Can anybody help with advice on what could be doing this to the leaves on our new trees

Hello

I hope you don’t mind me emailing I’m just desperate for advice on what could be causing such damage to our newly planted Portuguese Laurel trees! We planted 14 x 3 metre high trees with a 1.3 clear stem. We noticed they were delivered With a few eaten leaves but didn’t think much of it, but now it’s getting far worse, they started at the base and now running through the middle of the tree, eating the leaves as pictured below. We have been out every night late with torches and can’t see anything, we spent such a lot of money on these trees it’s devastating, we’re not gardeners so don’t know a lot about plants or trees, I have a Portuguese Laurel hedge freshly planted
At the front of the house and they are fine.

These tail trees came from Cambridge and we’re in the north west of England so I feel like whatever it is travelled up with them!

Any advice you can help me with would be extremely appreciated,

Kindest regards
Victoria

 

Thank you for your reply, I have done this and they have said I need to find the cause of this, my only option is too dig one out and check the roots and soil they came in, if I can’t find anything in there I’m baffled?!! I have never seen anything get so eaten like this, the front hedge is from a local company, these big trees with the issue are from one of the best reviewed uk supplies, I thought it could be vine weevil at first but we haven’t seen one! They were only planted a week ago so should checking the roots of one be ok at this point?

 

Google "portugese laurel vine weevil"

 

Yes we have, but we’ve not found any grubs in the soil or near the roots which there would be

 

I'd give all the plants a through spray with a systemic insecticide.
It might not work if it is vine weevils but it won't hurt either.
Then get a pack of the nemetodes and cover all the root area.

If that is vine weevil I'm guessing they, the grubs, will still be pretty small, but they will be eating the roots all winter if you don't stop them now.

 

My other guess would be caterpillars.

 

Thank you, I’ve spayed them and will go again later, I don’t think there getting worse at the moment and we were out last night checking again! Nothing on the leaves even at 1am! The trees look ok but where they have been chewed they look dry and distressed, I’ll try get a full picture of the tree

 

hi Pete, thank you

A speaking has just told me he thinks it’s caterpillars, he said vine weevil wouldn’t completely strip a leaf like this, it maybe they have now become moths and flew away as the munching seems to have slowed, I’m still spraying and checking at night, no sight of anything in the day! Let’s hope they have gone and no more damage can be done to the trees