What's eating my sky lupine?

Sky Lupine faces the same key threats as other annual lupines: lupine aphids swarm new growth causing distortion and decline, while caterpillars and loopers eat the foliage. Slugs are especially damaging to the low-growing seedlings. As a small annual, even modest pest pressure can kill individual plants before they set seed.

Clustered colonies on tips and leaf undersides; sticky honeydew, curled leaves, stunted growth. Remove by hand or with a water jet; treat with insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil; attract beneficial insects.

Chewed or skeletonised leaves; caterpillars often hide under foliage during the day. Apply Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray; hand-pick larvae; remove plant debris where pupae overwinter.

Seedlings cut off at or below soil level; slime trails on surrounding soil. Use iron phosphate slug pellets; water in the morning so soil surface dries by evening; use gravel mulch as a deterrent.