Help! My seeds are just being nipped off at the base!

Mrs_Money

Hi - hope someone out there knows what this is! For several years now I've grown small varieties of carrots and mixed salad leaves in two old butler sinks in my garden. This year one sink is fine and has 3 lovely bushy rows of salad leaves, doing very well and tasting even better - but the other sink is not doing well as every day I water, I find seedlings just laying on the compost - not eaten, but eaten through at the base of the stem. I don't think it's vine weevil grubs because the roots are still in the ground.
I've carefully scaped around in the compost to see if I can see anything - but there's nothing to see - although a couple of days ago I did see one solitary ant crawling around the surface of the compost.
Anyone got any ideas what this could be?

peter_the_piper

Unlikely vine weevil, they would chew up the roots, I would venture a guess at the tiny black slugs, real pain cos they are too small to get with slug pellets.

Mrs_Money

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Unlikely vine weevil, they would chew up the roots, I would venture a guess at the tiny black slugs, real pain cos they are too small to get with slug pellets.

Thanks - I'll have another look - no slug or snail "trail" though - so very weird!

Kay_Peel

Let's line up the Usual Suspects!

Cats who may be using the containers as a Cat Convenience.

Hedgehogs digging around for slugs, worms and grubs.

Ants in the soil.

Overwatered seedlings that have been weakened and are prone to keel over at the slightest excuse.

Blackbirds and starlings digging for worms.



I wouldn't advise you to put netting over your container in case your visitor is a hedgehog. They get tangled up in netting and suffer horrible injuries and stress trying to get out.

Have another dig around in the soil and see if you can unearth an ants' nest.

if it's a cat or a a bird then put some sticks around the sink and run some black cotton in a 'cat's cradle' between the sticks. Or put a child's windmill on a stick or a small wind-chime in the middle of the sink.

And finally, stop watering!

Good luck!

jabba4

It could be something called damping off. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_off

[Deleted User]

it definitely sounds like damping off. They are being killed with kindness

Mrs_Money

Thanks for all your replies - it's not damping off, as all seedlings are watered the same and even in the same row there are some seedlings flourishing - I think it may be the ants mmmm -not sure what to do there!

Definitely not hedgehogs - don't think they'd make the 18 inch climb up the vertical slippy sides of the sinks!

Ahh well, guess I'll have to just keep replanting!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I nominate the humble earwig. They are usually a good thing, but stick them in a confined area and they can strip a plant overnight.

jabba4

Mrs_Money wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies - it's not damping off, as all seedlings are watered the same and even in the same row there are some seedlings flourishing - I think it may be the ants mmmm -not sure what to do there!

Definitely not hedgehogs - don't think they'd make the 18 inch climb up the vertical slippy sides of the sinks!

Ahh well, guess I'll have to just keep replanting!

Damping off can be a bit selective like that. Try watering from beneath (sit pot in tray of water or something). This'll also make the roots stronger as they'll go deeper in search for water. If you water from the top too much you can end up with shallow roots.

Kay_Peel

Talking of hedgehogs.

One climbed up the back step, into the kitchen and I found him eating the remains of the cat's dinner.

The cat was standing nearby, looking furious. (She'd only taken a short breather from eating and had left the best bits till last!)

He visits most evenings (and probably stays overnight) and is very interested in my decaying tree stump rather than my pots.

foxgloves

I think the culprits are slugs or birds. I find sparrows & blackbirds can be quite destructive with small plants, but you'll usually find the top of the plant lying on the ground. If there's not much of it left, I'd blame slugs or snails.