I started finding holes in some leaves and also little black poops it looks like. Couldn't see any bugs until just now when I found a caterpillar crawling from a hole in the stem about 2/3 of the way up the stem. Is there any hope for this plant? The white powder is Dipel Dust, says it kills tent caterpillars, if you've ever heard of it. What should I do? Also, there's one more hole on the exact opposite side, same spot, that's it so far. If there was one, are there likely more? I keep it inside, but took it outside for about an hour or so to water it and let it drain one night.
Hey Frycook, Well it's a little hard to tell how bad your infestation is based on the information you supplied, but if it's only those two holes I would say theres definitely still hope. The Dipel Dust you scattered is a form of Bacillus Thuringensis which is a bacterium that attacks only caterpillars - it is specie specific. B.T. has been proven safe as a crop pesticide. If the Dipel Dust continues to be ineffective try using the B.T. spray which has had great results. Make sure you get in those holes good and scour the plant top to bottom for any other holes or hiding places. Besides that you can make your own cocktail of highly citric, acidic, pungent ingredients..i.e. Lemon juice, orange juice, lime juice, onions, peppers (any kind)...anything organic you can think of so as to not hurt the plant. I've only read about this, never tried it, so I can't really vouch for it's effectiveness.. That's all I got, hope it helps. Good luck mang! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum