look very closely....I found 5 catipilars on mine tonight...they are very well camaphlauged.....I didnt see anythuing this afternoon when I looked except for eaten leaves...knew I had them...but were probally hidng from the heat of the sun...I went out tonight with a flashlight and behold they were there...anybody know of anythiing that is effective for them....These plants were on my patio 2 of 3 were being feasted on...I have another 30 plants in my garden...I havent notice the leaves being eaten in there but I will look out for it tommorow morn...these suckers can take down a whole plant over night....as they have in the past and if I didnt get them tonight Im sure I would only have stems with maters on them...by the way do they go after the fruit as well...one fruit looked as if the bottom was bitten of...actually half the mater was gone...thanks for your help...ohh yeah I would like to use the least toxic chemical that I can...I have used seven in the past...will this control it

Steve

Bill, the most common cause of leaf damage like that is caterpillars. Get a BT spray and spray your plants. BT is considered to be the least toxic--its a bacteria that kills the caterpillar when ingested and it doesn't affect any other pest. It will take them about 24 hours to die, but they won't have much of an appetite. You don't have to contact the caterpillars with the spray to kill them..they just need a little bite of a sprayed leaf to be infected.

Thanks srburk.

I made a trip to H.D. and found a three in one from Safer that listed caterpillars as what it worked on. Sprayed them and my mater are doing much better. Now for the slugs. I know how to get those.

Bill