|
|
|
In recent years the vine weevil has become one of the most virulent pests of the fuchsia. The weevil itself does little damage, except to cut U-shaped pieces from a leaf or two. But from June onwards it lays eggs in the soil which hatch out to produce creamy, maggot-like larvae that feed on the roots. The problem usually doesn't become apparent until the following spring, when it is found that during the dormant winter season the grubs have steadily eaten away the root system until there is none left, and the plant is dead.
Attempts to eradicate the grubs have included drenching the compost in the autumn with solutions of various chemicals. Insecticides containing gamma-BHC have been used with some success, although most of these have now been withdrawn from the market in the UK. A dilute solution (1/200) of cresylic acid (e.g. Armillatox), has been reported to be effective as a soil drench, although it seems that this treatment has to be performed regularly throughout the growing season since it is effective against the eggs of the vine weevil and not the hatched grubs. Biological control with microscopic nematode worms can be effective but, as with methods of autumn drenching, their failure does not become apparent until the treated plants are found to be dead in the spring.
Probably the only reliable way of protecting dormant fuchsias, at present, is to remove them from their containers before storage, remove all the old potting compost - by washing the roots if necessary - and re-pot in fresh compost. This method, although tedious, can virtually guarantee safe winter storage of your plants.
|
|
|
|
|
|
