HI Folks

Would welcome any ideas as to what's eating my tomato plants?

We've grown tomato plants in our polytunnel over here in the far
south-west of Co Cork, Ireland for many years - but this is the first
year that we've had this problem...

Symptom is that the lowest 4" or so of the tomato plants are 'eaten' -
all the green stem has disappeared leaving just the brown cellulose
structure behind. Top part of the plant is OK, if a little starved of
water & nutrition - and can be cut off and re-rooted successfully.

We have 12 plants, growing in the ground in a good-quality organic
compost (Gee-up) with drip-feed watering - possibly as many as 5 of the
plants have suffered since we planted them out.

Google presents a bafflingly-wide array of possible culprits....

Any ideas, please?
Thanks
Adrian

On 04/06/2022 12:52, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
> HI Folks
>
> Would welcome any ideas as to what's eating my tomato plants?
>
> We've grown tomato plants in our polytunnel over here in the far
> south-west of Co Cork, Ireland for many years - but this is the first
> year that we've had this problem...
>
> Symptom is that the lowest 4" or so of the tomato plants are 'eaten' -
> all the green stem has disappeared leaving just the brown cellulose
> structure behind. Top part of the plant is OK, if a little starved of
> water & nutrition - and can be cut off and re-rooted successfully.
>
> We have 12 plants, growing in the ground in a good-quality organic
> compost (Gee-up) with drip-feed watering - possibly as many as 5 of the
> plants have suffered since we planted them out.
>
> Google presents a bafflingly-wide array of possible culprits....
>
> Any ideas, please?
> Thanks
> Adrian

You are lucky, with me its the lowest 2' of anything. Roe deer.
Yours sounds like bunnies. Or hares

--
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

Adolf Hitler

On 04/06/2022 14:27, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 04/06/2022 12:52, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>> HI Folks
>>
>> Would welcome any ideas as to what's eating my tomato plants?
>>
>> We've grown tomato plants in our polytunnel over here in the far
>> south-west of Co Cork, Ireland for many years - but this is the first
>> year that we've had this problem...
>>
>> Symptom is that the lowest 4" or so of the tomato plants are 'eaten' -
>> all the green stem has disappeared leaving just the brown cellulose
>> structure behind. Top part of the plant is OK, if a little starved of
>> water & nutrition - and can be cut off and re-rooted successfully.
>>
>> We have 12 plants, growing in the ground in a good-quality organic
>> compost (Gee-up) with drip-feed watering - possibly as many as 5 of
>> the plants have suffered since we planted them out.
>>
>> Google presents a bafflingly-wide array of possible culprits....
>>
>> Any ideas, please?
>> Thanks
>> Adrian
>
> You are lucky, with me its the lowest 2' of anything. Roe deer.
> Yours sounds like bunnies. Or hares
>
Ah - bad luck on the deer (lovely things, but they'll eat anything).

Pretty sure that bunnies and hares can't get inside my polytunnel - and
whatever the culprit is, it hasn't actually munched through the stems -
just eaten the outside layer off...

Odd...

On Sat, 4 Jun 2022 15:32:54 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
<adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:

>On 04/06/2022 14:27, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>> On 04/06/2022 12:52, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>>> HI Folks
>>>
>>> Would welcome any ideas as to what's eating my tomato plants?
>>>
>>> We've grown tomato plants in our polytunnel over here in the far
>>> south-west of Co Cork, Ireland for many years - but this is the first
>>> year that we've had this problem...
>>>
>>> Symptom is that the lowest 4" or so of the tomato plants are 'eaten' -
>>> all the green stem has disappeared leaving just the brown cellulose
>>> structure behind. Top part of the plant is OK, if a little starved of
>>> water & nutrition - and can be cut off and re-rooted successfully.
>>>
>>> We have 12 plants, growing in the ground in a good-quality organic
>>> compost (Gee-up) with drip-feed watering - possibly as many as 5 of
>>> the plants have suffered since we planted them out.
>>>
>>> Google presents a bafflingly-wide array of possible culprits....
>>>
>>> Any ideas, please?
>>> Thanks
>>> Adrian
>>
>> You are lucky, with me its the lowest 2' of anything. Roe deer.
>> Yours sounds like bunnies. Or hares
>>
>Ah - bad luck on the deer (lovely things, but they'll eat anything).
>
>Pretty sure that bunnies and hares can't get inside my polytunnel - and
>whatever the culprit is, it hasn't actually munched through the stems -
>just eaten the outside layer off...
>
>Odd...

