My newly planted petunias and broccoli are all chewed up, but I don’t find any pests. I don’t want to use anything that is dangerous for my children or dog. What do you suggest?
Your problem is almost certainly slugs or snails. They feed at night and hide in the daytime. They probably came home on one of your plant containers. They could have also come from other nearby permanent plants. You may notice slimy trails that they leave behind. Slugs hide inside large plants near the soil line. They hide on the bottom or inside of pots and under any rock or ornamental object in the garden. Although slug and snail baits containing metaldehyde are very effective, they can be poisonous to pets and look very much like pet kibbles. Fortunately, an alternate slug bait containing iron phosphate is safe to use around pets. The most common brand is Sluggo. It is best applied in the evening and most effective if plants and ground are moist from a brief water spray. It is important to treat all flower, vegetable and shrub areas. It takes repeat applications to get slugs under control because new populations from eggs follow at weekly intervals. I apply bait once a week during spring and early summer.
Another universal pest that requires repeat control applications is the cabbage moth or worm. They eat holes in the leaves and buds of all cabbage-family vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, collards and mustard greens. It is no fun to find a worm floating to the top of boiled broccoli or cauliflower. Bacillus thuringensis sold as Thuricide or DiPel is a very safe and effective organic control. Plants need weekly treatment. Spinosad is the active ingredient in several other organic pesticides. It is effective on a wide range of insects, including cabbage worms.
The aphid is another insect that is commonly found feeding on the new growth of roses and other shrubs and trees. Aphids are sucking insects. You frequently find them associated with ants, which eat their sticky secretion. They can be controlled with neem oil, another useful organic pesticide. It not only controls insects but is effective against leaf diseases like black spot, mildew and rust that are commonly found on roses.
Maggots commonly feed on the roots of cabbage family vegetables and root vegetables like beets, radishes and turnips. The best way to control them is to spray spinosad or other insecticide around the plants or seed when planted.
