Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Aug 13, 2011 11:26 am We transplanted few giant Strelitzias last year and they got through the very dry last summer quite okay but now the leaves are being eaten away by something. It looks almost like a bird has been nibbling on it, so badly that the leaves are bending and need to be cut off. If this continues I am going to loose all my giant leaves Does anyone have an idea what to do? Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 2Aug 13, 2011 2:18 pm I had problems with plants being eaten so much that they hardly grew and a creeper was effectively ringbarked. Had no idea what it was until we went out at night and looked with a torch....plants were crawling with some sort of weevil. They hide in the dirt/mulch during the day and come out at night. We used Beat-A-Bug insect spray and it seemed to halt the damage. Maybe you could check at night to see? Cheers Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 4Aug 14, 2011 12:28 am The Betabug has Pyrethrum which is not cool for us, birds, or insects good or bad when used on a regular basis or over long periods of time. Just because its natural doesn't mean its safe. It can not be used in certified organic products due to known links with cancers and auto immune diseases. Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 5Aug 14, 2011 12:30 am Being in Perth, they may not be being eaten, it could be degenerating in poor, unhealthy and sterile soil conditions. As BK said, we need a few photos for this one to be sorted Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 6Aug 28, 2011 11:49 pm Fu Manchu Being in Perth, they may not be being eaten, it could be degenerating in poor, unhealthy and sterile soil conditions. As BK said, we need a few photos for this one to be sorted Don't think it is the soil as the leaves look like something is eating them. The Beat-a-Bug spray bottle is empty but didn't help at all. Just back from holidays and now all the leaves are hanging down. No sign of any bugs crawling on it at night. Will make pics shortly and post. Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 7Aug 29, 2011 6:59 pm Yeah the pics will help. One looking at the soil around it, one of the leaf, one of the stems and one of the plant is very helpful Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 8Aug 29, 2011 10:06 pm Fu Manchu Yeah the pics will help. One looking at the soil around it, one of the leaf, one of the stems and one of the plant is very helpful That's how my poor Strelitzia/bird of paradise looks like now: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Z ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Q ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4 ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4 ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4 ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y ... directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/r ... directlink Hope someone can recognise what it might be and what I should do to get rid of it to help the plant survive, please. Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 9Aug 30, 2011 12:59 am Well I can't say I've seen that too often. Birds won't be doing that. If anything the birds would interested in the flowers but a bird wouldn't do that damage. I'm inclined to think it maybe rats. There is that slightly curved wound in most of them below the main damaged areas. That might be the low teeth digging in and they are grazing the plant off with their top teeth? It sure isn't a grub or weavil doing that. Leaf spot diseases (of a few technical types) can have a similar appearance on a stem or leaf but not quite like that and not accompanied with that damage. The other thing might be the plant being damaged durring the transplant. Is it rubbing in the stronger winds on a wall or fence? Could it be swaying around? A very long shot that one. They tend not to move around too much. It is particularly this shot that makes me think its rats. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k ... directlink and https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4 ... directlink See again the same small arched mark and its been stripped back. In particular in the wound is that hard sharp edge in the bottom of the wound. I reckon its sunk its teeth in to break it open enough to then pull it up and back a bit and strip it. It would maybe make some good nesting material for them. Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 10Aug 30, 2011 1:13 am Fu Manchu Well I can't say I've seen that too often. Birds won't be doing that. If anything the birds would interested in the flowers but a bird wouldn't do that damage. I'm inclined to think it maybe rats. There is that slightly curved wound in most of them below the main damaged areas. That might be the low teeth digging in and they are grazing the plant off with their top teeth? It sure isn't a grub or weavil doing that. Leaf spot diseases (of a few technical types) can have a similar appearance on a stem or leaf but not quite like that and not accompanied with that damage. The other thing might be the plant being damaged durring the transplant. Is it rubbing in the stronger winds on a wall or fence? Could it be swaying around? A very long shot that one. They tend not to move around too much. It is particularly this shot that makes me think its rats. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k ... directlink and https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4 ... directlink See again the same small arched mark and its been stripped back. In particular in the wound is that hard sharp edge in the bottom of the wound. I reckon its sunk its teeth in to break it open enough to then pull it up and back a bit and strip it. It would maybe make some good nesting material for them. Rats? Hhm, we have 2 cats, if there would be any rats or mice they would have spotted them I guess. Surely the plants have been damaged when transplanted, but that happened last spring and in between they have been looking good, especially after they survived this very hot summer they seemd fine and new leaves were growing but now at the end of winter they are suddenly all damaged. Strange. Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 11Aug 30, 2011 11:24 am Okay, lets say its mice or rats, any suggestions how to get rid of them humanely? Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 12Aug 30, 2011 3:47 pm I'd use a rat bait station and some rat bait in it. Mind the dogs though. Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 13Aug 31, 2011 9:41 pm 2nd day - the mouse/rat bait station still unvisited Maybe it's not a mouse after all. Someone mentioned it might also be done by a Possum? Re: Urgent Help! Strelitzia Nicolai are being eaten away 14Aug 31, 2011 11:36 pm Unless you are in the hills its unlikely, and that would be one very small possum. 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