Problems with Crocus michelsonii

[art600]

Of course it is a wireworm.  I should have googled first where there is an excellent photo of the nasty little thing.  No real advice on how to eliminate in potted plants at this time of year.  Ian has suggested a dose of Provado - will do.

[Susan Band]

The only suggestion I have which is not very useful in pot situations. They love carrots and if you bury a carrot ( has to be homegrown or organic as the shop ones have chemicals to deter hem) near the affected plants they go inside this, you can then pull out the carrot and dispose of the blighters. I sometimes have a problem when I have broken in a new piece of ground, as David says they are prevelent in pasture, when I planted out a new bed of Primula vailii they attacked them. I caught  quite a few with the carrot method, I don't know if it affected the numbers in the primula bed but at least you felt satisfied catching them. I don't know how they arrived in the pots.

[Anthony Darby]

Did you hit 'em with a stick once you had caught them Susan.

[Andrew]

John, for the first time ever this year  I have had crocus rot off in the manner you describe - C. cartwrightianus, C hadriaticus & C. niveus. Only one corm per pot was affected so it seems unlikely that drainage is the problem. I use a compost of 3 parts John Innes no.3 to 2 parts 6mm limestone chips.

I have had this as well with half a dozen different ones, usually grown in straight J.I. no.3. A combination of a mild winter, just a little too much water, the early warm conditions last spring ?