How To Keep Caterpillars Off Passion Vine

Many people enjoy watching nature in all of its glory, especially when there are no signs of spring or summer coming. A lot of these watchers love caterpillars!

Many people enjoy watching nature in all of its glory, especially when there are no signs of spring or summer coming. A lot of these watchers love caterpillars!

They admire how beautifully they create their cocoons by scraping together lots of different colors and textures of fine hairs, leaves, and other materials. Some even admire the shape and design of their little bodies as they spiral down to die.

Caterpillar observers also appreciate how quickly they can be found, often times happening within minutes of them pupating (or dying). This is due to most species’ life cycles that include only a few days until they transition into the next stage.

However, one particular type of plant cannot seem to satisfy our fascination with these creatures- passion vines. These plants have very thick foliage which makes it difficult to see what is going on underneath. When you do find some parts exposed, there are always more than one layer of roots sticking out, making it hard to determine if anything is moving under the soil.

If you want to know why these plants may be trouble for those who like caterpillars, then read on! Here are some tips to help keep this harmful vine away from your beloved leafy greens.

Make the house water resistant

Most birds, reptiles and insects will not survive if there is no shelter or retreat where they can escape potential floods or rain. This includes caterpillars like this one!

If you see a passion vine that needs help, try to provide it with some kind of protected area in which it could run away. For example, cut down any nearby trees or bushes so it cannot climb up another plant. If possible, cover the plant completely with plastic until it has finished eating and dried out.

Never pull plants up by their roots, as this may hurt the plant and contribute to its death. Instead, use hand tools or thinning shears to carefully separate the plant from the soil.

Use insecticide

While trying to help your passion vine grow, there is one thing you must be careful of. If your plant does not seem to respond to growth after applying an herbicide, it may be because those caterpillars are eating it!

If this happens, immediately take extra special care of the plant. Because they are eating the roots, they need more food and water to survive.

You can try soaking the leaves in milk for some time or using a rice infusion as mentioned above. These solutions will aid in re-growing the plant!

Alternatively, you can use foliar sprays such as compost tea or fish emulsion which contain nutrients that plants require. Make sure to only apply these just like any other spray product — make sure no harmful chemicals come into contact with your skin.

Encourage the growth of other plants

Many leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach or even green peas can help prevent caterpillar attacks on passion vines. If there are no leaves in your diet, at least include them for health!

Leafy greens are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, zinc and potassium. Plus, they’re just plain delicious – try eating one today and see what we mean!

Also, remember that most plant foods contain some glucose which helps fuel cell growth. Since caterpillars need energy to grow and eat, having enough food may help protect your passion vine.

Get rid of the plants that are attracting the caterpillars

Many species of passion vine will not cause any harm to your plant if you choose to get rid of it. Simply snatching up the vines can be tricky, so try to do it at night or during off hours.

If possible, check to see if there is anyone nearby who could help you take care of the plant before calling in professional assistance.

You should also make sure to wash all hands thoroughly after handling the plant to prevent spreading any leaves or dirt around.

Use a pesticide on the plants

Most people begin trying to keep caterpillars off passion vine by spraying the stems or leaves with any kind of pesticide. This is usually very successful if done at the beginning before the vines get too big.

However, this can have unexpected consequences.

When the fruits start developing, the pesticides may prevent them from setting properly. Or, the chemicals could be ingested by anyone who tries to eat the fruit which would not only be unpleasant but possibly harmful as well.

This could also hurt your plant’s chance of survival because some pesticides are designed to work only when there are no more roots in the soil.

So how do you prevent passion flower pods?

Luckily, there are several ways to avoid having to use pesticides to deal with these weeds! Here are three easy tips for growing beautiful passion flowers that almost everyone will appreciate.

Prune the plants

While some people suggest leaving your passion vine alone and letting it grow, this is not the best solution. When the vines begin to sprout leaves and flowers, pruning them can help prevent cannibalism.

Pruning takes time so do not try to do it yourself if you have never done it before. You can find tips online or from gardening books for how to properly care for a passion plant.

General rules of thumb are to snip off one third of the growth every few months to keep it healthy. Sometimes this is referred to as thinning out the plant.

Another rule of thumb is to pull up any dead parts, even if they look like little hairs. If you notice lots of tiny roots developing, chances are there’s no longer enough food to survive in these areas, and the vine will eventually die there.

Tell your child about the plant

Many children are fascinated by caterpillers! They enjoy watching them eat their life cycle- including eating other insects as well as plants!

Many kids also love touching them, trying to grab or pull off pieces of skin!

While this is not harmful for these creatures, it can be very interesting to watch. Plus, some kid might try to take one home!

However, there are ways to keep caterpillar fascination to a minimum. The best way to do this is to tell your child about the plant before they see any. This way, they’ll know what to look out for and how to identify it.

Parents should also make sure that their child doesn’t put the caterpillar anywhere where it could roll around or get stepped on.

Let the plants grow

Many people try to prevent caterpillars from eating their passion vine by pulling them off of the plant or cutting it down, which only makes them look for other hungry vines!

This can sometimes be very frustrating as they often spend hours seeking out a new food source.

Instead of trying to remove the caterpillar, why not let the plant grow?

By letting your passion vine get bigger, it will provide better nutrition for the caterpillar. Also, if you notice that the plant is getting weaker, you can buy more growth tips to promote sprouting.