Kitchen Garden Forum

What little beggar is having a go at my asparagus? It is all distorted (which could be stones but it's not first cutting & rest was fine), the stalks are bone dry, it's obviously nibbled and there is a slime shine on it! The slime made me think slugs or snails obviously but would they cause the other problems?
No sign of asparagus beetle which would be my other contender.

Westi

By "other problems", do you mean distorted growth? Distortion is caused by nibbling when the shoot is very first emerging. As it elongates, the scars from the nibbles hinder proper development around those points. The damage may only be very slight, almost microscopic, but the effect becomes exaggerated. The slime is a give away: molluscs, for sure.

Thank you - don't feel quite as guilty putting down the pellets!

Westi

We've lost a whole bed of asparagus this year. The one planted next door at the same time is fine and the third one we put in a year ago isn't in bad shape, so who knows why we've got a problem with a well established lot of asparagus.

Well if slimey ones weren't enough the little beetles decided to visit as well! Only ever found a few before & much later in season when had stopped harvesting - but every new stalk had 'visitors'.

Not good at squishing - but did it anyway! Do they hibernate in the soil or fly in when the stalks are up?

Westi