Arrrrhhh Not Again

[ninnymary]

We can forgive you for not recognizing horse pucky Seed.

Well this city girl can't know everything!

Mary

 

[Nyboy]

Mary did give up CL works both ways. Maybe sell some thing you don't use any more for starts.

 

[so lucky]

Mary, just a suggestion: If you decide to try again, maybe you could cover each plant with a cut-off plastic water bottle for a week or so. If you choose to do that, the saucers of beer settled in around in the bed would be a good idea, too. I think probably only slugs or snails would be able to get to the plants, through the open bottle top, so the beer would distract them from that.
I know you aren't a wasteful user of bottled water, but I bet you know someone you can get a few empty bottles from. Or go dumpster diving.

 

[ninnymary]

Nyboy, I do have a garage full of stuff I was supposed to sell 2 years ago. I didn't know how to post pictures on CL but by now I can probably figure it out. I can afford to replant but I just refuse to throw more money away.

so lucky, I don't think covering them up for a week or so would work. The first planting had been in for about a month. The plants were starting to get big. I thought they were safe by then.

Mary

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

earwigs

 

[bobm]

Mary, stop with the easy stuff and bring out the big guns...First, post your garden with " NO TRESPASSING " signs to give fair warning. Next, install a moat with 12 foot hungry aligators, plant a dozen land mines, trip wires with canisters of castor oil and nerve gas , next place a steel mesh net over the top of the garden and then electrify it with enough oumph to fry a whale. Then in the evening start a fire in your fire place, turn on your TV, pour yourself some long island tea and enjoy the evening. Next morning inspect your garden for carnage and call the local coraner to dispose of the pesky vermin body parts. Follow up with RSVP invitations to friends and family to a picnic bbq to share in your garden and cackleberry factorys bounty.

 

[catjac1975]

Mary, just a suggestion: If you decide to try again, maybe you could cover each plant with a cut-off plastic water bottle for a week or so. If you choose to do that, the saucers of beer settled in around in the bed would be a good idea, too. I think probably only slugs or snails would be able to get to the plants, through the open bottle top, so the beer would distract them from that.
I know you aren't a wasteful user of bottled water, but I bet you know someone you can get a few empty bottles from. Or go dumpster diving.

This is A GOO IDEA. MY PESTS LIKE THE PLANTS TEnDER and don't eat them once they toughen up.

 

[Nyboy]

Mary if you can post photos here, same for CL. Hit upload file ,, your photos should appear ,click photo you want, wait for if to download.

 

[hoodat]

Looks very familiar. It's one of several caterpillars that feed at night and hide just under the soil in the daytime; variously called cutworm, corn ear worm or army worm. If you're lucky you can scratch the soil and turn them up, not far from the plant they fed on last night. If the plants are already destroyed you can scratch up the soil around where they were. They are plentiful in late spring and early fall. It probably won't do you any good to look for them at night. At first sign of a flashlight they will drop to the ground and curl up. They are so well camouflaged that you can look right at them curled on the ground and not see them. BT once did the job but Monsanto has incorporated it into so much plant DNA that many caterpillars are now resistant to it. Probably your best bet is to use a Spectracide drench. They will sometimes come to a saucer of beer and drown but not always.

 

[ninnymary]

Hoodat, I scratched the soil today and did see a couple of very small thin white worms. Are these what you are talking about? I don't know if they are good worms or bad ones.

Is there a brand or type you recommend?

Mary