Suggesting the obvious...slugs? Wouldn't do any harm to scatter a few
pellets.

--
Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
from the West, but open to the North and East.

On 04/06/2022 16:22, Chris Hogg wrote:
> On Sat, 4 Jun 2022 15:32:54 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
> <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>
>> On 04/06/2022 14:27, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>> On 04/06/2022 12:52, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>>>> HI Folks
>>>>
>>>> Would welcome any ideas as to what's eating my tomato plants?
>>>>
>>>> We've grown tomato plants in our polytunnel over here in the far
>>>> south-west of Co Cork, Ireland for many years - but this is the first
>>>> year that we've had this problem...
>>>>
>>>> Symptom is that the lowest 4" or so of the tomato plants are 'eaten' -
>>>> all the green stem has disappeared leaving just the brown cellulose
>>>> structure behind. Top part of the plant is OK, if a little starved of
>>>> water & nutrition - and can be cut off and re-rooted successfully.
>>>>
>>>> We have 12 plants, growing in the ground in a good-quality organic
>>>> compost (Gee-up) with drip-feed watering - possibly as many as 5 of
>>>> the plants have suffered since we planted them out.
>>>>
>>>> Google presents a bafflingly-wide array of possible culprits....
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas, please?
>>>> Thanks
>>>> Adrian
>>>
>>> You are lucky, with me its the lowest 2' of anything. Roe deer.
>>> Yours sounds like bunnies. Or hares
>>>
>> Ah - bad luck on the deer (lovely things, but they'll eat anything).
>>
>> Pretty sure that bunnies and hares can't get inside my polytunnel - and
>> whatever the culprit is, it hasn't actually munched through the stems -
>> just eaten the outside layer off...
>>
>> Odd...
>
> Suggesting the obvious...slugs? Wouldn't do any harm to scatter a few
> pellets.
>

I suppose that's a possibility.
Don't have a lot of slug issues in the tunnel - but there could be the
odd one.... and the area around each plant is covered with
weed-supressing fabric - which could make a handy place for the little
blighters to hide under....

Thanks! (off to get the slug-pellets!)

On 04/06/2022 16:30, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
> On 04/06/2022 16:22, Chris Hogg wrote:
>> On Sat, 4 Jun 2022 15:32:54 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
>> <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 04/06/2022 14:27, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>>> On 04/06/2022 12:52, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>>>>> HI Folks
>>>>>
>>>>> Would welcome any ideas as to what's eating my tomato plants?
>>>>>
>>>>> We've grown tomato plants in our polytunnel over here in the far
>>>>> south-west of Co Cork, Ireland for many years - but this is the first
>>>>> year that we've had this problem...
>>>>>
>>>>> Symptom is that the lowest 4" or so of the tomato plants are 'eaten' -
>>>>> all the green stem has disappeared leaving just the brown cellulose
>>>>> structure behind. Top part of the plant is OK, if a little starved of
>>>>> water & nutrition - and can be cut off and re-rooted successfully.
>>>>>
>>>>> We have 12 plants, growing in the ground in a good-quality organic
>>>>> compost (Gee-up) with drip-feed watering - possibly as many as 5 of
>>>>> the plants have suffered since we planted them out.
>>>>>
>>>>> Google presents a bafflingly-wide array of possible culprits....
>>>>>
>>>>> Any ideas, please?
>>>>> Thanks
>>>>> Adrian
>>>>
>>>> You are lucky, with me its the lowest 2' of anything. Roe deer.
>>>> Yours sounds like bunnies. Or hares
>>>>
>>> Ah - bad luck on the deer (lovely things, but they'll eat anything).
>>>
>>> Pretty sure that bunnies and hares can't get inside my polytunnel - and
>>> whatever the culprit is, it hasn't actually munched through the stems -
>>> just eaten the outside layer off...
>>>
>>> Odd...
>>
>> Suggesting the obvious...slugs? Wouldn't do any harm to scatter a few
>> pellets.
>>
>
> I suppose that's a possibility.
> Don't have a lot of slug issues in the tunnel - but there could be the
> odd one.... and the area around each plant is covered with
> weed-supressing fabric - which could make a handy place for the little
> blighters to hide under....
>
> Thanks! (off to get the slug-pellets!)
>

Actually - having taken a closer look - I think the woodlice might be
the culprits...

