Something eating ONLY my zinnia seedlings

13 years ago

I have had a problem with slugs eating on all my seedlings etc. I sprinkled sluggo, and now the only thing being eaten are the young Zinnia plants with their first set of true leaves. Everything gets eaten, but only these plants.Any ideas?

Tammy

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Comments (5)

zen_man
13 years ago
Tammy,

Possibly cutworms. They have been a problem for me in the past. Cutworms seem to like zinnia seedlings. I always dig down with my finger around the remaining stem to find the culprit and destroy it. Sometimes it takes several minutes to find it. Some people use a little protective collar on their seedlings, but that isn't always effective, and it is a rather tedious thing to do. So far I haven't used poison sprays to control cutworms, but a spray containing Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki might be effective to kill the cutworms while they are still in their juvenile "free ranging" stage. The Bt sprays are non-toxic.

ZM
tammyinwv
Original Author
13 years ago
ZM, I looked those up online, and I have seen those in my soil before. So those could very well be the problem. I will see if I can locate that spray. I hate to use any poisons, but I have to do something to stop them.Thanks a lot for the info.
Tammy
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Usually slugs eat a leaf that way. Maybe you missed seeing it in the dirt of the pot or maybe it hadn't come out yet when you looked or it may have been in the edge of the pot between the dirt and the soil. They hide under pots too. Lift up your pot and see if anything is under it. I doubt there's more than one or 2 or there would be a lot more damage. I'd spread a little safers slug bait around.
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I think it is slugs. I have seen this happen in my garden, and I second the idea of going out at night with a flashlight. Small slugs don't always leave visible trails. Birds are also a possibility. Sluggo should help with slugs/snails (and is available in an organic version). Netting will help with the birds. I now always sprinkle sluggo around seedlings, and cover all my beds with netting until the seedlings get a little bigger. I use 4x8 foot raised beds, and have netting tents that sit right on top of them.
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Yikes, can't we suggest something besides rotenone? Organic or not, it's so toxic. mistifire, another common possibility would be earwigs, which are known to cause significant damage to seedlings( especially) in locations that are conducive to their over-population. Earwigs like moist conditions, preferably rich in organic matter. The best time to look for them is in the evening....they take cover in the daytime. You can find out if earwigs have set up housekeeping in your garden by placing a folded, soaked newspaper on the top of the soil in your garden area. Lift it up during the day to see if it's become a hiding spot. Flea beetles are active little critters, and should be relatively easy to observe by brushing your hands along your plants.
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Slugs are the usual culprits and a constant battle, esp. with new seedlings. You could use many diff ways to combat slugs. Slugs will eliminate carrot seedlings as soon as they germinate so you will not even see them or know they germinated. Where are you located that you are starting seeds in Sept.? Going out at nite you can often find slugs at work. I use about 20% Ammonia/water mixed in a spray bottle for slugs. I like this cuz often when you spray it often you find slugs you had not seen. Scissors are another effective way to combat slugs. Keep a pair and the spray bottle right in the garden esp. for those daytime encounters. Sluggo is a product you can spread for slugs but read the label esp. if you have pets. Laying down boards in the walkway for slugs to hide under is an effective way to find em during the daylight hours. Then use the ammonia or scissors to cut em in half. Just be sure to check under the boards everyday or you are just giving slugs a place to hide. HTH
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oilpainter
13 years ago
Cut worms do not eat the plant. Cutworms cut the stem off at ground level and feed on the roots. They don't come in groups--there is only one directly below the cut off stem. I don't usually have much of a problem with them so when I see a cut off plant I dig down, lift the sucker in my trowel, drop it on the ground and step on it.

If you have a lot BT dug into the soil around the plant will work.

If just the leaves are eaten then I'd tend to think it's your old friend slugs or maybe earwigs. The only way to tell is to take a flashlight out after dark and see what it is
tammyinwv
Original Author
13 years ago
I have not found any plants cut off. Whatever it is, only eats the zinnia's. and starts at the leaves.
Tammy
zen_man
13 years ago
Tammy,

If you haven't found any plants felled, then it probably isn't cutworms. Oilpainter's suggestion to use a flashlight after dark to catch and identify the culprits in action seems like the best plan. There is plenty of information on cutworms in the garden on the Internet.

ZM

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Something eating ONLY my zinnia seedlings

Comments (5)

zen_man

tammyinwv
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Something eating ONLY my zinnia seedlings

Comments (5)

zen_man

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