Something has been chewing my tomato stems

b54red · May 6, 2012

Over the last couple of days I have had a strange thing happen to over half a dozen newly planted seedlings. I have gone out the last few mornings to find 2 or 3 newly planted tomatoes just fallen over. At first I thought one was just broken by the wind but I realized the wind has not been strong the last week so I checked closely and they looked like something had chewed 3/4 of the way through the stem and the plant just toppled over. The strange thing is the stem was chewed through about 2 inches above the mulch which is 3 inches or more of newly applied cypress. I have never seen anything like it and thought it was just a one time occurrence until it happened 3 days in a row. Only two of the plants were planted next to each other. I dusted the stems with Sevin yesterday and only one had been chewed this morning. Could this be some kind of snail? Maybe it's a small animal like a mouse? This has only happened in one bed that runs parallel to a large hedge of Ligustrum.

brengolio · May 6, 2012

wow............. I have something you havent seen yet.........lol........... more than likely it's a cutworm........ dig around the the base of the plant and you'll find a little brown cutworm

b54red · May 6, 2012

I have not seen any cutworms nor have I ever heard of a cutworm crawling 4 or 5 inches up a stem to chew. They have always cut them off near the soil line in the past. I guess I could go out in the middle of the night with a flashlight and see if I can see whatever it is that is doing this; but since I only had one chewed this morning they may be through doing any more damage.

livinonfaith · May 7, 2012

I would guess some kind of rodent.

I lost a few to voles last year, but they tend to eat from the roots up, so that probably isn't your culprit. Just to make sure, you may want to dig up a plant and see if there are any tunnels under ground or if there is any root damage.

You may also want to press under the hedge with your foot to see if there are any tunnels under there. Sometimes voles will come out to eat, but they tend to stay near cover.

Four or five inches seems more rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel or rat height to me. You might try putting out a trap with peanut butter and apples. You should find out pretty quickly that way.

delltraveller · May 7, 2012

Sounds a bit like the damage my aunt had last year from a chipmunk. It seemed to be curious about the new plants and was taste testing to see if it was something good. We just rooted the tops and replanted them and the chipmunk took no further interest in them.

luke · May 9, 2012

A rabbit is doing this to my squash, but is leaving my tomatoes alone.

My dog caught its baby over the weekend, and I'm looking to take Momma out - when the kids and Big Momma are not around.

Mollie's Nana · May 9, 2012

I used to want to let the wildlife live around me, but being as I'm on 25 acres in the country and the deer are definitely not afraid of any of the 6 dogs... apparently a 75 pound pit bull running full force to the fence line doesn't register fear in them enough to get them to even run, let alone move on to somewhere else. But now, since the deer are devouring my tree leaves and the deer and everything else seems to love everything I plant, I now invite my daughters friends over to go deer hunting or anything else hunting, as long as they promise to not hunt for sport, but to use the meat to feed someone, even if it's only donated to needy families. We have way too many deer out where I live, and the same can be said for the rabbits, opossums, armadillos, foxes, coyotes and even a wolf or two I've seen on my way to work.

b54red · May 10, 2012

Well, it definitely isn't cutworms. I went out this morning and my Indian Stripe plant which had forked into two stems had been topped off just above the fork. Both stems had been chewed through about 12 inches above the ground. I still have no idea what is doing this but it's starting to get aggravating.

luke · May 10, 2012

I say rabbit.

If you have any neighbors who are hunters, ask them if they have a game camera you can borrow.

fortyonenorth · May 10, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by luke

ask them if they have a game camera you can borrow.

...or a .22

Kazfam · May 10, 2012

Had a rabbit try to enter our garden but was stopped by the buried part of the fence.

The cats have discovered them (the rabbits) and I do believe they (the rabbits) will stay away...outdoor cats are priceless.

b54red · May 10, 2012

I'm pretty sure it isn't a rabbit because of my 8 dogs.

livinonfaith · May 10, 2012

Most full grown rabbits won't necessarily stay away just because of dogs, unless that particular dog has terrorized or taken out a bunch of them. That's not to say they won't run away or stay in strategic places that have quick escape routes. That's just good rabbit sense!

Kazfam · May 16, 2012

A cutworm took out a couple of my marigolds - about 1/2"-1" up the stem. Thought it was birds at first but discovered the culprit to be a cutworm. Sprayed with BT.