Lifted up some of the ground-cover fabric, and large numbers of them
went shuffling off, whistling nonchalantly...

Have lifted the ground-cover back a bit from the tomatoes, and will ease
up on the watering a bit..

On Sat, 4 Jun 2022 18:18:51 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
<adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:

>On 04/06/2022 16:30, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>> On 04/06/2022 16:22, Chris Hogg wrote:
>>> On Sat, 4 Jun 2022 15:32:54 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
>>> <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 04/06/2022 14:27, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>>>> On 04/06/2022 12:52, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>>>>>> HI Folks
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Would welcome any ideas as to what's eating my tomato plants?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We've grown tomato plants in our polytunnel over here in the far
>>>>>> south-west of Co Cork, Ireland for many years - but this is the first
>>>>>> year that we've had this problem...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Symptom is that the lowest 4" or so of the tomato plants are 'eaten' -
>>>>>> all the green stem has disappeared leaving just the brown cellulose
>>>>>> structure behind. Top part of the plant is OK, if a little starved of
>>>>>> water & nutrition - and can be cut off and re-rooted successfully.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We have 12 plants, growing in the ground in a good-quality organic
>>>>>> compost (Gee-up) with drip-feed watering - possibly as many as 5 of
>>>>>> the plants have suffered since we planted them out.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Google presents a bafflingly-wide array of possible culprits....
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Any ideas, please?
>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>> Adrian
>>>>>
>>>>> You are lucky, with me its the lowest 2' of anything. Roe deer.
>>>>> Yours sounds like bunnies. Or hares
>>>>>
>>>> Ah - bad luck on the deer (lovely things, but they'll eat anything).
>>>>
>>>> Pretty sure that bunnies and hares can't get inside my polytunnel - and
>>>> whatever the culprit is, it hasn't actually munched through the stems -
>>>> just eaten the outside layer off...
>>>>
>>>> Odd...
>>>
>>> Suggesting the obvious...slugs? Wouldn't do any harm to scatter a few
>>> pellets.
>>>
>>
>> I suppose that's a possibility.
>> Don't have a lot of slug issues in the tunnel - but there could be the
>> odd one.... and the area around each plant is covered with
>> weed-supressing fabric - which could make a handy place for the little
>> blighters to hide under....
>>
>> Thanks! (off to get the slug-pellets!)
>>
>
>Actually - having taken a closer look - I think the woodlice might be
>the culprits...
>
>Lifted up some of the ground-cover fabric, and large numbers of them
>went shuffling off, whistling nonchalantly...
>
>Have lifted the ground-cover back a bit from the tomatoes, and will ease
>up on the watering a bit..

I thought woodlice had very soft mouthparts, too soft to do any damage
to living plants. They eat decayed matter - it's all they can cope
with. Get the pellets!

--
Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
from the West, but open to the North and East.

