what's eating my marigolds

I have never had something eat those smelly marigolds until this year. all the leaves are nibbled and practically eaten up. I put slug stuff around them but that doesn't seem to help....suggestions?

My marigolds get hit every year by earwigs. Try some insect spray like Bug-B-Gone or Sevin (?).

shihtzumom, try this:

Garlic Spray:

Target insects: Aphids, cabbage loopers, grasshoppers, June bugs, leafhoppers, mites, squash bugs, slugs and whiteflies. May also help to repel rabbits! Never use oils sprays on Blue Spruce as it will remove the blue waxy coating on the needles! Because garlic contains naturally occurring sulfur it also acts as an antibacterial agent and fungus preventative.

* To make: Combine 3 ounces of minced garlic cloves with 1 ounce of mineral oil. Let soak for 24 hours or longer. Strain.
* Next mix 1 teaspoon of fish emulsion with 16 ounces of water. Add 1 tablespoon of castille soap to this.
* Now slowly combine the fish emulsion water with the garlic oil. Kept in a sealed glass container this mixture will stay viable for several months. To use: Mix 2 tablespoons of garlic oil with 1 pint of water and spray.
* When working with oil sprays you want to monitor the climate conditions so your plants won't get phytotoxic burn. Use this simple equation: Take the current outdoor Fahrenheit temperature then add to this the percentage of humidity, if the total is more than 140 don't spray.
* Example: Temperature of 80 degrees plus humidity of 67 percent equals 147, don't spray. You also do not want to spray when temps are above 80F.

HTH

~* Robin☺

This message was edited Jun 11, 2005 5:06 PM

What wonderful info - one silly question I guess, what is castille soap ? This sounds simple enough and I have the fish emulsion (stinky stuff). Since you are such wonderful knowledge - do you know anything about killing weeds with 20% vinegar - verses weed killers that can harm many other things?

Toni - I never thought of those nasty bugs! I bet that's it.
Thanks for the great help.
kathy

I thought I replied here. You can use dishliquid, Kathy.

~* Robin☺