What’s eating my cordyline australis?

katie_heath

Hello, Does anyone recognise these nibbled leaves? See pics. I’ve 3 cordylines and all are effected. I cant see any bugs on them apart from a different type of spider on two of them. See pics. The cordylines were dying a while back and just before I lost hope lovely new growth started in the centres but now they are getting bitten to shreds.... please help! Many thanks in advance.

Posy

Crumbs, Katie. You have to be tough to nibble those! Are you in the UK?

Hostafan1

That's not cordyline australis. 

Posy

Well, no, but what do you think is eating them, is the question.

katie_heath

Hello, Yes in the uk. I’m sure it’s cordyline australis variegata. (Bought in May this year still have the tag). This pic shows them in May before any issues, they are quite small. The top images show all the central nibbled leaves and now dark spots/lines etc...  

Fairygirl

Looks like slug /snail damage to me. They look more like phormiums. Snails love hiding in them.
There's a lot of brown /dying foliage for something that's not been planted very long.
Are they planted too deep, or with a mulch right up against them? 

katie_heath

Yes, they started to dye in July (these pics are from July) but after advice I re-planted with grit and the centres have lovely new green leaves so fingers crossed they will survive... who knows. Just annoying the good bits are getting eaten. I pulled off a couple of tiny tiny snails a couple of weeks ago. Would they sneak up at night and then vanish again? Do you have advice on keeping them away? The plants have about 15cm stems/trunks (sorry the first pics did not show the trunks well) copper rings around the trunks help maybe? 
Hoping to sort before winter simply kills them off...🐌 🥶 ❄️ 😕

Obelixx

Tiny snails can hide in th eleaves by day.  Their mums and dads will sneak down and hide and they'll be the ones doing the major chewing.  You need to go out at dusk with a torch and pick them off or else use some wildlife fiendly slug and snail pellets very sparingly.  Sprinkling too many just attracts the pests.  

Fairygirl

Ah - that's a better pic. It was a bit misleading before.  
As @Obelixx says - you need to pick them off, or use a few slug pellets.
If you look during the day, you'll often see them hiding in there. I regularly pick them out and squish them. 
The dead leaves can be pulled away. That's a normal process too, the shedding of old folaige, as it reveals the trunk as it grows. 

katie_heath

Thanks both for the advice, really helpful. I’ll be out tonight ready and waiting haha! 🤞

katie_heath

Morning peeps! Update if your interested! Thinking it may be weevils (is that what the pic shows?) and slugs/snails. I did not see anything on the plants last night when I checked a few times in the dark. But I did find these solitary creatures near... also a small slug. I think maybe wet weather will bring out the slugs so will watchout then... Just out of interest it would not be the woodlouse or tiny millipede would it?
Anyway @Obelixx thanks for the tip of going out with a touch. I’d never think to do that.