Attacked Pleuro's!

[NYEric]

I discovered too late some kind of problem w/ some of my pleuros. At first I thought it was mice but then I found a few leaves like this. I dipped all leaves in solution of physan. The bummer is I knocked off a few little pleuro buds :sob: Maybe I should have used cinnamite!

 

[Candace]

Whoa. Sure looks like critter damage although I've never had mice eat the leaves on my plants-they got straight for the flowers. It could be snail damage but if I were you I'd set out some rat/mice traps just in case. Do you ever have problems with snails or bush snails in your media?

 

[NYEric]

No. If I found some snails I'd make escargot. I'm sure it's micro [fungal/viral] problem. I found a few leaves w/ black rings along the edge like the top photo.

 

[Candace]

Were the missing areas gone or were they black and you tore them off? If they were missing you have a critter! Viral and fungal problems don't carry off parts of plants.

 

[NYEric]

Hmmm. I thought maybe I had washed away the rottted parts thru watering. I guess it's mice traps then. Oohh If I catch any I can do parachute failure scenario from 20th floor window. Watch for the video on U-tube! :evil:

 

[Ron-NY]

I'm guessing a mouse..the edges look too rough for slug or snail damage

 

[Candace]

I thought mouse too Ron, but unless pleuro leaves are unusually tastey? Mice have never attacked my leaves-only my flowers. Of course, maybe they're starving at Erics and are forced to eat salad!:rollhappy:

 

[NYEric]

I have a hard time believing that mice would go there instead of into the adjacent kitchen where there's Lemon cream cake, cookies, poptarts, bread, pretzels, etc. just a thin layer of celephane away!?

 

[cwt]

Seen it before on Masd, Pleuro and especially Restrepia leaves. Mice. Look at the way the outer part(chlorofill parts) is stripped more than the inside part of the leaves, typical sign of vermin damage. Good luck!!!!!
Charles

 

[Kyle]

Have you seen any mouse droppings.

Kyle

 

[NYEric]

nope.

 

[Kyle]

Then I doubt its mice. They **** everywhere. And the damage is only on the pleuros?

Kyle

 

[Marco]

I think Eric has a secret obsession with pluero leaves. Those look like teeth marks to me.

 

[SlipperFan]

Look for caterpillars.

 

[Rick]

Look for caterpillars.

That or grasshoppers. Have you had any moths flying around them?

 

[PaphMadMan]

I agree there must be something eating them, but if you aren't seeing droppings it probably isn't any kind of rodent. It looks similar to earwig damage I have seen, but earwigs aren't in season, around here at least. Cockroaches perhaps?

 

[NYEric]

Nope no vermin, not even fungus gnats. This is only on the pleuro's. Crickets get lose from gecko tanks once in a while but that would have to be the MOAC! I treated w/ physan solution and I'll repeat next week. If it stops then I'm golden. Now I only have to replace a few plants

 

[Leo Schordje]

I would check for a big fat slug. Look for slime trails. They only come out in the dead of night and they hide in the pots by day. I have lost many a plant to slugs and your damage looks like slug damage. Though mice also leave similar with bigger teeth marks.

 

[NYEric]

That's what I thought at first but I see no slime trails. I looked but I know a good one would duck into the sphagnum during the day! :ninja: I thought about using salt but that would FSU. I'll keep an eye on these guys for a few days.

 

[cnycharles]

I have a hard time believing that mice would go there instead of into the adjacent kitchen where there's Lemon cream cake, cookies, poptarts, bread, pretzels, etc. just a thin layer of celephane away!?

your plants have no preservatives, artificial sweeteners and other nasty chemicals in them like the junk food; assuming you have very little on your pleuros