14 AMATEUR GARDENING10 AUGUST 2019
O
NEof themoredamagingpests
wecanfindattackingplantsin
ourgardensis thevineweevil.
Thesearesmallishbeetles(half
a peain size)witha longsnout,although
youseldomcomeacross them as they
hideduringtheday.
Youknowyouhavethemwhen
plantsdevelopnotchedleaves.These
arenotthosegeometricalnotchescut
fromrosesbyleaf-cutterbees,butfar
morenumerousnotchesallroundthe
leafedgesof allsortsof plants.These
aredefinitelycutout– notraspedaway
asbysnailsorslugs, or chewed down as
bycaterpillars.
Butasannoyingasthisdamageis,
theadultsarenotthebiggestdanger.
It’s their nasty grubs – dirty white with a
Boboutlinesthestepsyoumusttaketoprotectagainst
the devastation wreaked by vineweevilsandtheirgrubs
“The grubs will
completely eat
away the roots”
creamorbrownhead,thatcurlintoa ‘c’
whenshakenoffa plant’sroots– that
aretherealthreat.Forthesegrubswill
completelyeatawaytheroots,andthe
firstthingyou’llnoticeis a plantfailing,
wiltingorjustdying.Andwhenyoutug
at theplant,it usuallyjustpulls up, as
therootsareallgone.
Fuchsias,primulas,strawberries
andvinesaremostoftentheirprey,but
almosteveryplantis at riskunlessyou
takeaction.Youcantrytodestroythe
adultsbysearchingat nightwitha torch
- butit’sfarbettertodestroythegrubs.
Thesearenoteasytogetridof,either
bycarefulinspection/re-potting or by
applyingchemicals.
However,a parasiticnematodeis
availablecommerciallyandworksa
treat.Thesoilorpottingcompostneeds
bewarmandmoist,asit is now,andthen
yousimplywaterona solutionof these
nematodes.A packetcostsa bit,butis
reallyeffectiveandwellworth it as the
job’ssoquicklydone.
Turntopage 42 forTimRumball’s
Tried& Testedround-up,whichthis
month is about vine weevil treatments.
1
Carefullymovepumpkins,
melons,marrowsandsquashes
ontopiecesofwood,plastic or tile
so they ripen off the soil.
All images Alamy, unless otherwise credited
Bob’s top tips
for the week
with Bob Flowerdew, AG’s organic gardening expert
2
Whenliftingpotatoesfor
storing,drythemoffin thesun
fora coupleofhoursbeforebagging
in order to harden their skins.
3
Sortyourspuds!Storeonlythe
perfect,savegoodtubersfor
nextyear’ssetsfromhealthyplants,
and eat damaged ones first.
4
Thinoutthesmallesttomatoes
fromtheheaviesttrussesso
thoseleftswellbigger;withbeefsteak
varieties, remove all bar two.
Thetelltalenotchesof
thevineweevil,whichcan
causemiserybothin adult
form and as young grubs
All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited
Mixnematodeswithwaterin
a wateringcanandaddasa
solution to destroy the grubs
TI Media
Grubsofthevineweevil
(Otiorhynchussulcatus)
willeatawayplantroots
if left unchecked
Inset: TI Media