Finches (?) eating young tomato plants

10 years ago

Do house finches eat young tomato plants? My new plantings are being consumed by some unknown critter. It's not hornworms, insects, or snails/slugs. I figure it must be house finches. Anyone see this happen?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

missingtheobvious
10 years ago
How tall are (were) the tomato plants? What parts were eaten?

Any rabbits in the neighborhood?
0
seysonn
10 years ago
Rats can also do that.
0
Related Discussions
Bugs eating plants, want plant that eats bugs ;-)
Q
Comments (4)
Hi all, let me try to clear up a few things. I'm not really looking at the carnivorous plants as an control measure, just want to have fun and try some interesting plants. The cutworms I have are leaf eaters not root eaters but there are different types of cutworms and some may well eat roots. They are the larva of certain moths and grow very fast. I have caught some at the first sign of leaf damage that where less then 1/4 inch long, put them in a jar to study them and fed them leafs from my tomato plants (I cut the leafs with leaf miner damage - not good leafs) and in a few days I had this! Nasty things! Another thing they seem to really enjoy is finding young seedlings and cutting the plant at the soil line. This kills the plant and to really piss one off they don't eat the top of the plant. They cut it just for spite I guess. The one at the top right is about as big as they get, too big for the fly trap? I will research the sarracenia. I would love to try and get away from using pesticides to control the darn things but so far the only thing I have found that works is Sevin. I try to use as little Sevin as possible so I will find the cutworms from time to time when looking over my plants. I have been smashing them with my fingers - yuck. It sure would be fun to drop them into a carnivorous plant instead. Just for spite ;-) Take care, DC
...See More
Critters eating young plants
Q
Comments (7)
Not much you can do. The critters recognize the natives, I think. The only solution is to have so many plants that no matter how much they eat it doesn't matter, and to spread things around so they don't find all of a species. They love boltonia, so I don't put it all in one place, and they always miss some. Same for NE and sky-blue asters and coneflowers. Every time I put in just one or two of something I hold my breath, because I know if the rabbits like it, it probably won't make it (having that problem with Ruellia right now). For other things, there are so many seedlings and established plants they can eat to their little hearts' content. Also, they sometimes eat certain plants down to the ground in spring, but once there's lots to eat, they sample other things, and the plants recover.
...See More
HELP! Big green caterpillars are eating my tomato plants!
Q
Comments (31)
Yes the green hard to see caterpillars i think are the most common and have damaged my tomato plants a little bit before i caught them. You have to look at every inch of your plant thorougly because they can hide anywere and not be seen. I found a little green worm under my pepper plants leaf one time (not sure what it was) but havent seen them since. I just recently started seeing my tomato plants stems turn hollow so i looked it up and there is a different type of caterpillar that will make entry into the stem of your tomato plant and will eat it from the inside. I had to throw my plant away because it was completely hollow and dead. I also had a watermelon plant which did really good until it started getting infested with melon aphids on the backside of the leaves. I heard that lady bugs are really beneficial for your garden and they say an adult lady bug will eat up to 5000 aphids in its lifetime. I will try this method and will post how it works but i seen someone post about wasps helping with problems in their garden and would like to know more about how the wasps work.
...See More
Yellowish spots on young tomato plant leaves
Q
Comments (6)
Looks like early manganese deficiency to me. Smatter scattering of tiny yellow freckles on all the leaves including new growth. Progresses to interveinal chlorosis and larger spots which turn necrotic. The soil/compost mix you used in that container - which is never recommended for a container - is very likely low in many of the minerals but high in calcium carbonate - most all rockery soils are - and that CaCo3 interferes with manganese uptake by the plant. If there are no signs of any pests then I suggest some internet research into that deficiency. There are many different tomato nutrient deficiency websites with photos that you can compare your plant to. The simple solution is to transplant it into the ground which is rarely manganese deficient (not sure what the purpose of that container is anyway). Or if you are going to confine it in a container then use a proper soil-less container mix, one that also contains added soil bacteria so that your compost can be of any benefit to the plant. Compost provides no nutrients without an active soil food web to digest it to a form usable by plants. Dave
...See More
boo21
10 years ago
I've seen Starlings attack my neighbor's tomato plants by plucking off the main stems. My neighbor put her plants at a very young age.
0
grow4free
10 years ago
Birds will definitely get your tomatoes, especially the smaller ones. I'm learning that some of what I had blamed on birds was actually the doing of ants who will saw them down like a beaver and make off with the whole thing overnight. No shortage of things that will go at them.
0
sjerin
10 years ago
The majority of mine just got nipped off at the top, darn it all. I've babied those little seedlings for months, and now that I'm starting to harden the off, there they go. How do you manage this if something is getting them?? They're several inches tall so I don't think it's wise to cover them.... Any ideas?
0
zeuspaul
10 years ago
I cover my seedlings with bird netting. When they get a little bigger birds are no longer an issue in my conditions. Then I have to deal with rabbits mice and other critters.

