Coleus being eaten.....by what?

Question

I have a beautiful red coleus, with holes all in the leaves and the leaves half eaten. No other plants or flowers are being eaten in this way. not even the hostas. So what would be eating it?

Peg · Answer

Slugs LOVE when I put coleus in the gardens! Yum! I put wood ashes around them to deter the slugs.

Douglas Hunt · Answer

Slugs are often the culprit when it comes to coleus damage, as Peg says. Put out a saucer with some beer in it and see if you catch some.

Nancy Hand · Answer

My vote is slugs too!

Bernice H · Answer

@Peg @Douglas Hunt @Nancy Hand ok I will try that, however this coleus is in a pot set on the ground, and they don't seem to be eating my hostas..there is a banquet of hostas here. In addition to t
 
he big chews, there are little holes on the leaves. I didn't show the pot very well. but it is set on the ground with a fitted saucer under.  Would it help if I brought it upon the porch?

Douglas Hunt · Answer

Small holes might indicate earwigs or flea beetles.

Nancy Hand · Answer

Slugs can damage Coleus by eating the leaves and stems. Commercial slug bait is available but you can make your own non-toxic slug traps using beer in a shallow saucer. A circle of diatomaceous earth powder around your plants can make a deadly barrier for slugs to cross as it will puncture their skin and cause them to dehydrate.

Peg · Answer

Bernice, lift up the pot to see if there are earwigs hiding under it. As for slugs, In dry weather you'll see the shiny slim they leave behind. We've had so much heavy rain here, it washes away. 
If there is an earwig problem, address it right away or you may get infested. There are many natural remedies and strategies to use. They hide during the day and feed at night. I've sprinkled garlic powder around and under pots. But, I want them gone for good, not just moved to another area of my gardens. Using liquid soap kills them.

Dianne L · Answer

I'd need a keg of beer for all my garden slugs/snails...

Bernice H · Answer

@Peg What do you mean liquid soap? What do I do with it?  And just regular garlic powder spice? What does the soap  do to the plants around the morsel they are eating?

Morena Pichardo · Answer

👋🏼 hi everyone!

my coleus has been eaten too, but mine is inside in a pot. I have more plants around but only my coleus has been eaten.

what do you think it is? And how to treat it? I love my plant.

thank you!

Coleus being eaten.....by what?

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Coleus being eaten.....by what?

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