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#1
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Hungry pests eating everything!
Hi all,
Reading that post about vegetable garden mulch reminded to post about my predicament. I started my first vegetable garden this spring. I left it a bit late so only planted cherry toms and watermelons (and my son planted sunflowers). Well, none of the tom seeds sprouted - I have since found out that transplants are the best way to go. My watermelons and sunflowers were coming on well and then one by one... everything got eaten! One day there were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps! Next to my veggie patch I also have a good sized, controlled, blackberry garden. We had a bumper crop this spring and they were HUGE - but that's not the point... A pecan tree sprouted in the middle of the patch and we just let it grow. It was about six feet tall with a good bunch of leaves and then one day, every_single leaf had been munched off. I was thinking caterpillars, but I don't think for one minute even 20 of them could eat that much. Could it be the cicadas?! TIA. |
#2
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In article , "Lynda LeCompte"
wrote: Hi all, Reading that post about vegetable garden mulch reminded to post about my predicament. I started my first vegetable garden this spring. I left it a bit late so only planted cherry toms and watermelons (and my son planted sunflowers). Well, none of the tom seeds sprouted - I have since found out that transplants are the best way to go. My watermelons and sunflowers were coming on well and then one by one... everything got eaten! One day there were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps! Next to my veggie patch I also have a good sized, controlled, blackberry garden. We had a bumper crop this spring and they were HUGE - but that's not the point... A pecan tree sprouted in the middle of the patch and we just let it grow. It was about six feet tall with a good bunch of leaves and then one day, every_single leaf had been munched off. I was thinking caterpillars, but I don't think for one minute even 20 of them could eat that much. Could it be the cicadas?! Unless the plants were just snipped off and the top laying near them, I'd guess snails and/or slugs for the watermelons and sunflowers. A light scattering of Bugs Getta (snail and slug bait/killer) or Bugs Getta Plus (apply about once a week or after heavy rain) is helpful about a week before and for a week or two after planting or sprouting seedlings around here. You can also try the old standby of beer in a saucer, but I find that to be pretty much an exercise in frustration and futility. The Bugs Getta Plus will also (in addition to slugs and snails) kill "cut-worms" which are the incredibly ugly fat gray larvae with the orange head, which you will often see when turning soil. They will cut roots and stems of young plants. (Anyone know what insect "cutworms" are the larvae of?) If you found your plants just snipped off, then I don't know the identity of the culprit. I wish I did. Some years I find the tops of some of my peppers just snipped off, as with a clippers. I imagine there's some kind of snipping insect around that chews a very smooth cut. I don't know about your pecan tree. -- A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body. |
#3
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I would have guessed it was the deer.
With hope and heart, Kathleen I started my first vegetable garden this spring. I left it a bit late so only planted cherry toms and watermelons (and my son planted sunflowers). Well, none of the tom seeds sprouted - I have since found out that transplants are the best way to go. My watermelons and sunflowers were coming on well and then one by one... everything got eaten! One day there were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps! Next to my veggie patch I also have a good sized, controlled, blackberry garden. We had a bumper crop this spring and they were HUGE - but that's not the point... A pecan tree sprouted in the middle of the patch and we just let it grow. It was about six feet tall with a good bunch of leaves and then one day, every_single leaf had been munched off. I was thinking caterpillars, but I don't think for one minute even 20 of them could eat that much. |
#4
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On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 02:41:39 -0500, Jeff Walther wrote:
In article , "Lynda LeCompte" wrote: everything got eaten! One day there were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps! Unless the plants were just snipped off and the top laying near them, I'd guess snails and/or slugs for the watermelons and sunflowers. Hmm - I don't know. I haven't seen any slugs or snails. I was inundated with them when I lived in England, but haven't seen any around here. However, I know because I haven't seen them doesn't mean that their not around! The watermelon plants disappeared altogether and the sunflower stumps were not clean cuts, just kind of gnawed away. Last year, a whole crop of blackberries disappeared over night too. That may have been birds - we get a *lot* of birds with all of our trees - and that makes for good viewing :-) The Bugs Getta Plus will also (in addition to slugs and snails) kill "cut-worms" which are the incredibly ugly fat gray larvae with the orange head, which you will often see when turning soil. They will cut roots and stems of young plants. Aha. There was a healthy bunch of worms when I was preparing the soil and I figured that could only be good. There may have been some of the cut-worms but I wouldn't have taken much notice as everything over here is new to me! I'll look into that. If you found your plants just snipped off, then I don't know the identity of the culprit. I wish I did. Some years I find the tops of some of my peppers just snipped off, as with a clippers. I imagine there's some kind of snipping insect around that chews a very smooth cut. That was a neighbor with a low pantry ;-) Thanks for the help! |
#5
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On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 07:42:08 -0500, Kathleen
wrote: I would have guessed it was the deer. With hope and heart, Kathleen The closest thing to deer around here are the guinea hens - lol. A neighbor lets them loose and they come and peck up the spilled birdseed in our garden. They might be noisy, but they're a hoot to watch. Here they are heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I hadn't have caught them ;-) http://purplelinny.com/miscpics/pics/birds001.jpg Seriously... we do have racoons, possums, skunks and the like - but no deer or otherwise grazing types of the hoofed variety. :-) |
#6
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I have something that likes tomatoes. Birds get some, but there's something
that eats big round holes, like 1/3 of the tomato, just before it gets really ripe. And the darn thing won't just finish ONE, NO-O-O-oooo it has to try a bite out of every fruit that's pink. Going to have to put wire around them. Cindy |
#7
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The closest thing to deer around here are the guinea hens - lol.
