help! curled up white grubs infesting roots of container grown pelargonium

[peridito]

I've been away from my garden for too long but yesterday did a little container maintenance .
Removing an ailing pelargonium I found lots of little fat grubs embedded in the roots .
No idea what they are ,google suggests chafer grubs .I'm refusing to entertain idea of vine weevils based on absence of holey leaves and fear.

Please tell me what to do .Will I have to empty the huge pot they're in and throw away all the compost ?

Will I have to empty the huge pot they're in and throw away all the compost? Ideally. Or you could pick through the compost and remove all grubs, hoping that there are no unhatched eggs. You'll probably find the grubs are in a relatively confined area around the roots.

Take your ailing pelargonium and treat it as an oversized cutting - wash all the soil off the roots, remove most of the larger leaves, and pot it up again to let it grow new roots.

I would suspect vine weevil grubs over chafer grubs. Chafer grubs are usually found in lawns and grass. Vine weevil grubs are much more likely to be found in pots and tubs. Either way, I would do as MereDint advised and hope for the best.

Thank you both -Nan yes on re googling I'm inclining to vine weevils .

Could I water the compost with some kind of insectiside ? Could probably remove top 3/4/6 inches of compost .Do you think that would help ? How deep should I go ?

I had vine weevils in pots eating all my cyclamen roots. Yes, I used chemicals in the watering can and it worked but I wouldn't do that now. On Gardeners World at the weekend the container growing expert recommended nematodes. I'd do that. There is still just enough time before winter.

ok thanks Noflora I've just ordered some .I'm in SE London and the pots are fairly sheltered so hopefully the conditions will be suitable .

I hate to break it to you OP, but you will need to treat all your other containers as well. Vine weevils travel around a lot and they are likely to have laid eggs in other places too.

Sorry, it's very likely vine weevils. Fear is right.

I had success with repeated treatments of nematodes, but lost quite a few plants along the way. I think I kept getting reinfected by the neighbours, who were bringing them home in plants from the garden centre...

I'm pretty sure I used Nasty Chemicals watered into the pots of non-edibles, though, so can't claim the success was purely down to nematodes (and obviously it's either/or, as you don't want to kill off your nematodes).

Well I'll try the nematodes .Fortunately I don't have many containers .

Look out for the adult vine weevil too, and squish whenever you see one. Adults are all females if I remember my entomology classes correctly, so each one could be carrying eggs (up to 1000) which they lay on the soil of your pots (preferably but not exhaustively).

The adults eat chunks out of leaf edges, so be vigilant for damage like this. If you can, go out with a torch after dark and check your plants. They don't restrict themselves to pots and containers, they will attack plants in borders too.

(I did a little indrawn shriek when I read your title query, vine weevils are one of the worst pests that ever cause sudden plant collapse. Never show them mercy as they sneer at your weakness...)

I did a little indrawn shriek when I read your title query, vine weevils are one of the worst pests that ever cause sudden plant collapse

aah ,success stories would be welcome .

I need to try and keep positive .

My garden is next to an untended plot which although lovely in terms of privacy and openess also gives generously in terms of sycamore seedlings ,mare's tail ,convulvulous ,ivy ,bramble .I hardly notice the ground elder from the other side .

I'm pretty sure the vine weevils came with the 3 pelargoniums that I bought locally .

I hate vine weevil my job this afternoon is to repot all my sempervivum and echivaria which I found had a few tiny grubs. History informs me that this means they are all infested. Uuugh not something I wanted to do today. you have my sympathies op.

I'm pretty sure the vine weevils came with the 3 pelargoniums that I bought locally They're everywhere. Not much point agonising about possible sources.

The untended plot is a blessing in this respect because you probably have a higher density of predators than you would have if surrounded by immaculately tended gardens - and especially gardens tended by people whose idea of gardening is to spray at the first sign of trouble or even "just in case".

Just be glad you don't have lily beetles - the youngsters cover themselves in excrement as a disguise - hand squishing them is possibly the worst gardening job.

That's the spirit Pandiculation ! I knew I could rely on plucky MN gardeners to spur me on and demonstrate that the glass is half full ,not half empty

I did a weevil treatment last month and now keep finding the adult ones in my house

Blimey .I don't like the sound of that .Our flat is some distance ( and height )from treated containers so hopefully this won't happen.Especially as I think they don't fly .

Nothing to do with the thread, but I remember a weevil taxonomist extolling the virtues of weevils over beetles. Basically, beetles are impetuous, they scurry around thoughtlessly, whereas weevils consider every move they make and are totally sensible.

They reckon dog owners grow to look like their dogs; I reckon taxonomists look and behave like the animals they study.

Being of a thrifty nature, I empty my pots out one by one and spend many hours some time sifting through the compost looking for the little blighters. Once in the groove,you're soon an expert at spotting that faintest creamy white portent of doom. I toss them onto the paving where a hungry Robin gobbles them up (if not,then squash).
I did try the non eco chemical version but evidently didn't get the concentration right. Plus the warnings were a bit alarming!

Having de-bugged the compost ,I mix it with some new and hope for the best. This year was a success at least but I have seen fully formed vine weevils in the garden so can't rest on any laurels!

I've had good success with regular application on nematodes after a bad infestation about 6 years ago. My current garden is all pots! But I've kept them at bay (touch wood) with spring and autumn nematode application.

That's good to hear cat . And sounds quite doable ...

Vine weevils don't fly but they can walk huge distances, including vertically up walls. I lived in a flat on the 5th floor and I got them from some bedding plants planted on the ground level. As others have said, regular nematode applications kept them at bay. I only had pots so had lots of spare nematode liquid after application so I usually put a note up on the development message board offering it to anyone who wanted it.

The best way to catch the adults is to go out with a torch after dark and look underneath leaves.