Amateur Gardening – 10 August 2019

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