This year, for the first time, I bought some expensive cannas.
They are in pots, doing well but one is being eaten. The ends of the
new rolled-up leaves are being turned to lace and I fear for the
flower buds. If it were slugs/snails surely I'd see some silver trails
on the leaves? There is nothing. I seem to remember a few years ago on
GQT somebody had a similar problem and as the leaves unfurled the
bites came out as letters.Nothing so spectacular on mine.
Any ideas about the culprit?

Pam near Bristol

On 2014-07-17 08:19:47 +0000, Pam Moore said:

This year, for the first time, I bought some expensive cannas.
They are in pots, doing well but one is being eaten. The ends of the
new rolled-up leaves are being turned to lace and I fear for the
flower buds. If it were slugs/snails surely I'd see some silver trails
on the leaves? There is nothing. I seem to remember a few years ago on
GQT somebody had a similar problem and as the leaves unfurled the
bites came out as letters.Nothing so spectacular on mine.
Any ideas about the culprit?

Pam near Bristol

There is a tiny, tiny caterpillar (I think it's a caterpillar) that
does just as you describe, Pam, rolling up the ends of leaves. If you
can carefully open the leaf and find the little brute, good. If not, I
think you'll have to spray. I can't remember the name of the pesky
creature but will ask Ray when he comes in, unless someone recalls it
beforehand.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 2014-07-17 08:33:03 +0000, Sacha said:

On 2014-07-17 08:19:47 +0000, Pam Moore said:

This year, for the first time, I bought some expensive cannas.
They are in pots, doing well but one is being eaten. The ends of the
new rolled-up leaves are being turned to lace and I fear for the
flower buds. If it were slugs/snails surely I'd see some silver trails
on the leaves? There is nothing. I seem to remember a few years ago on
GQT somebody had a similar problem and as the leaves unfurled the
bites came out as letters.Nothing so spectacular on mine.
Any ideas about the culprit?

Pam near Bristol

There is a tiny, tiny caterpillar (I think it's a caterpillar) that
does just as you describe, Pam, rolling up the ends of leaves. If you
can carefully open the leaf and find the little brute, good. If not, I
think you'll have to spray. I can't remember the name of the pesky
creature but will ask Ray when he comes in, unless someone recalls it
beforehand.

He doesn't know the name but says he thinks it's a moth caterpillar.
Take the affected leaves off and squash them and act quickly as soon as
you see the problem. If you don't, the moth itself will lay more eggs
at night, probably on the undersides of leaves .
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:34:10 +0100, sacha wrote:

On 2014-07-17 08:33:03 +0000, Sacha said:

On 2014-07-17 08:19:47 +0000, Pam Moore said:

This year, for the first time, I bought some expensive cannas.
They are in pots, doing well but one is being eaten. The ends of the
new rolled-up leaves are being turned to lace and I fear for the
flower buds. If it were slugs/snails surely I'd see some silver trails
on the leaves? There is nothing. I seem to remember a few years ago on
GQT somebody had a similar problem and as the leaves unfurled the
bites came out as letters.Nothing so spectacular on mine.
Any ideas about the culprit?

Pam near Bristol

There is a tiny, tiny caterpillar (I think it's a caterpillar) that
does just as you describe, Pam, rolling up the ends of leaves. If you
can carefully open the leaf and find the little brute, good. If not, I
think you'll have to spray. I can't remember the name of the pesky
creature but will ask Ray when he comes in, unless someone recalls it
beforehand.

He doesn't know the name but says he thinks it's a moth caterpillar.
Take the affected leaves off and squash them and act quickly as soon as
you see the problem. If you don't, the moth itself will lay more eggs
at night, probably on the undersides of leaves .

Thanks Sacha
I've searched and cannot find anything. Some of the leaves look really
weird. The plant without the problem is in flower but too soon to say
for the nibbled one. I did spray the leaves with Ultimate Bug Killer.