The leaves are usually very tender and palatable, especially to a wide variety of insects and other animals. For this reason, sometimes we come across holes, something that undoubtedly worries us and catches our attention.
And of course, if we take all this into account, we can get an idea of the urgency of applying treatment so that the problem does not worsen. So if you wanna know what pest makes holes in the leaves of plants and how to fight itthen we will tell you.
Although animals are usually the most frequent leaf destroyers, they are not the only ones. It is important to know all the possible causes, so that we can take the most appropriate measures for our plant to recover. And these are:
Frosty or snowy
Image – Wikimedia/Gzen92
Although it’s not something that happens often, In case we live in an area where it usually freezes and/or snows, we will have to protect the most delicate plants, as they could end up with badly damaged leaves. And it is that, the least thing that could happen to them is precisely that they end up with holes in the leaves, but at worst they would end up losing them all.
How do you know if this is what happened to them? Well it’s easy because the damage appears either the same day the frost or snowfall occurred, or the following day. The leaves can be very damaged, with another color (dark purple or blackish), or even with holes.
Sunburn
As with frost or snowfall, the sun’s rays can also pierce the leaves. This it occurs especially when the magnifying effect occurs; that is, when a leaf receives the impact of the sun through a glass or a drop of water. This is why plants should never be placed next to windows, nor should they be watered from above when they are exposed to the royal star.
The damage will be seen very soon. First, a yellowish spot usually appearsbut if exposure to the sun continues, this burn enlarges and can become a hole.
snails and slugs
These animals are great leaf eaters. After a rainy episode, they go out and go in search of tender plants to feed themselves, and the worst part is that they don’t care whether they have thorns or not. But how to be sure that they are the ones who pierced the leaves?
Sometimes they can go unnoticed, but if we see that the plants have the edges of the leaves bitten off, and if we don’t see any signs of a pest, the culprits are probably snails and/or slugs. In addition, these animals usually leave remains (excrement) very close, either on the leaves themselves or next to them. To prevent them from continuing to cause damage, repellents or molluscicides like this should be used.
Pets (dogs, cats)
Do you live with cats and/or dogs? It could be that they are the ones that have stung your plants. One of my cats, for example, does it with some (palm trees more than anything else). And of course, in order not to destroy them, I have no choice but to take them to a place where I can’t reach them, or at least where I have trouble getting there.
The damage, how could it be otherwise, is noticed the same day. You can see remnants of these leaves on the ground. But in any case, the animal should not be scolded, because in the end it did something natural for it. What we need to do is get the factory away from it. Likewise, it is important to avoid buying plants that are poisonous to dogs and cats, because of what could happen.
Larvae, caterpillars, worms
These are the main enemies of the leaves. What they usually do is feed from the edge inwards; although there are others who break the sheet on one side to build some sort of shelter. In any case, we are talking about animals that can be seen with the naked eye; that is to say, it is very easy to identify them. And if we’re having trouble with that, we’ll just have to get a magnifying glass and see if they are.
If we talk about the treatment, we have to apply specific insecticides. In some cases, the plant can be treated with a triple action insecticide like this one, but in others it will be necessary to opt for more specific ones, such as Cypermethrin, very useful against larvae and worms.
As you can see, there are several reasons why a plant can end up with holes in its leaves. We usually think it’s because it has parasites, but that’s not always the case. It is important to know why you have them like this, and from there, take the necessary steps to recover as quickly as possible.