Little Green catepillars
Sloppy
Posts: 11
I noticed that my sweetpea plant in a pot was going brown and dying, and thought it was under watered. However on closer inspection it has lots of little green caterpillars munching my plant to death. I had the same thing on my geraniums last year and just kept picking them off. I have done this this morning on my sweetpeas but there are loads of leaves. Is there any other method of getting rid of these caterpillars.
0
Posts
Picking them off really is the best way ... and attract birds to the area so they can feast on them.
Using any insecticide will kill all insects, including the bees, lacewing, and ladybirds .......... and don't forget, most caterpillars turn butterflies and moths which pollinate our flowers
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hi Sloppy,
I usually just pick them off the plants. If the infestation is really severe you could prune it to get rid of most and then pick off the remaining ones. Also, if a plant is getting eaten, I fertilize it. That usually helps them snap back faster.
Many thanks for your replies. Yes I have picked off over 20 of them this morning. We do have a lot of birds but next door has lots of bird feeders and so I think this is filling the birds up instead.
I have not seen any ladybirds this year but would be grateful for some to eat the greenfly and whitefly on my poor pepper plant. This plant growing malarky is not as easy as it seems and I have just got back into it now my daughter has grown up and I get more time to myself. So picking off and fertilising it is then.