My gardener-wife has just completed the
Spring garden, 20' X 30'. She has included
Many tomato plants (for frying green!) and
Japanese egg plants. They stand nearly a
foot high. For two nights in succession,
Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground.
It's a clean cut, almost surgical. Doesn't
seem anything was eaten, just severed.
Now she has put Sevin and diazanon
around the remaining plants. We have
lots of squirrels and a few racoons, but
I don't think they're that neat!.

1. What is doing this? and
2. How would you prevent it continuing?

TKS,
Scott

If they were cut off right at the soil line I'd say cutworms, and suggest
you treat with Carbaryl. They like young tomato plants very much. Since
it's further up the stem I'm not so sure about it but since they were clean
cuts that would make sense.

"Frau Himmel" wrote in message
...
My gardener-wife has just completed the
Spring garden, 20' X 30'. She has included
Many tomato plants (for frying green!) and
Japanese egg plants. They stand nearly a
foot high. For two nights in succession,
Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground.
It's a clean cut, almost surgical. Doesn't
seem anything was eaten, just severed.
Now she has put Sevin and diazanon
around the remaining plants. We have
lots of squirrels and a few racoons, but
I don't think they're that neat!.

1. What is doing this? and
2. How would you prevent it continuing?

TKS,
Scott

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 15:48:16 GMT, Frau Himmel
wrote:

My gardener-wife has just completed the
Spring garden, 20' X 30'. She has included
Many tomato plants (for frying green!) and
Japanese egg plants. They stand nearly a
foot high. For two nights in succession,
Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground.
It's a clean cut, almost surgical. Doesn't
seem anything was eaten, just severed.
Now she has put Sevin and diazanon
around the remaining plants. We have
lots of squirrels and a few racoons, but
I don't think they're that neat!.

1. What is doing this? and
2. How would you prevent it continuing?

TKS,
Scott


Could be cutworms. There are several species that attack different
parts of a plant and in different ways. Here is one type:

Quote

Damage

In field crops and several vegetables such as carrots, cutworm damage
typically results in plants being cut off at ground level resulting in
skips or circular bare patches within a field. Thresholds in Manitoba
are 3-4 larvae per square metre (or yard). In tomatoes, damage also
occurs during late July and August where light feeding or deep holes
in the fruit may result in increased disease infection.

End quote.

From
http://www.agsolutions.ca/pub/east/r...en.cgi/cutworm

Some types of cutworms encircle the plant stem and then "cut" it.
They can be stopped by placing some object, about 3 inches tall,
completely around the stem a little above and below ground level.

A search on "cutworm" will bring up several hits on the various types
of cutworms and the methods of dealing with them.

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 15:48:16 GMT, Frau Himmel
wrote:

1. What is doing this? and
2. How would you prevent it continuing?

Oops! I missed the "2.5 inches off the ground". Cutworms are at
ground level so disregard my previous answer.

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 15:48:16 GMT, Frau Himmel
wrote:

My gardener-wife has just completed the
Spring garden, 20' X 30'. She has included
Many tomato plants (for frying green!) and
Japanese egg plants. They stand nearly a
foot high. For two nights in succession,
Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground.
It's a clean cut, almost surgical. Doesn't
seem anything was eaten, just severed.
Now she has put Sevin and diazanon
around the remaining plants. We have
lots of squirrels and a few racoons, but
I don't think they're that neat!.

1. What is doing this? and
2. How would you prevent it continuing?


Sounds like cutworms to me. There's no need to put poisons
around to prevent cutworm damage.

You can just encircle each little plant you set out with
something:

- a piece of an empty toilet paper roll
- a round circle cut from a foam cup
- a bit of foam cut from an old egg carton
- a 3 x 5 index card held together with a paper clip

Or you can put a toothpick on each side of the plant, or a
little twig on each side of the plant (close, almost
touching the stem).

Pat

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 13:51:24 -0400, Jim Carter
wrote:

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 15:48:16 GMT, Frau Himmel
wrote:

1. What is doing this? and
2. How would you prevent it continuing?

Oops! I missed the "2.5 inches off the ground". Cutworms are at
ground level so disregard my previous answer.

Me too.

Pat

I have had grasshopper damage already. They cut it off above the ground 1
to 2 inches, although most of them have not been cut off clean, but enough
so that the plant wont stand up by itself anymore. I sprayed them and have
seen a lot of improvement.

Dwayne

"Frau Himmel" wrote in message
...
My gardener-wife has just completed the
Spring garden, 20' X 30'. She has included
Many tomato plants (for frying green!) and
Japanese egg plants. They stand nearly a
foot high. For two nights in succession,
Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground.
It's a clean cut, almost surgical. Doesn't
seem anything was eaten, just severed.
Now she has put Sevin and diazanon
around the remaining plants. We have
lots of squirrels and a few racoons, but
I don't think they're that neat!.

1. What is doing this? and
2. How would you prevent it continuing?

TKS,
Scott

Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground

I lose a couple of plants every year the exact same way.
It happens at night. I sprinkle a wide swath of cayenne pepper around the
perimeter of the garden. Don't know for sure if it helps but the damage seems
to stop. I get the real cheap stuff from a local closeout store, big container,
$1.50.

