Being driven to distration....what is eating my plants?!?!

[sanzfrancisco]

I love nasturtiums, and they grown in my yard continuously. I've wanted to plant some new nasturtium seeds, but something, or some things, is eating the new growth of all those plants, as well as the leaves of new marigolds. The marigolds came up nicely, and now the flowers are just stems. Add to this that my entire spearmint plant has been eaten, and I am really frustrated. I've tried insecticidal soap, (which I don't think is the answer in the first place,) diatomaceous earth, and whatever those pellets are that are supposed to keep snails at bay.

I need help. I see no snail trails, no tiny worms, and I'm at my organic wits end. Help please.

janice

 

[Chuck]

I love nasturtiums, and they grown in my yard continuously. I've wanted to plant some new nasturtium seeds, but something, or some things, is eating the new growth of all those plants, as well as the leaves of new marigolds. The marigolds came up nicely, and now the flowers are just stems. Add to this that my entire spearmint plant has been eaten, and I am really frustrated. I've tried insecticidal soap, (which I don't think is the answer in the first place,) diatomaceous earth, and whatever those pellets are that are supposed to keep snails at bay.

I need help. I see no snail trails, no tiny worms, and I'm at my organic wits end. Help please.

janice

1. Close up pictures sure would help. The front and back of the leaves, what the growing medium is. Need more info

 

[sanzfrancisco]

Will do......tomorrow. Thanks for the response

 

[headfullofbees]

Both are edible by most animals, so it's probably not insects.
Mice, rabbits, birds, could be any.
The only thing you can do is to grow them out of harm's way until they're big enough to withstand some predation.

 

[Mint]

Have you thought of fencing off your plants? If you have pests feeding on your plants this is the best alternative. Only I don't know if that will work in your yard.

 

[Corzhens]

One of our lemon plant succumbed to an unknown pest. We found pin holes in the main stem that dried, lost the leaves and eventually dried out totally. My husband said it is a pest that bores and lays eggs inside the stem. When the eggs hatch, the larvae would eat the soft part of the stem and drink the sap. So the nutrients were extracted by the pest instead of going to the plant.

 

[sanzfrancisco]

Both are edible by most animals, so it's probably not insects.
Mice, rabbits, birds, could be any.
The only thing you can do is to grow them out of harm's way until they're big enough to withstand some predation.

Yes, I'm afraid that this is the case. A family of rats has taken up residence in my neighborhood, and they are definitely the culprits. I realized this when all the loquats on our tree disappeared. What a nuisance!!

 

[sanzfrancisco]

One of our lemon plant succumbed to an unknown pest. We found pin holes in the main stem that dried, lost the leaves and eventually dried out totally. My husband said it is a pest that bores and lays eggs inside the stem. When the eggs hatch, the larvae would eat the soft part of the stem and drink the sap. So the nutrients were extracted by the pest instead of going to the plant.

Sounds awful. Thanks for the reply, but we've realized that vermin have been eating our fruits and veges.

 

[sanzfrancisco]

Have you thought of fencing off your plants? If you have pests feeding on your plants this is the best alternative. Only I don't know if that will work in your yard.

Thanks for the reply, but fencing isn't really a possibility. In addition, it turns out that rats have been eating my plants. UGH!

1. Close up pictures sure would help. The front and back of the leaves, what the growing medium is. Need more info

Thanks to everyone who responded to my query. Once I saw that my radishes were gone, and the soil dug into, I realized that animals were ravaging my garden. Working on that now.