Talkback: Leaf miners - Talkback

30/09/2011 at 18:38

I generally am a live & let live sort of person with most leaf miners as with other garden insects/pests but I do get really rather cross about the devastation that miners always do to my Iris foetidissima leaving almost white stripy leaves in their wake. Every year I swear I am going to resort to chemicals...........but I never do!

Gardeners' World Web User

30/09/2011 at 18:55

I hate them as they devastate my beetroot (I prefer to eat the leaves than the root). I don't think you can stop leaf miners with chemicals, as they live inside the leaf so are protected from anything you can throw at them. The best way I have found is to disrupt their life-cycle by rubbing out the eggs (typically on the back of the leaf) every few days. This keeps their numbers down but never seems to quite wipe them out, as I must miss a few.

Gardeners' World Web User

01/10/2011 at 09:45

You know its funny you should post about leaf miners. I've never really been plagues with them before, however since the slugs ate all my seedlings that I blogged about growing and I bought some form the local garden centre they have become infested with leaf miners. I have found that pyrethrum does the trick though and whats more its natural!! Jess

Gardeners' World Web User

06/10/2011 at 20:29

perhaps we should really inspect everything that we buy for the garden or given, if i give plants away i inspect them first and always treat the plants with vine weevil killer to give them a good chance of survival, hope everyone has a good winter.

Gardeners' World Web User

28/11/2011 at 18:44

Your picture looks just like he tracery I have found on a lot of conkers this year, Kate. They look more like Pony Piebalds than Horse Chestnuts, if that makes sense. It is the first year I have noticed this mottling of the normally rich brown colouring.

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