only other thing I can think of is whiteflies?
Slugs used to have a field day munching on my hostas till i found out about ammonia. There are many ammonia to water ratios online, so I don't think it matters how much you use. Generally I'll mix around 1/4 ammonia to 3/4 water in a spray bottle, shake well, and spray on my hostas once a week or so.
Since I started using ammonia several years ago my hostas have been just fine
The ammonia also acts as a fertilizer. If your hostas are in the sun part of the day, spray them while their shaded or early in the morning or in the evening.
Thanks for the tip...I'll research the formula and maybe try it.
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Anyway....got some leaf eating bugs later in the season. I used powder...this year I thought I might try a Neem spray. Any suggestions regarding what to use....and I love home remedy type things too...Suggest away.Thanks