what is munching my hibiscus flowers?

[miss djax]

its dark or i'd take a picture, but something is destroy my hibiscus!! about half an inch down from each new bud, before it blooms, i'll see a faint circle all the wa around the stem. then the bud pops off, and the whole stem dies. any ideas? i'll add a pic tomorrow.

my poor hibiscus!!

[Valheru]

Could be some caterpillar or other pest. Take a careful look in the daylight.

[premjan]

snail?

[miss djax]

so far i haven't seen anything on there. maybe i'm missing them?? i'll take a closer look in the light and post pix tomorrow.

[premjan]

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/TOPIC_Hibiscus_Pest_Insects

[miss djax]

holy crap those are nasty!!!! obviously i am NOT looking closely enough at the plant *shudder* they're tiny to boot!!

[miss djax]

ok, i have seen those bugs in the first example, the cotton stainer, in my yard. will bacillius get rid of them??

[Ray Moscow]

ok, i have seen those bugs in the first example, the cotton stainer, in my yard. will bacillius get rid of them??

Unfortunately, I've got no idea.

I usually try the low-tech or biological controls first since I don't like using a lot of pesticides in the garden.

[Christina]

A good way to find some kinds of pests is to take a flashlight and look at the plant right before dawn if you can. Some only come out at night when it's cool.

[miss djax]

ok, i have seen those bugs in the first example, the cotton stainer, in my yard. will bacillius get rid of them??

Unfortunately, I've got no idea.

I usually try the low-tech or biological controls first since I don't like using a lot of pesticides in the garden.

i'm with you on that. bacillus seems pretty innocuous. maybe it will help?

[Christina]

There are lots of organic ways to go about pest control. I've found this site (http://www.organicgardenpests.com/) to be pretty helpful and when all else fails our garden centers sell a lot of organic products.

I've yet to find anything that isn't a heavy chemical that will wipe out a red ants nest. We have a lot of them here and they bite. I've seen people use gasoline and repeated applications of straight bleach but I don't want to do that.

[miss djax]

ok so i took a pic. i didn't have time to upload it before work. it looks like cluster of dirt under the leaves. i couldn't get a decent pic but i did get one of the carnage. i'll get that up tonite.

thanks for the site, christina!! my poor hibiscus, its about hte only thing that will make it thru the summer, if these buggy bastages don't get it first!!

[miss djax]

here's a pic of the hibiscus, post munch. you can see how something just knocks off the flower bud and then the whole stem dies.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y98/sloane20/IMG_0311.jpg

[Valheru]

What's that brown discolouration on the leaves on the left in the background (where it's in focus?)

[Christina]

I only have one that I keep in a big pot and move inside when it's cold but I've had that happen to mine too. I've never been sure what it was but a douse of organic spray got rid of it right away.

[miss djax]

What's that brown discolouration on the leaves on the left in the background (where it's in focus?)

dust and debris - we had a big ole dust storm. i saw that in the pic and had to go back out and look again. :D

[miss djax]

I only have one that I keep in a big pot and move inside when it's cold but I've had that happen to mine too. I've never been sure what it was but a douse of organic spray got rid of it right away.

cool - so its treatable. whats organic spray?

[Christina]

cool - so its treatable. whats organic spray?

I've had good luck with Safer (http://www.saferbrand.com/store/garden-care) products even when I'm not sure what the pest or disease is.

[Ray Moscow]

I use a concoction made from plant oils and such which is supposedly hell on soft-bodied insects.

Organic pest control (http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0901/mealybug.asp)

Organic treatments include fatty acids (Bayer Organic Pest Control, Greenfingers Organic Pest Spray or Doff Greenfly and Blackfly Killer) or plant oils or extracts (Growing Success Fruit & Veg Bug Killer, Vitax Organic 2 in 1 Pest and Disease Control, Scotts Bug Clear for Fruit & Veg). These organic pesticides have a contact action and short persistence and so may require frequent use. They can be used on edible plants.

[miss djax]

thanks, guys!! i'm off to the nursery tonite to get some stuff for my flowers. i'll post updates :)