What is eating my leaf greens ?

[Marb67]

For the life of me I do not know what pest is causing this brown mottling around holes on my chard and other leafy greens. It is not just slugs as the leaves show a lot of these brown patches. A slug bit leaves a clean hole, whereas these are jagged. Pretty much every leaf (even ones protected with enviromesh) have been affected

[veggiechicken]

Is it weather damage - hail perhaps?

[Marb67]

No as it has been happening all year. Besides, it is protected under mesh.

[veggiechicken]

Then it must be something that lives under the mesh.

[Snoop Puss]

Have you got a picture of the underside, Marb?

[nickdub]

cabbage worm ?

[Marb67]

Underside is the same as top.

[Mr Bones]

Looks like a fungal disorder, just guggled it and ramularia leaf spot is very similar. Maybe try growing the next lot without the mesh cover.

[Snoop Puss]

^ Yes, I thought it looked fungal. Well found, Mr Bones.

[Marb67]

Thanks, it does look like that. If I grow without protection the birds, thrips and slugs will get at it. So yet another pest to add to my ever growing list. I do wonder why I bother. So much bad luck for such a tiny space.

[Mr Bones]

You're not on your own Marb, we get a similar looking patches on ours too plus fat green caterpillars. When it becomes too ragged it gets chopped off then fresh new leaves grow.

[Marb67]

Oh well, still keeping it organic and will not treat with pesticides. My perennial kales are still the gifts that keep giving and my old Nero that is 2 years old still sprouts.

[Penellype]

You're not on your own Marb, we get a similar looking patches on ours too plus fat green caterpillars. When it becomes too ragged it gets chopped off then fresh new leaves grow.

I can't grow chard to save my life, so it is probably just as well that I don't like it. When I tried to grow it most of it got eaten by dot moth caterpillars https://www.google.com/search?q=dot+...S853Q_M:&vet=1 - they seem to have a particular liking for chard.