How to deal with vine weevil in pots

Hi everybody,
Working away on some of the plants this morning and we came across some vine weevil, so an impromptu video on finding them and what I’ll do about them and the plant they were in, along with some of the precautions we take here.
00:00 Welcome
00:30 Repotting
01:05 Temperature for young plants
02:00 Damage from vine weevil
03:50 Vine weevil grubs
05:00 Soil based compost, grit, nematodes
07:40 Recent weather
08:10 All the best
As always, comments are welcome and remember to like and subscribe.
All the best,
Hugh

[@EssayonsFG]

A pox on all vine weevils, Hugh! LOL Great update and tips on dealing with them.

[@HortiHugo]

Agreed for sure ! Lol. All the best there, Hugh

[@debbieharber6550]

Been gardening for over 20 years and only the last two years Iv been finding them in my hydrangeas ..I thought they were just Beatles on the leaves till I googled it one day , I lost so many hydrangeas and now know why ..I used the water solution last year which worked fab plus a torch at night times to pick the weevils off every night…think my neighbours thought I’d gone crazy but it definitely help ..I will try different compost this year ..ty for sharing

[@HortiHugo]

It's so hard when the attack Debbie, I find soil based composts work the best. Hope the growing weather is good there. All the best, Hugh

[@gardeningmadeeasywiththeol3945]

Hi Hugh, thanks for a really interesting and informative video about the dreaded vine weevil. A great tutorial and much appreciated. Best Wishes.

[@HortiHugo]

Thanks, hopefully we’ll have less of them around next year …

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

They are a bain of our gardening lives and I have a Strawberry container which looks like t has Vine Weevil I it must get it out and see before the fly emerges. Excellent tutorial Hugh. ♻️Happy gardening, Terry King.

[@HortiHugo]

Interested to see how those nematodes work out Terry, all the best there, Hugh

[@DigwellGreenfingers]

I've only had vine weevil on a few plants Hugh and like you, it was a case of handpicking and then nematodes. I also used some nematodes on the compost from the pots just in case there were any eggs about to hatch. Hope it works for you buddy.

[@andicampbell8621]

Careful now. Down with this sort of thing. 🤣👍

[@HortiHugo]

😅😅

[@brianrumbelow5419]

Hi Hugh, very informative #HughTube video. Now I know what my problem is😂🤣👍

[@HortiHugo]

Oh dear Brian ! Have a root around any plants affected and see. All the best, Hugh

[@JensGardenAdventures]

Was sorting some tubs yesterday and found those wee swines! Lol threw them to the birds like you have! 😁

[@HortiHugo]

Hope you don’t get any more Jen (weevil that is - not the birds … Lol). All the best, Hugh

[@JensGardenAdventures]

@@HortiHugo lol defo threw them to the birds, not the birds to the weevils lol

[@HortiHugo]

@@JensGardenAdventures Lol !

[@ThedawnchorusPlot]

Hi Hugh, you are having problems with the vine weevil 😡🤬, when the adults are about straw or hay stuffed into a loo roll placed about can help, they tend to hide in there in the daytime and you can empty them out in the morning, but aren’t they a pain, I didn’t know they were all female? Many thanks for sharing kind regards alan……………THE DAWN CHORUS PLOT 🌿

[@HortiHugo]

Hi Alan, that’s a nice tip, will try that for sure. Yes, I believe there are no males in that particular species. All the best, Hugh

[@ThedawnchorusPlot]

@@HortiHugo 👍🌿

[@ArkansasWoodcutter]

Great tips Hugh. I do need a soil thermometer...

[@ArkansasWoodcutter]

I’ve got other ideas

[@ArkansasWoodcutter]

😂👍❤️

[@HortiHugo]

Yes, they com in v handy Mark, all the best there, Hugh

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Not sure if we have vine weavel here. Good info as always, Hugh. I think the biggest pest pressure here comes from earnings and flea beetle. Peppers are looking great !! Are you in the UK ? Cheers Jason and Colleen 🌱🌱🌱

[@HortiHugo]

Hey Jason, I’m based in the Emerald Isle (Ireland 😁☘️). Hopefully you’re not affected, they’re mostly a pet of ornamental plants rather than veg. Aren’t the peppers motoring along nicely! All the best there, Hugh

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@Horti Hugh oh OK, Hugh, good to know. Btw you gotta watch our St. Patrick Day special. You have a good laugh, I hope ;) Cheers

[@wildlifegardener-tracey6206]

Bought two heuchera recently looking ok at the moment but I may take a look at the roots just incase.

[@HortiHugo]

The adults tend to lay eggs in autumn, and the weevil grubs do all the damage over winter, so hopefully ones purchased recently aren’t affected. All the best Tracey, Hugh

[@HortiHugo]

Did you happen to check them for vine weevil Tracey?

