Q. Something is eating my Wave petunias. Not sure what it is. They are torn in the middle of the stem, like something is gnawing them?
Jacksonville, Illinois
A. Thanks for growing Wave Petunias. My best guess is the problem you have is rabbits. I have a rabbit problem in my Aurora, Illinois, subdivision so I’ve seen all kinds of rabbit damage. Sometimes they consume a plant to the ground; sometimes just the flowers, and sometimes they sever the stem, decide they don’t like the taste and leave the cut piece behind.
To combat rabbit browsing of my Wave Petunias I have, for the past two years, fashioned individual cylindrical chicken wire fences for each plant. I hold them in place with stakes made from wire hangers. The cages stay in place until the petunias reach a size that I feel will outpace any rabbit damage. In fact, I’ve decided to take the cages off tonight. I store the fences flat and use them year after year. It doesn’t look real nice for a few weeks, but it works.
If the Wave Petunias are well rooted and still have some leaves they will recover in time and actually be fuller and denser, assuming the rabbits leave them alone.
If it’s not rabbits, then it may be cutworms. They are a larva (caterpillar) of a moth that generally, but not always, sever the stems of plants at the soil line. They are more of a problem early in the spring and are particularly fond of young vegetable plants. They can be excluded by putting a cardboard, or foil collar around the base of each plant. Cutworms are easily controlled with either organic or conventional pesticides.
Hope that helps. Happy gardening,
Drew Effron
Ball Horticultural Company
www.Wave-Rave.com