On 04/06/2022 18:45, Chris Hogg wrote:
> On Sat, 4 Jun 2022 18:18:51 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
> <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>
>> On 04/06/2022 16:30, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>>> On 04/06/2022 16:22, Chris Hogg wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 4 Jun 2022 15:32:54 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
>>>> <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 04/06/2022 14:27, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>>>>> On 04/06/2022 12:52, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>>>>>>> HI Folks
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Would welcome any ideas as to what's eating my tomato plants?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We've grown tomato plants in our polytunnel over here in the far
>>>>>>> south-west of Co Cork, Ireland for many years - but this is the first
>>>>>>> year that we've had this problem...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Symptom is that the lowest 4" or so of the tomato plants are 'eaten' -
>>>>>>> all the green stem has disappeared leaving just the brown cellulose
>>>>>>> structure behind. Top part of the plant is OK, if a little starved of
>>>>>>> water & nutrition - and can be cut off and re-rooted successfully.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We have 12 plants, growing in the ground in a good-quality organic
>>>>>>> compost (Gee-up) with drip-feed watering - possibly as many as 5 of
>>>>>>> the plants have suffered since we planted them out.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Google presents a bafflingly-wide array of possible culprits....
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Any ideas, please?
>>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>>> Adrian
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You are lucky, with me its the lowest 2' of anything. Roe deer.
>>>>>> Yours sounds like bunnies. Or hares
>>>>>>
>>>>> Ah - bad luck on the deer (lovely things, but they'll eat anything).
>>>>>
>>>>> Pretty sure that bunnies and hares can't get inside my polytunnel - and
>>>>> whatever the culprit is, it hasn't actually munched through the stems -
>>>>> just eaten the outside layer off...
>>>>>
>>>>> Odd...
>>>>
>>>> Suggesting the obvious...slugs? Wouldn't do any harm to scatter a few
>>>> pellets.
>>>>
>>>
>>> I suppose that's a possibility.
>>> Don't have a lot of slug issues in the tunnel - but there could be the
>>> odd one.... and the area around each plant is covered with
>>> weed-supressing fabric - which could make a handy place for the little
>>> blighters to hide under....
>>>
>>> Thanks! (off to get the slug-pellets!)
>>>
>>
>> Actually - having taken a closer look - I think the woodlice might be
>> the culprits...
>>
>> Lifted up some of the ground-cover fabric, and large numbers of them
>> went shuffling off, whistling nonchalantly...
>>
>> Have lifted the ground-cover back a bit from the tomatoes, and will ease
>> up on the watering a bit..
>
> I thought woodlice had very soft mouthparts, too soft to do any damage
> to living plants. They eat decayed matter - it's all they can cope
> with. Get the pellets!
>

Done the pellets as well <grin>
The web seems to think that woodlice will eat younger / softer plant
material - which sort of makes sense as the stems which have been eaten
aren't the older, better-established plants.....

In article <jg214iFhk80U1@mid.individual.net>,
Adrian Brentnall <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>
>Done the pellets as well <grin>
>The web seems to think that woodlice will eat younger / softer plant
>material - which sort of makes sense as the stems which have been eaten
>aren't the older, better-established plants.....

It means softer than that - or, at least, it should. I have never
seen them do that in 40+ years, but have seen it done by very small
(often 5mm) slugs.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 05/06/2022 12:04, Nick Maclaren wrote:
> In article <jg214iFhk80U1@mid.individual.net>,
> Adrian Brentnall <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>>
>> Done the pellets as well <grin>
>> The web seems to think that woodlice will eat younger / softer plant
>> material - which sort of makes sense as the stems which have been eaten
>> aren't the older, better-established plants.....
>
> It means softer than that - or, at least, it should. I have never
> seen them do that in 40+ years, but have seen it done by very small
> (often 5mm) slugs.
>
>
> Regards,
> Nick Maclaren.

Thanks Nick.
We've not had this problem before (had much the same setup since 2006).
It seems that whatever it is is quite selective, and goes for smaller /
younger stems..

I've some slug pellets down there now, and I've slit the ground-cover
back a bit so there's not such an inviting hiding-place for creatures.
I've also eased up on the watering a bit.

When I plant out the replacement plants I'll re-pellet and see about
some sort of mechanical barrier around the stems...

Thanks!
Adrian

On 06/06/2022 08:47, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
> On 05/06/2022 12:04, Nick Maclaren wrote:
>> In article <jg214iFhk80U1@mid.individual.net>,
>> Adrian Brentnall  <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Done the pellets as well <grin>
>>> The web seems to think that woodlice will eat younger / softer plant
>>> material - which sort of makes sense as the stems which have been eaten
>>> aren't the older, better-established plants.....
>>
>> It means softer than that - or, at least, it should.  I have never
>> seen them do that in 40+ years, but have seen it done by very small
>> (often 5mm) slugs.
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>> Nick Maclaren.
>
> Thanks Nick.
> We've not had this problem before (had much the same setup since 2006).
> It seems that whatever it is is quite selective, and goes for smaller /
> younger stems..
>
> I've some slug pellets down there now, and I've slit the ground-cover
> back a bit so there's not such an inviting hiding-place for creatures.
> I've also eased up on the watering a bit.
>
> When I plant out the replacement plants I'll re-pellet and see about
> some sort of mechanical barrier around the stems...
>
> Thanks!
> Adrian
>

FWIW:

Get a piece of drainpipe. Mine was cylindrical, about 5" diameter.

