Expert: Christopher Littrell - 6/1/2011

Question
I have a healthy purple pitcher plant here in Brunswick, Georgia. It grows out on a table in full sun with a red pitcher plant and several venus flytraps. I haven't noticed any problems with my venus flytraps or other pitcher plant, but I noticed yesterday and today that something has started snacking on the new red leaves of my purple pitcher plant. These leaves are red as they grow but barely get to an inch before soemthing eats them from the top down. Today, they were eaten almost halfway, and one of the younger still growing pitchers had a hole in its side flap of reasonable size! I also had this problem sometime at the end of last year, and it worries me this year that I won't be able to get many good leaves before the plant goes into dormancy in the fall. Is this an aphid or grasshopper problem? I didn't see any on the plant, so I can only guess they come at night. Is there something I can use to repel these pest(s) from snacking on my plant?
Thanks,
J

Answer
Hello J,

Aphids tend to merely suck sap out of leaves, causing deformity and weak growth. Grasshoppers, katydids, and caterpillars are the pests that will chew sections of leaf off. What you describe sounds like a large katydid is jumping onto the table and snacking on the plant, then leaping off and out of site in the grass below, much like what was happening to a Sarracenia I had outside as well. You can use a variety of pesticides that are neem oil or pyrethrin based. Don't use anything soap based or with copper in it. Ortho has some good products that can be used on carnivorous plants if they do not ustilize the aforementioned soap base or copper containing mixtures.The problem is that grasshoppers and katydids can fly and leap, so they can go pretty much wherever you put the plant. Caterpillars tend to hang around on the plant they choose as their food crop, but a few will burrow or hide under leaves by day and come out only at night.

Christopher