Gardening and Horticulture - marigold problems

my margolds are being eaten by some insect . not sure, but might be slugs.they are all dying. this Is the third time I have replaced them. they are in full sun and watered everyday. plus can I use ortho systemic insect killer on them. ANY HELP, THANK YOU !

do you see webs on the plants. if so you have spider mites. otherwise, it sounds like a little too much water as well.

No Webs On Plants. I Failed To Mention They Look Like They Are Being Eaten By Some Insect. EVERY OTHER DAY I Can See Bite Marks. Should I Water Every TWO DayS ?

marigolds are real heat tollerant and pretty drought tollerant when established. try two to three times a week. do not keep them wet, only moist.

Thank You For Your Help Kerry

your very welcome, i hope it helps.

Slugs will eat marigolds as well as other plants. They are nocturnal. Go outdoors at night with flashlight to see if you can spot them in your garden. If so, you will need to address slug control.

Thank You TWELVEPOLE, But What Can I Use To Control The Slugs That Is Safe To Use ?

Your problems sounds to be slugs. You can place shallow pans of beer around and about to attract the slugs to the brew. Slugs will crawl into the pans after the beer and drown. Keep the amount of beer under control as dogs and cats can find this and drink it. If the bed is mulched or close to a mulched area, pulling back some of the mulch to create a broader bare area can help keep the slugs at bay. Removing some of the mulch so that it does not stay damp can help, too. You could hunt the beds at night with a flashlight and pick the critters off the plants and ground, then discard them.

Hope this helps.

i have heard that spreading a little table salt is also helpful as it burns the slug.

thank you kerry, but wont the salt hurt the plants when i water? here is an update on my problem! after getting home from work at 2:00am i went out side to my plants with a fashlight and guest what i found, slugs and snails all over my plants just having a great meal...oh and i wont waste beer on slugs,hehe.. is there any thing esle i could use to stop these annoying bugs?

You can pick them off the plants and drop them into a glass of water or put them on a platter or some sort and sprinkle salt onto them. The salt will dessicate them, killing them. You could buy cheap beer. You can buy slug pellets and broadcast them in the area to kill the slugs and snails.

did the pellets from ortho, worked great, all dead and keeps killing them . thanks for all your help!