What's broken my sweetcorn off at ground level?

[kathyd]

Hi. I planted some sweetcorn in my polytunnel a while ago and it's doing fine. Then I planted some more which had just started to show through - couple of inches high maybe. Lifted the fleece off this morning and found all the smaller ones have been snapped off at ground level... There's no sign that anything heavy (dog, chickens) has been walking on the fleece. Any ideas? Slugs? Mice? Me when I moved the fleece??

Thx

[roitelet]

I would think slugs or mice. If you can dig up what is left of the plant and if there is still evidence if a seed its probably slugs and if not it is mice. They do this to peas, dig down to the pea snd eat that leaving the shoot alone. One remedy I found worked was to cover the seed with gorse clippings so when the mice dug down they got their noses pricked and left the pea seed alone.

[kathyd]

Thx roitelet - good idea about the gorse - wish I'd thought of it before planting more seeds! Maybe I'll grow some in pots too, just in case...

[SlugLobber]

I would think mice, too. They're very active at the moment!

[kathyd]

I would think mice, too. They're very active at the moment!

Hmph, they're probably using my sweetcorn to feed baby mice who'll come and eat more sweetcorn! *grumble *

[Sanjo]

Last year I had to grow my sweetcorn in bottomless tubs due to lack of space and could only transfer the tubs to the ground once the spuds were cleared. In the meantime, I put the bucketed corn at the base of the fruit trees.
First morning one had almost disappeared, next morning another one and so on. Some were just shorter, some had gone.
I thought it was slugs but one day I watched a parent sparrow lead her offspring into the apple tree and from there she guided them down onto the soft growth of my corn and they nibbled on that.
Needless to say I hurriedly threw a net over them.
I should have realised earlier since the flipping sparrows and babies had already feasted on the new growth on my beets, lettuces etc.
Doesn't help you though eh KathyD, since yours are in a tunnel and I don't suppose you get sparrows hopping in and out of that

[Two_Sheds]

Could possibly be cutworm? They regularly cut my lettuce off at ground level. Have a rootle around in the soil and see if you see any fat brown caterpillars

[kathyd]

I've had a poke around and discovered that there are no seeds left in the soil, just the tops. I also found a couple of small holes had been dug down beside the slightly larger plants, but the plants are still intact - presumably the seeds have been used by plant by now. So I guess it's a mouse. Need to go find some gorse! Thx all. Will plant some in pots and plant up when they're a bit bigger I think. Next lot destined for outside anyway, so not warm enough yet (or dry enough - WHEN is this rain going to stop??).