In my area, it is usually the work of cutworms. They are fairly
prevalent in my soil. I always wrap some aluminum foil around the
bases of my tomato and pepper transplants.



On 22 Apr 2003 09:19:03 GMT, (Keith
Karausky) wrote:

Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground

I lose a couple of plants every year the exact same way.
It happens at night. I sprinkle a wide swath of cayenne pepper around the
perimeter of the garden. Don't know for sure if it helps but the damage seems
to stop. I get the real cheap stuff from a local closeout store, big container,
$1.50.

In our last fun filled episode, Mon, 21 Apr 2003 15:48:16 GMT,
Frau Himmel proclaimed:

For two nights in succession,
Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground.
It's a clean cut, almost surgical. Doesn't
seem anything was eaten, just severed.

Do you have mulch piled up that high?

What is the area surrounding the garden like? Are
you in the country where critters might easily get in,
or it a more sububan/urban area?

Have you considered putting some sticky traps around the
base of one of your plants to see if you can catch the culprit?

Give us some more details and let's see if we can figure this
out!


Pam





---
"Oh no, not again."
- A bowl of petunias on its way to certain death

Very tall, athletic cutworms?

M. Reed

Jim Carter wrote:

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 15:48:16 GMT, Frau Himmel
wrote:

1. What is doing this? and
2. How would you prevent it continuing?

Oops! I missed the "2.5 inches off the ground". Cutworms are at
ground level so disregard my previous answer.

In article ,
says...
Sounds like cutworms to me. There's no need to put poisons
around to prevent cutworm damage.

You can just encircle each little plant you set out with
something:

- a piece of an empty toilet paper roll
- a round circle cut from a foam cup
- a bit of foam cut from an old egg carton
- a 3 x 5 index card held together with a paper clip

I've always used empty coffee cans (the large size) with the top and
bottom cut out. I push them into the soil an inch or two.

It's also handy for watering. I just fill the can with water and it goes
where needed with no runoff.

--
To announce that there must be no criticism of the president or that we
are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic
and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
Teddy Roosevelt

An easier way to combat cutworms is to put a toothpick or nail into the
ground next to your plants. I understand that a cutworm has to circle the
plant to cut it off. A nail or toothpick would prevent that. I tried it
and it works, as long as we are dealing with cutworms.

Dwayne

"Pam" wrote in message
...
In our last fun filled episode, Mon, 21 Apr 2003 15:48:16 GMT,
Frau Himmel proclaimed:

For two nights in succession,
Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground.
It's a clean cut, almost surgical. Doesn't
seem anything was eaten, just severed.

Do you have mulch piled up that high?

What is the area surrounding the garden like? Are
you in the country where critters might easily get in,
or it a more sububan/urban area?

Have you considered putting some sticky traps around the
base of one of your plants to see if you can catch the culprit?

Give us some more details and let's see if we can figure this
out!


Pam





---
"Oh no, not again."
- A bowl of petunias on its way to certain death

In our last fun filled episode, Tue, 22 Apr 2003 21:49:04 -0600,
"Dwayne" proclaimed:

An easier way to combat cutworms is to put a toothpick or nail into the
ground next to your plants. I understand that a cutworm has to circle the
plant to cut it off. A nail or toothpick would prevent that. I tried it
and it works, as long as we are dealing with cutworms.

tacky top posting duly noted

The point, which if you had read all the way to the bottom of the
post instead of lazily piling some screed at the top, was that
the culprit hasn't been identified. The plants are being cut at
about 2.5 inches off the ground, which is higher than the a
typical cutworm chews. A sticky trap might stop the baddie
*and* allow it to be identified so that more specific precautions
might be taken in the future. Plus the original poster could let
those of us who are curious know what the beastie is.


Pam




---
"Oh no, not again."
- A bowl of petunias on its way to certain death

On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 09:18:52 -0400, Pam wrote:

...Something has cut two tomatos and three
egg plants off @ 2.5 inches off the ground.
It's a clean cut, almost surgical. Doesn't

Do you have mulch piled up that high?

Yes, mulch is 4 - 6". City residential, lawn on all sides.
Don't know what a Sticky Trap is. I'll enquire @ the
feed & seed store.

What is the area surrounding the garden like? Are
you in the country where critters might easily get in,
or it a more sububan/urban area?

Have you considered putting some sticky traps around the
base of one of your plants to see if you can catch the culprit?

Give us some more details and let's see if we can figure this
out!


Pam


Lots of good suggestions, even some by email. Seems
this is a universal problem. If we catch the felon in the
act, we will share the identity. The various plants are
now encircled with foil, paper cylinders, cans. It is
possible that all the athletic pests are thwarted, and
have left to find better cutting elsewhere, although ours
is the only garden for 5 houses in all directions!

Wife caught only one of those little black
grasshoppers that turn into Big grasshoppers maybe
4" long, fat and juicy when squished. (Our cairn terrier
Loves to catch them, hates the taste!) This is our best
guess so far. More to follow! Many THANKS to
all you helpful contributors.

Scott McCall