Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina) is a garden favorite, cherished for its distinctive soft, velvety foliage and silvery-green hue. This perennial plant brings a unique textural element to garden beds, often used as a groundcover or border plant due to its spreading habit. While widely appreciated for its drought tolerance and general hardiness, even resilient plants like Lamb’s Ear can become targets for various garden pests. Understanding what might be consuming your plants and how to effectively manage these issues is key to maintaining a healthy and attractive landscape.
Common Pests Attacking Lamb’s Ear
Several garden creatures find Lamb’s Ear appealing, despite its fuzzy texture. Slugs and snails are frequent culprits, particularly in damp conditions. These mollusks feed on plant leaves, causing damage that can range from minor nips to significant defoliation. Their presence is often more pronounced during cooler, humid periods, as they prefer moist environments.
Caterpillars, the larval stage of moths and butterflies, also feed on Lamb’s Ear. They chew through leaves and flower petals, creating noticeable holes.
Earwigs, another nocturnal pest, can also contribute to plant damage. They are general feeders and can cause significant chewing on foliage.
Larger browsing animals, such as rabbits and deer, generally find Lamb’s Ear less appealing due to its fuzzy texture. However, they are opportunistic feeders. If preferred food sources are scarce, Lamb’s Ear may be sampled. Young deer, in particular, might experiment with different plants. Browsing by these animals increases during periods of drought or severe winter conditions when natural forage is limited.
Decoding the Damage Signs
Observing the specific type of damage on your Lamb’s Ear can help identify the pest responsible. Irregular holes and chewed edges on leaves are common indicators of feeding by slugs, snails, caterpillars, or earwigs.
If slugs or snails are the culprits, you will often find shiny, silvery slime trails on the leaves and surrounding soil. These mollusks consume leaves from their outer edges.
Caterpillar feeding can also result in irregular holes and chewed areas, sometimes accompanied by small, black droppings on the leaves, which are their frass.
Earwig damage presents as ragged holes. Inspecting plants with a flashlight after dark can confirm their presence.
When damage involves larger sections of foliage missing, particularly near the ground, this often points to feeding by rabbits. If significant portions of the plant are gone, or stems or leaves are cleanly bitten off, deer are likely involved, especially if other deer-resistant plants in your garden show similar signs.
Preventing and Managing Pests
Effective management of pests on Lamb’s Ear involves a combination of preventative measures and targeted interventions.
For slugs and snails, cultural practices are beneficial. Ensuring good air circulation and avoiding overhead watering reduces the moist conditions they favor. Hand-picking these pests is a direct control method. Creating barriers with diatomaceous earth around plants can also deter them, as the sharp particles are abrasive to their soft bodies. Shallow traps containing beer or a yeast solution can attract and drown them.
Caterpillar infestations can be managed by hand-picking larvae. For widespread issues, spraying with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium that targets and disrupts caterpillar digestive systems, is effective. Diatomaceous earth can also be applied to foliage, which deters feeding.
To control earwigs, reduce their hiding spots by clearing away excessive mulch or decaying plant debris. Setting oil traps, such as shallow containers with vegetable oil, buried level with the soil, can capture them. Rolled-up newspapers or corrugated cardboard can also be placed near plants overnight, providing shelter for earwigs to be collected and disposed of.
While Lamb’s Ear is generally resistant to deer and rabbits, persistent browsing may require additional measures. Physical barriers like fencing can prevent larger animals from accessing plants. Interplanting Lamb’s Ear with other deer-resistant plants can create a buffer zone that deters browsing. Additionally, commercially available repellent sprays can be applied to make plants unappealing.