My Cayenne Chilli Plants are fairly mature now and have started producing some nice hot chillis over recent weeks as we progress into early Autumn. I recently had to do a Forced Chilli Harvest after a recent storm, but even that damaged plant has come back strong. However, now I have a bit of a pest issue that seems to be causing a new problem.
The leaves on my plants are getting badly eaten. I haven't seem them like this before, it looks like they are kind of burnt or scorched around the holes. There are some tiny ones and others where half of the leaf has been taken. The plants are still fairly healthy overall and the chillis themselves seem unaffected but I know that a pest infestation is only likely to get worse so I should try to get on top of it.
Normally I don't like to do pesticides because I prefer more organic solutions, but I am not religious in this regard so I'll do what I need to do. I suspect it's some kind of caterpillar or worm but I am suspicious of the burnt edges around the holes. I figure there are lots of experienced gardeners here on HIVE and even though my pest might be more region specific (I live on the East Coast of Australia) I wondered if maybe someone here could give me the tip. Anyone have suggestions on what I should do?
You're going to need some pesticide. You can always try spraying in down with neem oil mixed with mild dish soap, that will kill most insects. But if that doesn't do the job go for the big guns. I hate it when pests attack my peppers, they are my favorite plants in my garden!
Yes, I might try the organic mixture first. Thanks.
That combo works well for me, but my biggest problem here tends to be aphids. The neem oil tends to repel pests as well as kill them, the lipids shut down their ability to breath which is why adding some dilute mild dish soap is a great addition.
You have to look again at night (caterpillars and small snails hide when the sun comes up) or look into the nearby ground cover what it is. Snails are the worst and travel a lot but can be removed manually, caterpillars become bigger each day but ususally rest closeby the leaves.
Thanks. That's a good tip.
Have you tried doing a reverse image search on Google of your leaves? That might help.
I tried that but no help. Thanks for the idea though.
Wish I could help. But there definitely are homesteaders here that should be able to help you.
caterpillar 🐛 Also my bet.
We got any homesteaders in #SGS community?
Many pests eat leaves, one of which is caterpillars
annoying pest
It’s definitely a drop bear infestation. 😃
I think you’d just make use of pesticides even though you don’t like it
That seem to be the only way out now