Pest identification
What's eating my lobelia erinus 'cascade blue'?
Slugs and snails
Signs: Young plants and trailing stems eaten at night; entire transplants can be destroyed within days of planting out in damp conditions.
Control: Apply iron phosphate pellets around plants at planting time; use copper tape on baskets and containers; hand-pick after dark.
Aphids
Signs: Dense colonies on soft shoot tips; foliage becomes sticky with honeydew and stunted; flowering can be reduced on heavily infested plants.
Control: Spray with insecticidal soap or dilute neem oil; knock off with a water jet; encourage hoverflies by planting umbellifers nearby.
Caterpillars
Signs: Holes chewed in leaves and flowers; larger caterpillars can strip trailing stems back to bare stalks relatively quickly.
Control: Hand-pick caterpillars and egg clusters; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray to foliage as a targeted biological control.
Keep lobelia erinus 'cascade blue' pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
- What eats edging lobelia — the species this cultivar belongs to
- What's wrong with my plant? — the diagnosis apps compared
- Common lobelia erinus 'cascade blue' problems & fixes
- Lobelia erinus 'Cascade Blue' watering schedule
- Lobelia erinus 'Cascade Blue' light requirements
- Full lobelia erinus 'cascade blue' care guide
Lobelia erinus 'Cascade Blue' pests — FAQ
What is eating my lobelia erinus 'cascade blue'?
Lobelia erinus 'Cascade Blue' is a trailing annual bedding plant most commonly damaged by slugs and snails on young transplants, aphids on soft new growth, and caterpillars. Damping-off can mimic pest damage on seedlings. In the UK and US, slugs are consistently the biggest threat to newly planted lobelia in baskets and borders.
How do I get rid of slugs and snails on lobelia erinus 'cascade blue'?
Young plants and trailing stems eaten at night; entire transplants can be destroyed within days of planting out in damp conditions. Apply iron phosphate pellets around plants at planting time; use copper tape on baskets and containers; hand-pick after dark.
How do I get rid of aphids on lobelia erinus 'cascade blue'?
Dense colonies on soft shoot tips; foliage becomes sticky with honeydew and stunted; flowering can be reduced on heavily infested plants. Spray with insecticidal soap or dilute neem oil; knock off with a water jet; encourage hoverflies by planting umbellifers nearby.
How do I get rid of caterpillars on lobelia erinus 'cascade blue'?
Holes chewed in leaves and flowers; larger caterpillars can strip trailing stems back to bare stalks relatively quickly. Hand-pick caterpillars and egg clusters; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray to foliage as a targeted biological control.