Quote:
Originally Posted by bower
The only thing pest-wise that looks possible is some kind of cutworm. Think big fat caterpillar, nocturnal, hiding in the soil by day. Cutworms are usually slaying precious little seedlings, but I read that some cutworms do feed and cut higher up when plants are more mature. You could try lightly cultivating the soil between rows, to see if you turn up any culprits. Or you might try dusting the stems with DE anyway and see if that helps.
If the cause is purely physiological - brittleness due to ?? some growth/environmental conditions - then you should be able to snap a stem with your fingers.  |
Well, bower, think you are right...several days have passed since I sprinkled the Sluggo and this morning there were only 2 broken branches, so it seems the tide has turned! One was in an area that hadn't been affected at the time so I didn't treat that section of the patch.
Without a doubt, we were losing some during the daytime, which is odd, but I remember seeing some sort of cutworm high up on a brassica plant during the day one time in the past, so maybe it's the same type. Cultivating is difficult now since the plants are hilled up so high and big leaves of the lower branches (none of which have been lost to them) are covering the soil, and there is also that depression and hole that tends to remain where the potato stems emerge from the top of the hill, so it's harder to know just where they're resting. It's just really hard to find the little devils! A whole different thing than when they attack a row of spinach or brassicas where it's easy to scrape off the surrounding soil around the stem and find them. Very frustrating for sure, and wish I'd thought of the Sluggo sooner, but another lesson learned and hopefully I'll remember when the next onslaught ensues!
Thanks for the help everyone! It's nice to be able to count on the experience of other gardeners in a time of need!
Wishing everyone a successful season!
kath