skip to main content

Growing Tomatoes

my tomatoe limbs are disappearing!

16 years ago

Help! This is my first time going from patio tomatoe plants to the ground. I used cow manure, and also miracle grow. I have used 7 dust a couple times. I keep noticing that I will have perfectly beautiful plants say in the morning, and then later in the day I can go look and there are complete limbs missing. Looks as if someone took a pair of scissors and shopped it off! I find absolutely no trace of the missing limb either. I am currently fixing a fence with the flimsy plastic chicken wire stuff, which will be on top as well. But I just don't know what or who is taking my tomato limbs! lol pleas help

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

catherinet
16 years ago
Waskely Wabbits are probably doing it. The chicken wire is a good thing. I would lose the Sevin dust though. :)
luvsnascar
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the advise. I'd not thought of rabbits! Only birds, snakes, squirrels...and kids! lol So why not the 7dust? My grandmother used it religously, but that was yrs ago. What else would you suggest using? This is a very small garden.
Related Discussions
disappearing tomatoes - HELP!
Q
Comments (7)
Yes, I have come out to the yard and scratched my head, thinking, "I KNOW I planted a tomato here"! My son killed 8 gophers last year for me. This year, he's too busy, so I planted my tomatoes above ground in VLMRB's* - 3 gal pots with the bottoms cut out. The tomato plants are getting big now, and won't be accessible for above or below ground critters. (meaning I don't have deer or the like here). I may try putting sticky barrier around the pots to keep out ants. *Very Lazy Man's Raised Bed Corona~Barb
...See More
My figs disappeared
Q
Comments (10)
a cat bird attacks cats and figs and you!! sounds like an animal probably a deer opossum or raccoon would be my guess. there are 2 ways to approach this except the fact that you win some you loose some or spot the corporate in question then decide on what action to take deer and birds will give up on netting but coons won't and require a more beefy means of protecting your figs like a full cage around the tree or a dog.
...See More
Disappearing Tomatoe Plants
Q
Comments (21)
Hi! I bought a tomato plant about 4 in tall last night and placed it on a shelf in the garage. I went this morning to take it out to plant it and it vanished! No plant whatsoever, it was eaten to the soil level with no trace. So I do not think what happened to the first post was a big animal such as Gophers, moles, deer, birds or squirrels, because non of them could be in my garage last night. So I would like to re open this discussion again, it could be ants or other insect perhaps?
...See More
limb split, what now?
Q
Comments (2)
I had one break away from the main stem almost all the way through. I took the advice of some of the great people here, propped it back up touching the stem it broke from, and left it alone. Now that entire branch has healed, and although you can still see where it split, it's grown stronger, and is even setting fruit. If it's not too bad, then what you've done may save it. If the leaves at the tip of the branch that broke are starting to wilt more and more, then you may want to think about chopping it off. It seems like some people have had more success than others in rooting broken pieces, but if you have to go that route, it's possible that it'll grow roots and give you another plant; not definite, but possible.
...See More
oldroser
16 years ago
Tomatoes rarely have insect problems - for hornworm BT is a good choice. Sevin kills bees and bees are having enough trouble without our adding to them. Spraying with daconil to prevent early blight is more important - daconil is a fungicide, not an insecticide. Sevin doesn't do anything to fungi.
HoosierCheroKee
16 years ago
Funny you should mention "Patio Tomatoes."

Seems the primary target of the rabbits in my garden are dwarf tomatoes with sweet fruit. In my case, it's the Lime Green Salad plants that get chewed back to a nub first. So, this year I planted a dozen or so right out on the border of the raised bed tomato patch, and sure enough, about six are really taking the brunt of the nocternal rodentary gnawing! Sacrificial lambs of the garden so to speak.

BUT ... four alarm warning ... they attacked my wife's maiden hair ferns early this morning. Lawd have mercy ... you never heard such cursing!

A cure? I've tried hot pepper flakes, ground cayenne, garlic squeezins, rotten egg water, human hair, fabric softener hankies, aluminum pie pan wind chimes, motion activated spot lights, leaving the dogs on the screen porch, tiger poop from the zoo ... everything. Fo'gettabowdit. Bugs is gonna win until Mr. Browing Pump comes outta the closet.

But in my new life it's "live and let live," so I just keep pokin' new little Lime Green Salad plants along the border of the bed. Grow them up as large as you can in small pots and then plant them when they're still tender but bushy. I swear, the rabbits love that particular variety for some unknown reason.

Bill
qaguy
16 years ago
Never had a rabbit problem myself (probably shouldn't say
that!). But my Dad would swear by dried blood to keep them
wascally wabbits away!
jbann23
16 years ago
You post brings to mind the tomato horn worm. Cleverly disguised as a rabbit they can do similar damage. Anyway, for rabbits I use a little cage of chicken wire. For horn worms I use a shotgun. (smile)

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Tomatoes

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant tomato seedlings in spring for one of the best tastes of summer, fresh from your backyard

ARCHITECTURE 6 Amazing Homes Dug Into the Earth

By Dorman Architects

Designed to disappear or with portions peeking out, these houses bring a new meaning to 'communing with nature'

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Chamaecyparis Nootkatensis

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Alaska cedar brings an element of sculpture to the garden

ARCHITECTURE 4 Things a Hurricane Teaches You About Good Design

When the power goes out, a home's design can be as important as packaged food and a hand-crank radio. See how from a firsthand account

EDIBLE GARDENS Houzz Call: What Did You Grow This Summer?

By Annie Thornton

Let’s celebrate the homegrown fruits and vegetables of the season. Post your pictures and tell us about your harvest

EDIBLE GARDENS A Formerly Weedy Lot Now Brims With Edibles and Honeybees

By Mitchell Parker

Photographers transform their barren backyard into an oasis filled with fruit, vegetables, honey, eggs and more

GARDENING GUIDES Essential Watering Tips for Your Edible Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

To give your edible plants just what they need, check out these guidelines for how, when and how much to water

MONTHLY HOME CHECKLISTS To-Dos: Your November Home Checklist

By Laura Gaskill

Give your home a festive holiday air without running out of steam, and stay safe and snug as temperatures drop

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

BUDGET DECORATING Easy Ways to Hide Your Home's Flaws

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

Clever concealing and distracting tactics help put your home's best face forward

Sponsored

More Discussions

Has anyone heard of a storage tomato? Looking at Giallorosso di Crispi

4

"Purple" tomatoes?

4

What tools and materials for planting tomato

0