Buy a roll of copper adhesive tape. I bought Kraftex UK - Copper Foil
Tape, 6 yards long, 2 Inches Wide for £13 but I dare say one can do better.

Slit pipe in one lace along its length

Cut pipe into section, 2.5" long.

Wrap tape round pipe such that it goes about 0.25" into the slit at each
end.

Voila. You can open the section up slightly to slide it horizontally
around a plant, or just pop it down over a small one. Push slightly
into the ground to get a seal.

Can use every year. Can give some spares to friends.

6 yards of tape is 216". The amount of tape per section is 5 * pi + 0.5
inches (16"). So I made about 216/16 sections (13). About £1 each but
they have lasted for years. I threaded some string through them and
hang them up in the shed. No need to undo the string to take/pup a section.

Bill

On 07/06/2022 08:18, Bill Davy wrote:
> On 06/06/2022 08:47, Adrian Brentnall wrote:
>> On 05/06/2022 12:04, Nick Maclaren wrote:
>>> In article <jg214iFhk80U1@mid.individual.net>,
>>> Adrian Brentnall  <adrian@inspired-glass.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Done the pellets as well <grin>
>>>> The web seems to think that woodlice will eat younger / softer plant
>>>> material - which sort of makes sense as the stems which have been eaten
>>>> aren't the older, better-established plants.....
>>>
>>> It means softer than that - or, at least, it should.  I have never
>>> seen them do that in 40+ years, but have seen it done by very small
>>> (often 5mm) slugs.
>>>
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Nick Maclaren.
>>
>> Thanks Nick.
>> We've not had this problem before (had much the same setup since 2006).
>> It seems that whatever it is is quite selective, and goes for smaller
>> / younger stems..
>>
>> I've some slug pellets down there now, and I've slit the ground-cover
>> back a bit so there's not such an inviting hiding-place for creatures.
>> I've also eased up on the watering a bit.
>>
>> When I plant out the replacement plants I'll re-pellet and see about
>> some sort of mechanical barrier around the stems...
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Adrian
>>
>
> FWIW:
>
> Get a piece of drainpipe.  Mine was cylindrical, about 5" diameter.
>
> Buy a roll of copper adhesive tape.  I bought Kraftex UK - Copper Foil
> Tape, 6 yards long, 2 Inches Wide for £13 but I dare say one can do better.
>
> Slit pipe in one lace along its length
>
> Cut pipe into section, 2.5" long.
>
> Wrap tape round pipe such that it goes about 0.25" into the slit at each
> end.
>
> Voila.  You can open the section up slightly to slide it horizontally
> around a plant, or just pop it down over a small one.  Push slightly
> into the ground to get a seal.
>
> Can use every year.  Can give some spares to friends.
>
> 6 yards of tape is 216".  The amount of tape per section is 5 * pi + 0.5
> inches (16").  So I made about 216/16 sections (13).  About £1 each but
> they have lasted for years.  I threaded some string through them and
> hang them up in the shed.  No need to undo the string to take/pup a
> section.
>
> Bill

Thanks Bill.
I make stained-glass for a living, so copper-tape is something I have a
fair bit of...

At the moment I've slit back the ground-cover fabric a bit, and laft a
sprinkling of slug-pellets around the tomatoes and cucumbers.

While pottering in the tunnel yesterday, I did spot a tiny baby mouse
(body about the same size as my thumb) - which was mooching about under
the salad leaves. Way too fast for me to catch!

I wonder if he/she would be the culprit...

On a positive note - had a bowl of home-grown strawberries for supper
last night - and they were delicious!