Garden pests eating it all!

[Shannon123]

Hi my name is Shannon from Brooklyn NY. I finally got a garden and it’s getting completely devoured by pests.

I went on a trip on Friday (now Thursday) and come back to my hearty marigolds and petunias devoured. I know the back has a snail infestation (is the hanging basket too far gone to save?)

, but I found some sort of worm in the front when I cut back all of the stems that no longer had active flower pods. What are these things??? I noticed this side of my garden starting to deteriorate a few weeks ago, but couldn’t figure out why as the other side was flourishing. Do I have to empty all of the soil in the container and start over?

 

[Shannon123]

Also, if I don’t have to pull it all out and put it back together, what’s the best bet for making this container look pretty again?

 

[Shannon123]

Salvaged it a bit, but please help!

I tried growing clover back there, it all came up in the spring and then died we have some sort of berry tree that leaves drippings every day and this backyard is home to dozens of snails and slugs! I’ve tried beer & egg shells but they’ve killed all of my flowering plants and now they’re just greenery hanging on by a threat.

 

[Sheal]

Welcome Shannon. Have you any drainage holes in your hanging pot and other containers? I can't tell from your picture of your large contaner whether you have millipedes or caterpillars?

 

[Shannon123]

Yes, the only pot that doesn’t have drainage is the large one with the millipedes. I thought because the soil is so deep.

 

[Sheal]

Drainage is necessary so the roots of your plants don't rot away deep down in the soil where any water will remain. I also suspect you may be over watering and probably the reason for you having lost your plants. The dampness may also be attracting the millipedes. The plant in the hanging pot is beyond help but if you can rectify the issue with the large planter you may be able to save the remaining petunia's in that.

My suggestion would be to remove and re-pot the petunias elsewhere and empty the contents of the planter out to start again. I assume it is metal? The rusting won't help your plants. If you don't like the idea of drilling holes in it then fill it with up to about a third with either gravel or something you can make use of like broken pots, I've used polystyrene in the past. Then use a membrane that will cover that and also the sides (inside) to the top of the planter, having made drainage holes in the bottom part. Follow that by re-filling the trough with soil or compost and re-planting. This will allow any extra water to drain away from the roots of the plants into the base of the trough and will dry out.

I've just explained on another thread that store bought soil and compost has nutrients for plants but will only last for approximately six weeks. Watering will flush those nutrients out so potted plants will need feeding on a regular basis.

Is your yard in constant shade? That would make it more attractive to slugs and snails. Can you provide a picture of the berry tree please and a close up of leaves and any berries or flowers that it currently has? We can identify that first to see if it's causing any problems. We'll tackle your yard problems later.