[@GreenSideUp]

Hi Hugh, I was just asked recently how to deal with Vine weavel, and I had to say I had no idea! I have never ever seen one let alone had to deal with the damage in 50 years of gardening! I am either very lucky or not very observant ! I do wonder though as your 90 percent sure you have no more weavels there, would it not be more beneficial to wash the roots off in a bucket of water for a proper look and check?...Steve...😃

[@HortiHugo]

Hey Steve, they’re mostly pests of ornamental plants in pots, and v glad you don’t have them as a problem. And yes, I did wash it afterwards and thankfully no more signs of them. All the best there, Hugh

[@mariangela4046]

Hi Hugh, I found not only wine weevil but leatherjackets in the compost while transplanting an Hydrangea (a deciduous) into a new pot. I am concerned I moved grubs in the roots into the new soil. Would you know where do we find Nematodes in IE, I only found an UK website, unsure if they will deliver. 😞

[@HortiHugo]

Can’t seem to source the grubs here Mari. Looks like a busy autumn ahead for us checking plants and compost. All the best there, Hugh 😃

[@audreyburrowes4058]

Oh god the dreaded vine weevil 😳 You seem to take it in your stride-I wish I was as easy going when it comes to anything that destroys the plants!! 🌱 You were even calm enough about the 🐭 Good way to be 😁 Hopefully you don’t have them in other pots 🤞BUT chances are you do 😟

[@HortiHugo]

Hey Audrey, yes unfortunately where there’s one chances are there’s more. It’s only at this time of year we really see plants affected. I’ll be buying tonnes more grit to top pots off this year. All the best, Hugh

[@audreyburrowes4058]

@@HortiHugo something I need to get myself too. Can you imagine if all the grubs you found became adults 😱 Hopefully the birds enjoyed the feast!

[@HortiHugo]

Yes, although it only takes one adult weevil to survive Audrey, and that one can lay many many eggs … all the best, Hugh

[@audreyburrowes4058]

@@HortiHugo yeah that’s true. I was imagining lots of them spreading through all the other gardens and nematodes or not we’d never get rid of them 😳 but as you say it only takes one to do all the damage...damn it I’ll have to start hunting vine weevil as well as slugs at night!!! The joys of gardening 🐌🐌🐌🙄😄

[@HortiHugo]

All part of the fun Audrey ! Yes, strategy here is to minimise them as much as possible. Enjoy your day 🌷☀️🌿

[@loftyskies123]

just subbed , hi im at war with the vine weevils they keep coming in the house , i think theyre sneaking under the front door theres got to be a gap somewhere , ive been spraying the doorstep and the bottom of the door on the inside with fly and bug spray ,they dont like it plus they get stomped the minute i see one , dont know what the neighbours think when im outside aswell with my torch checking everywhere , just ordered a box of nematodes my problem is next door also has them, are they just going to keep strolling over to my plants i dont think there will be enough to cover her plants aswell ,shes all shrubs mine are geraniums and other plants .do the weevil grubs even care what they eat .

[@HortiHugo]

Yep, I here you. Unfortunately the adults emerge out of they’re larvae cycle at this time of year from pots. Good luck with your battle with them. All the best there, Hugh 😃

[@texasRoofDoctor]

Will dietamaceous earth kill the weevils ?

[@luigiluigi2098]

No, try nematodes if want to be organic or get a soil insecticide. I'd recommend preemptively treating twice a year once in early spring and again in autumn. Once you see them it's too late to protect your plants. They'll have done some damage already.

[@debbief9861]

I have seen that the buds of my potted narcissus have been burrowed into, I guess up through the stem. The things I can see on the soil when I tip out the plant look darker than your bugs, more like mini slugs.

[@HortiHugo]

Yes Debbie, could be worth having a root around them to see. All the best, Hugh

[@debbief9861]

@@HortiHugo my garden does get a lot of slugs and snails! I’ve been picking them off every day, but the damage is done with some of the buds 😿

[@HortiHugo]

Hope you had some nice spring flowers Debbie, all the best, Hugh

[@debbief9861]

@@HortiHugo yes and no! I think the burrowers didn’t help the display, and some strong winds didn’t, either 😽

[@HortiHugo]

Always the same isn’t it, hope you managed to pick some for the house. All the best, Hugh

[@kyliehodges6341]

I’m originally from Tasmania and had never heard of these. I found an adult in my garden a couple of years ago and didn’t think anything of it 🤦‍♀️ I’ve managed to only lost a couple of plants. A friend of mine recently spent a crazy amount of money on a potted rhododendron so I gave his plant a housewarming present of nematodes. I think he thought I was a little crazy but prevention is better than cure! Or a funeral for a plant

[@HortiHugo]

Best present you could give him. Very wise. All the best there, Hugh 😃