What eats marigolds?

[dconklin]

This is kind of weird, but one of my marigolds was completely eaten down to just bear stems. But I have quite a few and it was only one! I have them around my tomato plants (in the front of the garden), by themselves and also around the pepper plants.

The weird part of it tho is that the one plant that got eaten is between tomato and pea plants and has strawberry plants in front of it. So I know it wasn't an animal because they would have eaten the ones with easy access (in the front or the plants by themselves.) It is a mystery to me! I haven't seen anything on them either, then I go out to the garden and poof it was eaten down to the bear stems. It didn't eat the flower either.

 

[headfullofbees]

I have seen starlings and sparrows eat them, but your most likely suspects are slugs.

 

[maddie]

I have seen caterpillars of butterflies eat them. I have had this problem earlier as I have a lot of flowers that draws butterflies to our home. Check for those green monsters and throw them out .. they will slowly eat up the rest of the plants too.

 

[zigs]

Slugs stripped mine last year.

 

[writerkerrie]

This is so interesting! I didn't know slugs ate marigolds! I have a bunch planted and have never had a problem with them ... we must not have too many slugs. Caterpillars, too ... my kids will love to hear that because we usually only find those on our parsley and then make a butterfly jar so they cocoon and then we release them once they become butterflies!

 

[zigs]

In a normal year they don't do too much damage, but it was raining for 9 months last year and they ate everything in the veg garden except the Tomatoes & Potatoes, which were killed by the blight instead.

Putting wood ash around things as I plant out this year, they don't like going on it. Doing a reasonable job so far, but needs re newing after rain.

 

[headfullofbees]

Be careful about putting down too much wood ash, as it will raise the pH of your soil.

 

[maddie]

I live on the second floor and I have no slugs.. I didn't know that slugs ate marigolds. I agree that pot ash works well to kill slugs.. salt does that too. Dry coffee grounds also works.

 

[dconklin]

My guess would be the slugs now that everybody let me know that slugs eat them! I have seen slugs around and we had a weird week last week with some rain each day and then it got cold for a few days. Of course now we are in a heat wave - crazy weather!!

I didn't realize they ate marigolds tho, but now I know and will take action against these icky creatures. It was weird tho because it (or they) literally ate one down to tiny little stems but yet the other marigolds have not been touched.

 

[zigs]

They'd select the ones with sappy growth, caused by nitrogen, the potassium in the wood ash produces growth that's more slug resistant.

Wouldn't worry too much about the ph increasing, most veg like that, although it can encourage scab in potatoes.