Ivory Pepper Plant Help

[mydogdory]

I put this thread in Fruits & Vegetables and realized I should have put it in Diseases and Pests! lol

My pepper plant is doing really good and even has a flower on it and some more that should bloom soon. The only issue is that something keeps cutting or eating the leaves. Every morning there seems to be more and more gone. There are no pieces of leaves under the plant so that's why I think whatever pest is eating them or something.

 

[journey11]

Looks like damage from Army Worms. Google them for ID and go out with your flashlight at night. You can handpick and squash them or drown them in a bucket of water with a little dish soap in it. They only come out at night. You can also spray the plants with Bt or Spinosad.

ETA: Here's a pic:

 

[mydogdory]

Looks like damage from Army Worms. Google them for ID and go out with your flashlight at night. You can handpick and squash them or drown them in a bucket of water with a little dish soap in it. They only come out at night. You can also spray the plants with Bt or Spinosad.

ETA: Here's a pic:

Thanks so much!!! I know you are most likely right about this because I have seen these guys in my garden before!! Thanks!!

 

[so lucky]

Maybe that's what was taking big chunks out of my cabbage leaves. (No sign of cabbage worms)

 

[catjac1975]

Bt should work on those worms. On the bright side, a little leaf damage should not make you lose your peppers.

 

[mydogdory]

Bt should work on those worms. On the bright side, a little leaf damage should not make you lose your peppers.

Yeah, I don't think I should because other than the chunks gone the plant is healthy and there are peppers growing.

 

[Dave2000]

Depending on the lengths you are willing to go to, you can mow the lawn short and spray an insecticide on it, put an insecticide on the plants, even take an art brush to the bottoms of the leaves to remove the eggs that moths lay there.

However I agree with catjac, the plants usually survive a moderate infestation so I just take that into account when deciding the # of plants to grow versus desired produce from them.

 

[mydogdory]

Depending on the lengths you are willing to go to, you can mow the lawn short and spray an insecticide on it, put an insecticide on the plants, even take an art brush to the bottoms of the leaves to remove the eggs that moths lay there.

However I agree with catjac, the plants usually survive a moderate infestation so I just take that into account when deciding the # of plants to grow versus desired produce from them.

Do you think they'll eat the peppers too? Thanks!

 

[Dave2000]

^ That type of worm never eats my peppers but occasionally a smaller different type does. Then again I rarely ever see that type of worm on my peppers at all. The moths seem to prefer laying eggs on the nearby tomato plants.

 

[mydogdory]

^ That type of worm never eats my peppers but occasionally a smaller different type does. Then again I rarely ever see that type of worm on my peppers at all. The moths seem to prefer laying eggs on the nearby tomato plants.

Interesting. My nephew (4 year old) wanted to dig around the pepper plant with the little gardening shovel. There weren't any plants there so I let him. We found an Army Worm! Yay! haha I couldn't anymore though. lol