Rooted the marigold cuttings in some aspirin fortified water and have re-planted them. Hopefully they will take.

coastal bend · May 16, 2012

Dig around the plant. If it is cutworm they will be below the surface where the dry dirt meets the wet soil. they come out at night and stay under the soil during the day. If the cutworm is not big enough it will crawl up the stalk to eat the smaller stems.

May 6, 2012	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Something has been chewing my tomato stems Over the last couple of days I have had a strange thing happen to over half a dozen newly planted seedlings. I have gone out the last few mornings to find 2 or 3 newly planted tomatoes just fallen over. At first I thought one was just broken by the wind but I realized the wind has not been strong the last week so I checked closely and they looked like something had chewed 3/4 of the way through the stem and the plant just toppled over. The strange thing is the stem was chewed through about 2 inches above the mulch which is 3 inches or more of newly applied cypress. I have never seen anything like it and thought it was just a one time occurrence until it happened 3 days in a row. Only two of the plants were planted next to each other. I dusted the stems with Sevin yesterday and only one had been chewed this morning. Could this be some kind of snail? Maybe it's a small animal like a mouse? This has only happened in one bed that runs parallel to a large hedge of Ligustrum.

May 9, 2012	#7
Mollie's Nana Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 19	I used to want to let the wildlife live around me, but being as I'm on 25 acres in the country and the deer are definitely not afraid of any of the 6 dogs... apparently a 75 pound pit bull running full force to the fence line doesn't register fear in them enough to get them to even run, let alone move on to somewhere else. But now, since the deer are devouring my tree leaves and the deer and everything else seems to love everything I plant, I now invite my daughters friends over to go deer hunting or anything else hunting, as long as they promise to not hunt for sport, but to use the meat to feed someone, even if it's only donated to needy families. We have way too many deer out where I live, and the same can be said for the rabbits, opossums, armadillos, foxes, coyotes and even a wolf or two I've seen on my way to work. __________________ *My pits' the life!!*

May 7, 2012	#4
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	I would guess some kind of rodent. I lost a few to voles last year, but they tend to eat from the roots up, so that probably isn't your culprit. Just to make sure, you may want to dig up a plant and see if there are any tunnels under ground or if there is any root damage. You may also want to press under the hedge with your foot to see if there are any tunnels under there. Sometimes voles will come out to eat, but they tend to stay near cover. Four or five inches seems more rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel or rat height to me. You might try putting out a trap with peanut butter and apples. You should find out pretty quickly that way.

May 7, 2012	#5
delltraveller Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 481	Sounds a bit like the damage my aunt had last year from a chipmunk. It seemed to be curious about the new plants and was taste testing to see if it was something good. We just rooted the tops and replanted them and the chipmunk took no further interest in them.

May 9, 2012	#6
luke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Mississippi Posts: 177	A rabbit is doing this to my squash, but is leaving my tomatoes alone. My dog caught its baby over the weekend, and I'm looking to take Momma out - when the kids and Big Momma are not around.

May 10, 2012	#8
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Well, it definitely isn't cutworms. I went out this morning and my Indian Stripe plant which had forked into two stems had been topped off just above the fork. Both stems had been chewed through about 12 inches above the ground. I still have no idea what is doing this but it's starting to get aggravating.

May 10, 2012	#11
Kazfam Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Upstate South Carolina Posts: 113	Had a rabbit try to enter our garden but was stopped by the buried part of the fence. The cats have discovered them (the rabbits) and I do believe they (the rabbits) will stay away...outdoor cats are priceless.

May 16, 2012	#14
Kazfam Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Upstate South Carolina Posts: 113	A cutworm took out a couple of my marigolds - about 1/2"-1" up the stem. Thought it was birds at first but discovered the culprit to be a cutworm. Sprayed with BT. Rooted the marigold cuttings in some aspirin fortified water and have re-planted them. Hopefully they will take.

May 16, 2012	#15
coastal bend Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: south texas Posts: 114	Dig around the plant. If it is cutworm they will be below the surface where the dry dirt meets the wet soil. they come out at night and stay under the soil during the day. If the cutworm is not big enough it will crawl up the stalk to eat the smaller stems.