Identifying garden pests How to figure out who's eating your plants

What animal is eating my plants at night?
How do you identify what is eating my plants?
Is there an app for identifying garden pests?
How do I identify pests in my garden?
How do I keep bugs from eating my plants?
How do I stop animals from eating my plants?
What can I spray on my flowers to keep bugs from eating them?
What is eating my flowers at night?
Why do my plants have holes in the leaves?
Is there an app to detect plant diseases?

What animal is eating my plants at night?

Many caterpillars, beetles, and especially earwigs and slugs, feed at night and hide during the day. Handpicking caterpillars, beetles and slugs and dropping them into soapy water can be effective in home vegetable gardens.

How do you identify what is eating my plants?

What's Eating My Garden Leaves?

So something is eating holes in plant leaves. ...
Rabbits, rats, and possums will take away large chunks closer to the ground. ...
Caterpillars of a huge number of varieties may be drawn to your plants. ...
Sawflies chew holes that don't go all the way through the leaf, making it look intact but transparent.

Is there an app for identifying garden pests?

Many nature apps can help you identify just about any plant or animal using the camera on your smartphone. ... INaturalist allows you to take photos of any plant or animal and upload it. Information about where and when you saw it, recorded by your smartphone, is added automatically.

How do I identify pests in my garden?

You can identify pest damage in one of two ways: You see the insect or the damage it causes. Use chemical sprays only as a last resort. Where possible, try pest traps and barriers, biological controls and organic sprays first.

How do I keep bugs from eating my plants?

To control these bugs:

Wash plants with strong spray of water.
Encourage native predators and parasites such as aphid midges, lacewings, and lady beetles.
When feasible, cover plants with floating row covers.
Apply hot-pepper or garlic repellent sprays.

How do I stop animals from eating my plants?

Here is a look at the options.

Put in a barrier fence. Among the most foolproof deterrents are physical barriers like fences. ...
Spray Them Away. ...
Scare them off. ...
Plant their least-favorite foods. ...
Plants Deer Dislike. ...
Spring-blooming perennials. ...
Summer-blooming perennials. ...
Groundcovers.

What can I spray on my flowers to keep bugs from eating them?

Mix a pinch with a few drops of dishwashing liquid in a quart of water, and then spray your blooms and the leaves, especially the undersides where small bugs like to hide. Alternatively, mix 5 parts water with 2 parts rubbing alcohol and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid for another effective spray.

What is eating my flowers at night?

There's a good chance earwigs are eating your plants. They feed at night and hide during the day in shady, moist areas under plants, flowerpots or mulch. Since they chew holes in both leaves and petals, the plants have a ragged look. To discourage them, reduce watering and eliminate thick mulches.

Why do my plants have holes in the leaves?

Slugs are the most common cause of holes in leaves, but they often remain unseen because they feed at night. Sometimes larger slugs eat leaves from the edge inward, but small slugs make irregular holes inside leaves, as shown in the chard leaf on the right in the above photo. Slug holes always have smooth green edges.

Is there an app to detect plant diseases?

Plantix turns your Android phone into a mobile crop doctor with which you can accurately detect pests and diseases on crops within seconds. Plantix serves as a complete solution for crop production and management.