Plant Doctor Archive

Holy succulents

I AM at a loss to know what is attacking my succulents. I don't think it is snails or earwigs, as I've tried to trap them, so now I've taken to spraying with soapy water regularly. The problem seems to be only on the darker coloured varieties. Can you help?

I SENT a photo of your damaged leaves to Martin Walker of Coromandel Cacti for his expert opinion. He says: "The problem looks to me like snail or slug damage which happened some time ago and the plant has now healed over the chew holes leaving dry scars."

"Baysol is needed! Sometimes snails will live arboreally (sheltered among the leaves of the plant) and may miss out on their ration of slug bait. To overcome this, place a granule or two right in the centre of the affected plants. On a drizzly night, the smell will run down the plant and attract the critters to crawl to the top. You'll find them next morning, relaxed and sunbathing next to their blue breakfast."

The darker coloured varieties may offer more shelter for these pests or perhaps they actually taste better.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.