Just started out

[blairdel]

Hi, I am a relatively new grower, I have grown before with limited success, only a few plants tho, now for my problem, i dug a patch and put in potting mix and cow manure, water crystals and osmocote (slow release fertilizer) I sprouted my seeds in seedling containers and while i was waiting i put 4 star pickets around my fence, i put 4 pieces of barbed wire around the pickets and strained the wire, the wire is around 15cm apart from each peice going up the pickets, when 9 of my seedlings sprouted i transfered them to my patch, this was the first day, when i went down the second day i noticed one more seed had sprouted, so i planted it too, all the plants were fine then,...when i went down today, (3rd day) something had taken all the tops off my seedlings which were in the patch, the stems were all left standing, not one of them broken, the plants are in a bare area in a bit of a gully, everything around it is covered by tall green grass due to recent rain, which leads me to believe that it is not grasshoppers, also the way i have the wire set up, it is hard to believe that an animal could put it's head over, or something as small as a rabbit or a cat could go under the barbed wire without getting some hair caught on the wire, and that what happened, no hair on the wire...also i found some cat poo which could have been a few days old around 15 metres from the site, also, there was a small seedling in one of the sprouting pots that had not been touched, but if the animal or whatever came in on day 2 night that seedling might not have been up...please help, if anyone could tell me what it was and how to fix it, or if anyone can give me any info at all i would appreciate it a lot....thanks in advance....

lB_lL_A_lI_lR

[Tom]

I would be inclined to suspect either birds or mice, it's a bit late now to be starting plants outside.

 

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[Guest sabator]

Must agree with tom.............. Way to late to be starting an outdoor grow. Come winter the frost will kill em.

 

Wait untill next season

 

Or do what most do......

 

Create your own summer all year round indoors.

 

C ya

 

Sab

[myst]

the use of cow manure could mean u introed a little pest called a cut worm! they will take the top off but leave the stem as u mentioned, if it is they only come out at night, take a torch u will see the little bastards! use a powder around your pots that'll get rid of em

[DingoGrowa]

I had exactly the same problem!

 

Found out it was ants eating the tops...yes "ants"

[blairdel]

ok, thanks for you input guys...much appreciated

[blairdel]

i'm in central queensland and we never have harsh winters....i'm sure i could still grow couldn't I? if nothing else then to learn things along the way, I can almost always get good seeds for free...

[sols]

g'day; i reckon it was snail or slug that ate tops.

[Guest Urbanhog]

I have few herb plants in the garden.... now and then the leaves disappear

 

Thought it was either birds or slugs/snails....

 

But it wasn't...... I caught something once eating my herbs.... it was the fucking possums! I had a torch blaring on them eating my herbs... fuck'in cunts!

 

I threw my shoe at them... they fucked off like a shot ::

 

Maybe possums due the drought... they are coming closer to homes to look around for scraps.... I live close to the city and they are always scratching on my roof.... last week I celerated in joy with many beers and joints when I saw one of the possums sqaushed on the road just outside near my driveway.... got ran over... now one possum less to worry about hehehe.... I have about 3 living at my house, now hopefully 2, the scratchings have been noticeably quieter....

 

Urbanhog http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/contrib/sp/chefico.gif

[Rastagirl]

G'day there....

Yep,i haveta agree with Dingo on this one~I had the same prob & YEP~It was bloody ANTS~Those chopper type ones with the red clippers on their head!!This happened to me in Sept last year & I left one of em in just to be a gig......Well,I ended up with a fucked up lookin' Bonzai....SO,If I were in tropical QLD,I would give it a go inside,on a window sill,when/if it gets cold & frosty...Other wise I would just turn that area u wrote about that u grow in into a little kinda greenhouse thingie & tie them down & vine em.......Just some clear plastic would do it,I guess

**~~PEACE~~ONE LOVE~RASTAGIRL~~**

Edited March 7, 2003 by Rastagirl