Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Something is eating holes in my basil leaves. I've never had problems with this before. I have two flower boxes and one large pot full of basil. Any suggestions?
fitzie

Fitzie
I have found that slugs like basil as much as I do and eat holes as if it was their last meal. You can try sprinkling a slug poison, or a couple of organic approaches ( if indeed it is slugs) is to circle the plants with a copper collar or not so finely crushed eggshell. Supposedly, slugs will not slim over either.
If you dont have slugs, I am stumped unless you can catch and describe a little bugger.
Ilene

Thanks, Ilene, but there is not a trace of slugs. No slimy trails and the holes are in the center of the leaves. I'm stumped
fitzie

You need a bugcam!

I found this...might be helpful. My basil hasn't sprouted yet!

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Herbs-720/holes-basil.htm

We have had good luck containing slugs with pans of beer, set out near the plants. Emptying the pan is icky, but with all of the rain we've been having, guess we'll have to get ready......

I strongly recommend Sluggo, a non-toxic slug and snail killer:

http://www.pestproducts.com/sluggo.htm

All it contains is iron phosphate and yeast. Slugs & snails love it, but they get iron poisoning easily, and die. Sprinkle it over your garden 3 or 4 times, around 10 days apart each time. Since it's completely non-toxic (even beneficial) to people, you can sprinkle it directly over your basil.

San Francisco is overrun with escargo snails, and this is how I control them.

What, you don't ranch your snails and then sell them to a local restaurant? Fresh,local, seasonal, hand raised....

I don't see any evidence of slugs. We've had them in the past, usually in the hosta bed, and they've always left trails, even over mulch and rocks. Nothing at all now.

Thanks for all your help. If they aren't gone in a few days (after I apply my neighbor's formula of Ivory liquid, salt, vinegar and water) I'm on to the Sluggo. Thanks, Fuzzy.

ftzie

Sluggo is what I have always used cause we have lots of slugs.
Fitzie, let us know if your neighbor's formula works....I would love a good remedy for other garden eating insects.

Are the holes you are seeing very precise and even? If so, I got those on one of my roses and when I took the leaf into the garden center, they told me what it was (and I promptly forgot) and said they were harmless and there wasn't anything I could do except move the plant....I didn't do that and still get those perfectly "cut" circles in the leaves. The plant blooms profusely. However, when you are counting on the leaves for culinary purposes, doing nothing is not an option.

ilene