eaten eggplants

[rochall]

Hi guys,
Posted theese pics on the wrong side earlier, hopefully ye might kniw whats eating then, i also found a green fly on a leaf that was about the size of a house fly.
Nearly forgot to ask, can I prune back my courgette plant, it is getting a bit out of hand.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Rochall, with your courgette plant the simple answer is no! The plant needs it's leaves for photosynthesis to produce energy. Courgette plants are really big!!

[woodpile]

I would hazzard a guess at some kind of caterpillar or slug/snail (but it could also be capsid or flea beetle),these are the four main middle leaf munchers to the best of my knowledge. The best way to find out is to go out at late at night or very early in the morning with a torch to see if you can spot them.

You should, of course, prune off any old, badly damaged, diseased and dead leaves, but, like Lesley says, if you want lots of courgettes, you need lots of leaves to build up reserves. If you aren't too worried about high yield, you could afford to remove a few leaves but the drawback is the plant may expend more energy replacing these instead of producing quality fruit.

Another thought would be to remove a good leaf in the evening and place it on the ground with the stem in a bowl of water (to prevent immediate wilting) to act as bait for the muncher as it "may" remain under there until after sunrise, maybe.

Another alternative is to grow a few sacrificial lettuce at the base assuming whatever it is eats those as well, but in the end, if it is not doing too much harm, maybe just accept the damage as natures surcharge.

[rochall]

Thanks for the info, will try and find out who the culprit is tonight.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Rochall, I think I would be tempted to agree with Woodpile's suggestion of flea beetle. The flea beetles eat lots of holes out of the leaves so that the leaves end up looking as if they have been hit with a shotgun. If it is flea beetles they will be hard to spot as they are so very tiny and jump off the plant as you approach. See if you are able to spot any tiny black insects jumping into the air.

[rochall]

I have had a look and can find no sign of caterpillars or slugs, if it is flea beetles how should I get rid of them without spraying? Thanks again.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Rochall, the adult flea beetle lays it's eggs in the ground around the plant and then when they hatch out the larvae feed on the roots - which apparently shouldn't cause the plant significant damage. To stop the next generation of adults emerging from the ground you can use a weed suppressing membrane and a thick layer of mulch around the plants.

I have read a tip for hanging yellow sticky fly tapes over the plants to catch the beetles. Also waving the sticky fly tapes over the plants and disturbing the leaves to catch them. Garlic spray is also recommended which is diced garlic steeped in plenty of water with a very tiny drop of washing up liquid added, but not the anti-bacterial stuff. However you must test this on just one leaf to see if the leaf turns yellow after a couple of days. But it also kills beneficial insects aswell.

[rochall]

I think I found one of the little lads, he was more brown than black. I will give the garlic a go. I will let you know how it goes. Many thanks.