What's eating my spider Plant ?

[melani]

only noticed this yesterday , holes in the Leaves of spider plant , my biggest worry is these insects maybe coming out at night which is why I cant see anything on them during the day . Any advice appreciated to finding and killing what's eating it.

 

[Chuck]

It is some type of caterpillar as evidenced by the little green pieces of feces. It either lives in the soil or deep into the bottom of the plant during the day and emerges to feed at night. Spray with Bt

 

[Marck]

Go out at night yourself with a flashlight and try to find and photograph the culprit.The frass is suggestive of caterpillars, but it is good to confirm and know which one. It/they might have already departed to pupate elsewhere.

 

[melani]

It is some type of caterpillar as evidenced by the little green pieces of feces. It either lives in the soil or deep into the bottom of the plant during the day and emerges to feed at night. Spray with Bt

what is BT ? is it a caterpillar insecticide ? I need to buy one made for plants - so it only kills the caterpillar & not the plant .

 

[melani]

Go out at night yourself with a flashlight and try to find and photograph the culprit.The frass is suggestive of caterpillars, but it is good to confirm and know which one. It/they might have already departed to pupate elsewhere.

I can afford to Loose this plant - I have another one in the ground Healthier & Bigger - but Im not taking any chances of taking this one out of the pot - next to in ground one. My other option is to Take it out of the pot to see if its inside the soil. Do caterpillars eat the same way slugs do ? do slugs also eat spider plants ? Chuck is saying its more likely a caterpillar. Should I take the plant out of the pot ??

 

[Marck]

So this Spider-plant (Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum') is an indoor plant? Yes, you can tip the rootball out of the pot and take a look. Though the insect might leave the plant and pot entirely during the day and return at night. Do you know when this damage occurred? Did it all occur at one time? It would be interesting to find the insect responsible, both to identify it and learn how and where it hides.

Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly called B.t, is a 'beneficial' bacteria that only kills the larvae of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera). It does not harm other organisms.

 

[melani]

I found a slug in the bottom, after taking out the plant I found a slug in the bottom of the pot . Same as the one in this photo -
I squashed it & chucked out the plant with soil - not wanting to risk having it had laid eggs inside . Need to buy slug poison.

 

[Marck]

Interesting, the frass in the OP is atypical of a Slug (pulmonata, Gastropoda). In any case, there is no need to throw out the plant. Just continue to do night surveys of the plant to see if you find more slugs or other pests. Was this plant previously outside?