A neighbor lets them loose and they come and peck up the spilled birdseed in our garden. They might be noisy, but they're a hoot to watch. Here they are heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I hadn't have caught them ;-) http://purplelinny.com/miscpics/pics/birds001.jpg Seriously... we do have racoons, possums, skunks and the like - but no deer or otherwise grazing types of the hoofed variety. :-) Cute! Guineas are funny, and their feathers are so pretty! Cindy |
#8
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deer around here are the guinea hens - lol.
A neighbor lets them loose and they come and peck up the spilled birdseed in our garden. They might be noisy, but they're a hoot to watch. Here they are heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I hadn't have caught them ;-) http://purplelinny.com/miscpics/pics/birds001.jpg Guinea fowl are your friends. They are voracious bug eaters and think ticks are dessert. They also make a very fine gumbo. Tyler |
#9
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On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 17:01:58 -0500, Tyler Hopper
wrote: Guinea fowl are your friends. They are voracious bug eaters and think ticks are dessert. They also make a very fine gumbo. I gather that's been happening as their numbers are dwindling fast! |
#10
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In article , "Lynda LeCompte"
wrote: The closest thing to deer around here are the guinea hens - lol. Here they are heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I hadn't have caught them ;-) "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/078681988X/qid=1120191066/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-0398025-5867830 -- A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body. |
#11
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In article , "Cindy"
wrote: I have something that likes tomatoes. Birds get some, but there's something that eats big round holes, like 1/3 of the tomato, just before it gets really ripe. And the darn thing won't just finish ONE, NO-O-O-oooo it has to try a bite out of every fruit that's pink. Going to have to put wire around them. That could be squirrels, possums or raccoons. It could also be very thirsty birds, this summer has been so dry. In past years, birds would just peck a bit of a whole in each tomato that they touched. But this year, the birds are thirsty. I saw one squirrel bounding across my back yard (a few years ago) with a tomato about twice as big as its head. Its bound was very lopsided to the front, because it was so unbalanced carrying that huge fruit. Ornery critter. -- A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body. |
#12
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"Lynda LeCompte" wrote in message news Hi all, Reading that post about vegetable garden mulch reminded to post about my predicament. I started my first vegetable garden this spring. I left it a bit late so only planted cherry toms and watermelons (and my son planted sunflowers). Well, none of the tom seeds sprouted - I have since found out that transplants are the best way to go. My watermelons and sunflowers were coming on well and then one by one... everything got eaten! One day there were healthy little plants, the next there were stumps! Next to my veggie patch I also have a good sized, controlled, blackberry garden. We had a bumper crop this spring and they were HUGE - but that's not the point... A pecan tree sprouted in the middle of the patch and we just let it grow. It was about six feet tall with a good bunch of leaves and then one day, every_single leaf had been munched off. I was thinking caterpillars, but I don't think for one minute even 20 of them could eat that much. Could it be the cicadas?! Do you have big red ants that make little trails to their mound? |
#13
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On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 23:21:10 -0500, Jeff Walther wrote:
In article , "Lynda LeCompte" wrote: The closest thing to deer around here are the guinea hens - lol. Here they are heading towards my car - I think they would have swiped it if I hadn't have caught them ;-) "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/078681988X/qid=1120191066/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-0398025-5867830 Oh too funny - that is one of my son's favorite books - it tickled me too :-) |
#14
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On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 23:46:15 -0500, cat daddy wrote:
Do you have big red ants that make little trails to their mound? Like the red harvester? I've not seen any. We have mostly what I think are the native fire ants, around the property, but not near the veggie patch that I can see. There was a crawfish hole in the patch - we live near a creek - they wouldn't be the culprits would they?!? (Those ignurrunt Brits ;-) |
#15
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"Lynda LeCompte" wrote in message news On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 23:46:15 -0500, cat daddy wrote: Do you have big red ants that make little trails to their mound? Like the red harvester? I've not seen any. We have mostly what I think are the native fire ants, around the property, but not near the veggie patch that I can see. There was a crawfish hole in the patch - we live near a creek - they wouldn't be the culprits would they?!? (Those ignurrunt Brits ;-) Yes, like red harvester or leafcutter. When I first moved into my house, I enjoyed how industrious these ants were, as they stripped the trees in the Fall. I thought, "How cool!" and what a Disney moment with Nature in action. Then, one of the trees died and I was not so happy when an entire bush would be stripped bare in a morning. I thought they might have gotten to your tree. Oh well....... |
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