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Is this slug damage on my Hosta?

ErgatesErgates Posts: 2,072
Does this look like slug damage or something else? 


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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,740
    edited April 2022
    Looks like it … or their pals the snails 🐌 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • ErgatesErgates Posts: 2,072
    Oh no! Looks like I’d better start a torchlight search routine tonight.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 3,567
    @Ergates It could also be hail damage.
    RETIRED GARDENER, SOUTH NOTTS, SOIL CLAY

    A garden is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty.

    Dan Pearson
  • ErgatesErgates Posts: 2,072
    Don’t think we have had hail since they started really opening their leaves. There is an identical plant in an adjoining pot, with no damage at all, so it looks as if it is something specific to that pot / plant. I’ll see what I can see after dark tonight.
  • B3B3 Posts: 24,458
    The slug or snail had a nibble before it opened.
    As soon as the shoots break surface, I sprinkle just  a few slug pellets and look out for trails.  They are most vulnerable when they poke their heads above the parapet.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • ErgatesErgates Posts: 2,072
    Removed three very small slugs around 10pm last night. Went out again at 5 am and found one on the other plant, which hasn’t been showing signs of attack as yet. Haven’t had any slug pellets for a few years now, so it looks as if it will be a nightly patrol. I will also start spraying the sides of the very tall pot cover with kitchen cleaner to try and deter any from climbing up.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 3,567
    @Ergates I had hoped it might be hail but guess that was optomistic
    RETIRED GARDENER, SOUTH NOTTS, SOIL CLAY

    A garden is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty.

    Dan Pearson
  • I find that a good layer of horticultural grit deters the snails as they don’t like crawling across it to their breakfast/lunch/dinner.  We hardly ever have any slugs here so that’s a bonus! 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 50,262
    I find that a good layer of horticultural grit deters the snails as they don’t like crawling across it to their breakfast/lunch/dinner. 
    Nothing deters them here - shells, grit etc. They happily crawl up the house walls, which are a shell finish on render   :)
    Definitely slugs/snail on the hosta. It's often the small ones that do the most damage. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ErgatesErgates Posts: 2,072
    Checked plants at bedtime, and again at 3am ( I was awake anyway, made OH laugh though, when he asked where I was off to with my headlight torch and reading glasses )
    Found one more tiny slug. Will keep a close eye out. Never had any success with grit or abrasive surfaces in the past.
    presumably, they are hatching from eggs in the soil? If I can stop new slugs arriving, anyone know how long might it take to stop an infestation in the pot?
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