A chewing/rasping insect feeds on plant tissue and can cause ragged/chewed or missing leaves (caterpillars, slugs, beetles, grasshoppers), rolled leaves (leafroller), tunnels in between upper and lower leaf surfaces (leaf miners), holes in stems, ...
' Worms don't have teeth; they just have a sucking and rasping mouth part, so liquifying scraps in a blender will speed up the process.
Plant injury is caused by both nymphs and adults rasping the bud, flower and leaf tissues of the host plants, and then sucking the exuding sap, scraping away the chlorophyll on leaves where they feed.
Both the young and mature thrips feed upon the sap within the petals by rasping the tissue of the petals to suck the sap out.
They use rasping mouthparts to feed on gladiolus foliage and flowers, often while the flowers are still in the bud. Spray the plants when you first see damage, using acephate (Orthene and others) or carbaryl (Sevin).
Scarification-The chemical (soaking in buttermilk) or physical treatment (rasping with file or sandpaper) given to some seeds to break or weaken the seed coat sufficiently for germination to occur.
Slugs Snails without a shell, they feed on plants by biting tissue with rasping mouths underneath their bodies. Soilless mix Any potting mix that is made without the addition of soil.
Just be sure to keep the mulch away from the plant stems, as it can trap moisture that encourages fungal diseases or hide rasping insects that may eat your plants. You might also consider mulch cloth.
 See also: Plant, Flower, Soil, Water, Light
  
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