Posted: 8/24/2007 5:01:55 PM EDT
I was wondering what is wrong with a couple of my potato plants and what I can do to fix them. I would like to stay organic and chemical free if possible  Thanks. |
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It looks like slugs--can't know for sure without seeing the plants themselves. But that looks like slug damage. Potato bugs (least around here) are more "sucking" insects--they damage the potatoes but don't leave holes like that. But insects, the veggies they attack, and what they're called vary from one locality to another. If it is slugs you can stay completely organic and get rid of them in a couple of ways. Make a recipe where you use a bunch of eggs, then "bake" the eggshells in a slow to medium oven for an hour or two to dry out the shells--you're not just drying up the goo inside, but also drying the moisture content from the shell itself. You can kind of crush them a little and spread them across a cookie sheet and bake them and it works great. Then take the bottom of a glass or bottle or can and crush the shells into pieces, say 1/4" to 1/2" give or take a bit--then sprinkle/spread the crushed shells around the plants that are getting eaten. It's a bit barbaric. The sharp edges of the eggshells (be careful--they ARE sharp) will cut the bodies of the slugs when they crawl from wherever they're hiding to your plants. Also, remove any debris--boards, rocks, etc, that the slugs can hide under during the daytime. OR you can use beer traps. Bury a container up the the lip (like a deep pie pan) and pour it full of beer. The slugs will go--"BEEEEEEERRRRR!!!!" Crawl in and drown. If it's potato bugs, you should be able to see the bugs in the daytime, and the only organic way is to pick and squish. Kitties |