Something is Eating my Passionfruit Vines! (forum)

jooooooles starts with ...
Hi!

I have what I think are grasshoppers (see photos) destroying my passionfruit leafs and herb garden.

I also have heaps of ants climbing to the very ends of the vines eating at it as well.

Is there anything I can spray that is natural (I don't really want to use chemicals) to get rid of the grasshoppers and ants?

Also on one of the photos you will see the end of the vines. For some reason growth has halted and the vine does not appear to be growing anymore and no new leafs are appearing. What could be the cause of this?

Thanks for looking and your help

Cheers

Julian
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3

Time: 1st February 2012 6:43pm

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Original Post was last edited: 1st February 2012 6:44pm

About the Author jooooooles
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amanda says...
Looks like grasshoppers jooles - maybe try a chilli and garlic spray (anyone have a recipe here?) or google recipe?

I have recently tried a shop bought pyrethrum and garlic spray for an ant problem (they keep bringing aphid and scale to my wampees) and found it to be very good. You don't have any fruit which helps...

The vine doesn't look very vigorous...how much sun is it getting? Is it on a north/south fence or such?
Hopefully the sun isn't on the other side of that fence? (or you neighbours will get the fruit!)

Passionfruit need full sun to do their best...

Time: 2nd February 2012 10:27am

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Original Post was last edited: 2nd February 2012 10:27am

About the Author amanda19
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db says...
I would also love to know some solutions.. I'm too having problems in my small garden where grasshoppers and ants are eating my veggies and other plants... I'm using pyrethrum which seems to work ok for ants and other insects but it works only for short period, you have to spary again and again. But its absolutely useless on grasshoppers and those are the ones which are eating most of the leaves in my garden... Now a days I'm just cutting them in half whenever I see them but that's not the solution..

In Bunnings I have seen one product (I forgot name but its white color container with black label on it i think) specifically for grasshoppers but it cannot be used on veggies and edible fruits.. May be I should just try it on flower plants and recently bought young fruit plants as those won't have any fruits at least this year, hopefully it will reduce their numbers in my garden, I read few posts here that garlic spray sometime works, sometime not..

Any more suggestions?

Time: 2nd February 2012 10:41am

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About the Author Db
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amanda says...
The best thing (IMHO) for grasshoppers is to visit your local Op shop and pick up some cheap net curtains and cover the plants...the grasshoppers will pass.

They will still eat your plants - sprayed or not...they will need to eat the leaf to get the poison..and they eat a lot! That's why any treatment for them - is not likely to be good for you. :(

But garlic is smelly stuff and most pests don't like the taste...they may take a cupla bites and decide to move on.

For ants - it's best to find out what type they are - even if it's their preference for sweet or meat? Get to the nest if u can...boiling water etc...or a specific remedy.

If it makes u feel any better - we had a locust plague last year that stripped many of my fruit trees absolutely bare...they recovered no problems.



Time: 2nd February 2012 9:24pm

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About the Author amanda19
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Brendan says...
Hi amanda & jooles,
Molasses spray will stop grasshoppers. I 'thought' it was a cup of molasses in 4

Time: 3rd February 2012 9:54am

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About the Author Brendan
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db says...
I'll try above suggestions, lets c how it goes.. I really want grasshoppers and ants out of my garden :)

Time: 3rd February 2012 10:20am

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About the Author Db
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amanda says...
Thanks Brendan :)

Time: 3rd February 2012 5:06pm

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About the Author amanda19
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Db says...
I bought molasses, let's c how it goes, it will be very cheap solution to get rid of grasshoppers / other pests if it works well, just $3.65 per bottle, I guess it will surely make at least 20L. Thanks Brendan :)

Time: 3rd February 2012 9:14pm

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Original Post was last edited: 3rd February 2012 9:19pm
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ally says...
Just tried molasses - it didn't work!! Any other suggestions - our passionfruit and beans are getting destroyed by a plaque of green grasshoppers and bigger - much bigger - brown ones !!

Time: 29th February 2012 6:52pm

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About the Author ally3
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amanda says...
Cheap net curtains from the Op shop ally.. :)

Time: 2nd March 2012 10:37pm

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About the Author amanda19
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Helena says...
My passionfruit has chewed bits just like yours, but it is very vigorous, still young and not fruiting though... am looking forward to flowers! I would say make sure there is potash in the ground as I heard this makes plant leaves tougher and less prone to serious chewing pests. I have small grasshoppers on mine but for now will do nothing as there are so many leaves and the damage is not severe.

What do I do to get flowers??? the vine was growing up a pole but now is growing horizontally which I think is needed to develop flowers and fruit.

Anyway, good luck with the molasses, would be great to hear if this is effective against other chewing pests as I have lots of tiny black and yellow little bugs in my veg garden causing havoc and eating everything.


Time: 6th March 2012 7:26am

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About the Author Helena
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blazeaglory says...
I know this sounds silly but I stumbled upon this method by accident...

One day I was out in my garden and all of a sudden literally as many as six locust started to follow me vigorously. I would move and sit and they would follow me everywhere I went. I then realized the shirt I was wearing was a bright green almost fluorescent but not. So I started whacking them all with a shovel. I havent had a big locust or grasshopper problem since but when I do notice some damage I put on the shirt and wait. Slowly but surely they come and get the shovel! Good luck

Time: 6th March 2012 12:59pm

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About the Author blazeaglory
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snottiegobble says...
Sounds promising blazeaglory. I wonder if it would work with fluoro workcare shirts?
Lets see if some of our tradie gardeners will give it a try?

Time: 6th March 2012 3:40pm

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About the Author snottiegobble
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Christine says...
Do tiny black ants really eat the fruit and flowers of the passionfruit? or should I be looking for slugs (which there has been no sight of - yet)

Time: 26th March 2012 8:56am

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About the Author Christine8
 
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blazeaglory says...
Maybe it was more like 3 locust but it was still a little scary.

I dont know if the ants eat the leaves or the aphids that they bring. Either one I dont like

Time: 31st March 2012 3:35am

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Ishikawa says...
Something is eating the flowers of my passion fruit. There's no obvious culprit. Do ants do this? I've seen Black-headed sugar ants and black ants on the vine.

Time: 15th February 2015 11:44am

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About the Author Ishikawa
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ivepeters says...
Lay odds on it being a possum.

Time: 15th February 2015 12:21pm

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salsify says...


Time: 16th February 2015 9:55am

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Wallywater waster says...
I use Vaseline to spread around the plant stork. This keeps earwigs away, they will not cross it. I put a row of scoria ( crushed rock) around the plant, this keeps snails and slugs away. They wont cross it. I spray with chilli and garlic spray, seem to work on most insects. But there's one little critter I cant beat yet. Eating my sweet new passionfruit leaves. I'm going to try Naturalyte.

Time: 15th November 2018 11:07am

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