What's eating my ostrich fern?

Ostrich Fern grown for its edible fiddleheads faces slugs and snails on emerging shoots and aphids on tender new growth. Caterpillars occasionally browse the fronds. Because the fiddleheads are edible, choose organic controls — hand-picking and iron phosphate slug bait are preferred over synthetic pesticides.

Ragged holes and slime trails on young fiddleheads and emerging fronds, often overnight Hand-pick at dusk; apply iron phosphate slug bait (safe around edibles and wildlife); use copper tape barriers around crowns

Clusters of small green or black insects on tender fiddleheads; distorted, sticky new growth Knock off with a strong water jet; spray with insecticidal soap; encourage ladybugs and lacewings nearby

Chewed notches along frond margins; frass (droppings) visible on leaf surfaces Hand-pick caterpillars; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray to foliage for persistent problems; avoid harvesting treated fronds for eating for at least 1–2 weeks