Hi,
I had a box with four marigolds in it in the window. This
morning they were fine, four healthy flower heads with one just ready
to open.

An hour ago I find no heads on the flowers, most of the unopened buds
gone with one half "eaten". Some bits of flower head are on the floor
under the window.

The internet suggested a caterpillar, but I emptied the soil from the
box and found nothing.


Only one plant looks worth re-planting, is the event a known problem?
I am in a rural place in the West of Ireland, I have the odd snail/
slug problem, but have not had wholesale damage in daylight.

Thanks for reading,

Advice would be much appreciated.

AB
From the well pummelled keyboard of Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq

On 18/06/2020 15:25, Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq wrote:

Hi,
I had a box with four marigolds in it in the window. This
morning they were fine, four healthy flower heads with one just ready
to open.

An hour ago I find no heads on the flowers, most of the unopened buds
gone with one half "eaten". Some bits of flower head are on the floor
under the window.

The internet suggested a caterpillar, but I emptied the soil from the
box and found nothing.


Only one plant looks worth re-planting, is the event a known problem?
I am in a rural place in the West of Ireland, I have the odd snail/
slug problem, but have not had wholesale damage in daylight.

Thanks for reading,

Advice would be much appreciated.

AB
From the well pummelled keyboard of Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq


Possibly something a bit larger - rodent or bird...?
Mum used to love all of the wildlife, with the exception of the magpies,
who were known to stooge around the garden (1 adult and several chicks)
pecking the heads off flowers, just for the hell of it...

If slugs or snails there's generally a 'chewed' area at the top of the
stem, and slime....

On Thu, 18 Jun 2020 16:36:25 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Thu, 18 Jun 2020 15:25:01 +0100, Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq
wrote:


Hi,
I had a box with four marigolds in it in the window. This
morning they were fine, four healthy flower heads with one just ready
to open.

An hour ago I find no heads on the flowers, most of the unopened buds
gone with one half "eaten". Some bits of flower head are on the floor
under the window.

The internet suggested a caterpillar, but I emptied the soil from the
box and found nothing.


Only one plant looks worth re-planting, is the event a known problem?
I am in a rural place in the West of Ireland, I have the odd snail/
slug problem, but have not had wholesale damage in daylight.

Thanks for reading,

Advice would be much appreciated.

AB
From the well pummelled keyboard of Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq

Birds? The feathered variety.

Thanks to yourself and Adrian.

There were a lot of birds around, but I discounted them on the grounds
that there are other flowers inthe garden at similar stages of growth
and they were not touched.

They are about the only obvious culprit though, but the web only
mentioned slugs & caterpillars.

Anyway, many thanks. I will go out and see if I can shield my
remaining Marigold with some windbreak mesh.

AB



From the well pummelled keyboard of Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq