Lightfingered greenfingers! Thief took 2 plants but left the containers.

wishuponastar

So someone has stolen 2 little apple plants from my windowsill today between 9.30am and 12.30 lunchtime. I'm utterly flabbergasted. I had been growing 4 little apple trees from seeds and they were about 8 months old, they weren't labelled or bought from a shop and only about 7cm tall. I repotted them the other day but i didn't have a pot for them to hand, so i used 2 milk cartons and 2 sandwich wrap cardboard packets. They were all fine and i had them outside on the ledge along with baby tomato plants and pepper plants. Survived the strong winds and i checked on them at 9.30 and all was still ok. I was at home and went to make lunch about 12.30 and then i noticed 2 had gone. I assumed they had maybe been blown off but i went outside to pick them up and thus my confusion...only one wrap container with about 1/4 of the soil in it sitting on the path underneath, no apple tree and no rest of soil. Then i found the other packet in the neighbours garden (like it had been thrown in there-i don't believe it was the neighbour for a minute) fully opened up where it was glued before with no soil and no apple tree. 
I pondered could it be the birds taking it for nesting or thinking it was food but there was no sign of the soil and the packet had been opened not like a bird would open it if that would make sense and it wasn't the glue that had just come unstuck as i could tell the way it was. I had some garden hand tools in the front garden also and they didn't take those so i think maybe i disturbed the thief when i went to make lunch and they just quickly panicked and ran off and just dropped the 2nd one (because that wasn't opened up or anything like the first one was).
It's a horrible feeling and so i can't even begin to imagine how it feels when the thieves actually go inside a person's home or car etc but it's a reminder to keep an eye on your plants at all time, i mean i wouldn't have thought anyone would have taken them or i wouldn't have left them out. I was growing them for my MIL now as she had asked for 2 so thought i'll grow 2 for me and 2 for her. I'll just have to get started growing another two for me now. 
I still can't believe someone would actually take them...anyone else had similar?
Just hope my misfortune helps others to be more aware... and if the person reading this is the one who took them, it would be nice for you to bring them back. 

Farway

I think it's quite common, even the most respectable folk [so one could think] nick plants.

Hence security in the RHS Wisley Alpine houses & CCTV on some borders at Sir Harold Hillier gardens near Romsey

Looking on the bright side. as the trees were from seeds they may well turn into crab apples  after the thief waits ten years for them to fruit

Theguywhovapes

I’m sorry to hear what’s happened. who would steal plants?!? 

I have heard of other stories on different message boards of people experiencing the same thing. What has the world come to? 

wishuponastar

Yes i know, what has it come to. I think i disturbed the plant thief because whoever it was was probably planning to take the other two but got disturbed hence why they just threw the remaining one container down with no apple plant. Why would they bother to repot them though and not just take them and repot at theirs? That is what is puzzling me. Unless they didn't want the sandwich wrap evidence! Yes at least they were only young trees and will probably be a while before fruiting. It's not as if they weren't needed or wanted as i'd clearly just put them in there and had other 'babies' beside them. 

wishuponastar

Yes that is true, the person will have a long wait, i just don't get it, i mean why would they steal such a young plant when it's got many years to go before it even gets any fruit. I enjoy doing it and to think that someone would just walk in and steal them and throw the wrap not even in the bin which was about 4 metres away from where they were is just beyond me. I think i was in shock for the whole morning, i mean someone would have had to have known what they were and even then i don't think they are worth stealing given they are from seeds. Maybe they will return them in a few years when they haven't gotten any fruit...for a refund haha. 

[Deleted User]

Where I live, my first thought would be seagulls opportunistically scavenging; in this seaside town there's no longer litter being dropped for them to scavenge and they're, now, attempting all manner of 'grabs' in their bid for food.

In my garden they've gone for packets of seeds, my packet of almonds, a baby Lavatera I was bringing-on (they were all on windowsills or step)  and ….. my very small cat 😡  

2nd thought, Magpies, 3rd Crows, even Starlings ……. i'm just going by the shenanigans here though.

wishuponastar

I've had it where the birds can take little plants etc for nesting as i said that was my first thought. Usually the birds leave the soil and the way it was left i don't think it was a bird. As if they picked it up with their beak and say the packet ripped, the plant and it's soil and plant would have fallen/come out and there would be some evidence of soil on the path or around. The only soil that was around was a quarter of soil from the original amount left inside the container which i found on the path under the windowsill. It is weird though.

twopenny

I'm with Catsacor. What you describe sounds very much like Seagulls.

When I was making my garden last year there was a seagull that took any plants still in plastic wrappers (supermarket). Very skilled. Would throw it around and pull out the plant. They grow up around the supermarkets and bins picking food out of wrappers.

It even took off with one over the fence to a wider area as I came out. I had to go right around to find it in the middle of a patch of grass.

I had to remember to take the plants out of anything that looked like wrapping and put the plants out of sight.

They see anything in plastic wrappers as potential food and are confused when it isn't

wishuponastar

I really hope it is the birds, it was the lack of compost anywhere that confused me as it wasn't that tightly packed and any bird picking it up it i thought it would have spilled out and not come out in a block of soil if that makes sense. It was the only two in plastic food containers, the others were in milk cartons the white clear ones with no writing and they were left behind. So it would make sense.

[Deleted User]

Seagulls are amazingly adept, they'll swoop, grab, and be off in a second and nothing remains in its wake, I can indeed see how no mess/evidence was left.

wishuponastar

But how would they be able to take the plant and it's compost and leave the container behind? As even if i was taking it out of the packet i would have made a soil mess and i have hands, they only have a beak so unless they are super skilled and can work their wings to carry it? I'm just trying to imagine lol as i've not seen these super skilled seagulls, i bet they are fun to watch. I do feel less invaded if it was the birds and not a person.