Zeuspaul
0
sjerin
10 years ago
Zeusau, the netting doesn't create dimness for the seedlings? At this point I know it's important that they get all the light they can...
0
cold_weather_is_evil
10 years ago
Put collars down for the crawlers and over the top you can put anything. I just happened to have a lot of scavenged quarter and half inch hardware cloth so have made some little covers with the stuff and some dikes. Seems to work ok.

EDIT PS: It's not perfect; I still manage to feed lots of critters.

This post was edited by cold_weather_is_evil on Sun, Apr 13, 14 at 16:54
0
Bob_B
Original Author
10 years ago
I found the culprits -- quail. Some small poultry netting cages solved the issue.
0
zeuspaul
10 years ago
Sjerin, bird netting lets almost all of the sun through. If it had a shade rating it would be less than five percent.

Zeuspaul
0

Related Stories

LIFE Kitchen Traditions: Tomato Season Meets a Family Legacy

By Tiffany Carboni

Somewhere a Sicilian great-great-grandmother is smiling at a bowl of American-made sauce

Full Story

EVENTS Enjoy Plantings, Eat Bugs and Learn at the Australian Garden Show

By Tiffany Carboni

Indulge your senses at this four-day celebration of gardening, food and more in Sydney — and don't forget to try the crickets

Full Story

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Cultivate a Young Gardener

By Alison Hodgson

Want your kids to eat their vegetables? Let them have an edible garden of their own. Here are some tips on gardening with children

Full Story

FARM YOUR YARD How to Build a Raised Bed for Your Veggies and Plants

By Annie Thornton

Whether you’re farming your parking strip or beautifying your backyard, a planting box you make yourself can come in mighty handy

Full Story

EDIBLE GARDENS Garden BFFs? Why Your Vegetables Are Begging for Companion Plants

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Foster friendships among plants for protection from pests, pollination support and color camaraderie

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Plants That Beat Butterfly Bush for the Wildlife Draw

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

It's invasive, a nonnative and a poor insect magnet. Check out these better alternatives to butterfly bush in the garden

Full Story

227

GARDENING GUIDES These Hummingbird-Attracting Native Plants May Surprise You

By Susan J Tweit

These flowers, vines and shrubs offer shelter and food supplies that keep hummingbirds around longer

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Great Garden Combo: 3 Wonderful Plants for a Deer-Resistant Screen

By Le jardinet

Protect your privacy and keep deer at bay with a planting trio that turns a problem garden area into a highlight

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Great Native Plant: Baptisia

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Bring beneficial bee pollinators with this drought-tolerant perennial that looks like a shrub and acts like a flower

Full Story

HOUSEPLANTS 8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants

By Naomi Wynn

Houseplants add so much to our homes — and can thrive when grown in the right conditions. Keep these tips in mind

Full Story

109

Finches (?) eating young tomato plants

Comments (10)

missingtheobvious

seysonn

Related Discussions

boo21

grow4free

sjerin

zeuspaul

sjerin

cold_weather_is_evil

Bob_B
Original Author

zeuspaul

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Finches (?) eating young tomato plants

Comments (10)

Related Discussions

Bob_BOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Bob_B
Original Author