Horseradish Foe

Starlight · August 24, 2015

This is my first time trying to grow horseradish. I barely manged to keep the plant alive, but for awhile now something has been eating my leaves. I have looked top and bottom and other than the odd little flea beetle that gets on my tomatoes and peppers, I haven't seen anything. The flea beetles I do have don't make these big holes and chunks out of leaves.

Patihum · August 24, 2015

It's probably grasshoppers! I know they love mine.

bower · August 24, 2015

I had a similar problem here trying to grow horseradish - but worse. Some animal or bird kept eating the leaves as soon as they came out, and actually killed the plants, which I'm told is amazing for the horseradish.
I got a few plants again this spring but I'm keeping them in a pot and so far they're not bothered.

Starlight, I get holes like that on some big leaved herbs in my garden, and afaik it is birds that come and peck a little bite out of them... it doesn't harm them if it's a peck or two but if you have only one plant and they want it badly....

But looking at your plants again, that looks more like caterpillar damage, with the many holes and edges nibbled.
We don't have grasshoppers only very rarely, so maybe that's more likely where you are.

Starlight · August 25, 2015

Thank you Pathihum and Bower. I didn't think of grasshoppers as I do have a few still. Mainly small ones that are young hatchlings.

Hummm. Now birds I do have alot of. All types and I do see them flittering around the pots and under the pallets of containers. I just figured they was hunting for worms or other goodies to eat. I didn't realize birds even ate leafy things.

I've never seen it grown down here, so I am excited. Now to figure out how to keep it alive for the winter. It does have beautiful leaves. That is when they are not all munched up.

b54red · August 26, 2015

You might want to check the undersides of the leaves very early in the morning and see if you see little maggot looking worms that are very small with a tiny black head. They afflict mustard, turnips, some types of cabbage especially Chinese. They are also unaffected by BT and even Sevin is not really good at getting rid of them. I have found that a thorough spraying with Permethrin will get rid of them but it must come into contact with them for good results. I grew horseradish one time and they destroyed all the leaves before I ever figured out what was doing the damage and before I learned how to control them. If it is grasshoppers I don't know how to stop them because every year they eat a lot of my citrus leaves sometimes nearly denuding them and I haven't found anything that really controls them that I would want on my citrus.

Bill

August 24, 2015	#3
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,793	I had a similar problem here trying to grow horseradish - but worse. Some animal or bird kept eating the leaves as soon as they came out, and actually killed the plants, which I'm told is amazing for the horseradish. I got a few plants again this spring but I'm keeping them in a pot and so far they're not bothered. Starlight, I get holes like that on some big leaved herbs in my garden, and afaik it is birds that come and peck a little bite out of them... it doesn't harm them if it's a peck or two but if you have only one plant and they want it badly.... But looking at your plants again, that looks more like caterpillar damage, with the many holes and edges nibbled. We don't have grasshoppers only very rarely, so maybe that's more likely where you are. Last edited by bower; August 24, 2015 at 09:12 PM. Reason: second look

August 24, 2015	#2
Patihum Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Southeast Kansas Posts: 878	It's probably grasshoppers! I know they love mine.

August 25, 2015	#4
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	Thank you Pathihum and Bower. I didn't think of grasshoppers as I do have a few still. Mainly small ones that are young hatchlings. Hummm. Now birds I do have alot of. All types and I do see them flittering around the pots and under the pallets of containers. I just figured they was hunting for worms or other goodies to eat. I didn't realize birds even ate leafy things. I've never seen it grown down here, so I am excited. Now to figure out how to keep it alive for the winter. It does have beautiful leaves. That is when they are not all munched up.

August 26, 2015	#5
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	You might want to check the undersides of the leaves very early in the morning and see if you see little maggot looking worms that are very small with a tiny black head. They afflict mustard, turnips, some types of cabbage especially Chinese. They are also unaffected by BT and even Sevin is not really good at getting rid of them. I have found that a thorough spraying with Permethrin will get rid of them but it must come into contact with them for good results. I grew horseradish one time and they destroyed all the leaves before I ever figured out what was doing the damage and before I learned how to control them. If it is grasshoppers I don't know how to stop them because every year they eat a lot of my citrus leaves sometimes nearly denuding them and I haven't found anything that really controls them that I would want on my citrus. Bill