Severed pea seedlings

[Paulottie]

I am raising peas in guttering (as usual). Good germination rate in propagation greenhouse, this batch of three gutters have been moved on to another greenhouse to grow on a bit.

Over the last few nights there have been several razored off at soil level. the tops are just left discarded like a felled mini-tree. There is a small amount of soil disturbance in places but damage seems quite accurate and randomly spaced...ie not swathes

I don't think its molluscs.(no slime, why leave tip?).

Mice?...thought they went for seed... but when its sprouted?

Sometimes get Maybugs in there....one of them lolopping about perhaps?

I don't know...Can anyone help with this mystery?

[zazen999]

Sorry, that was me.

[Paulottie]

Fair enough but then ...thought you'd made your point with 1/2 my peas and the invisible horseradish. Did you really need to do 24/65 sweetcorn last night?
I'm pretty p*ssed off now.



....But to give fair warning....mind the mouse traps tonight.

[zazen999]

Meh.

I was bored.

[Nicos]

Slugs...pretty sure of it- those tiny ones which live in the soil.
A mouse woud eat the delish shoots- and they've clearly not rotted.

Are you using the same compost???

[Two_Sheds]

Baby snails or slugs I reckon. They did the same thing to my daff flowers: sawed them off and left them on the soil. No slime, no evidence (until I went out with a torch and caught them at it)

[Paulottie]

Mmmm....I don't know, there was no damage to the sweetcorn until last night, their first in this greenhouse. While the pea gutters went up on the shelving....no more damage last night....the maize was lower down on tables....I think it's a furry critter.....just the speed of it and soil disturbance.

Composts are slightly different Nicos... both a blend containing MP and one a JI no2 and the other a seed sowing.

[Nicos]

Have you checked underneath all the pots - and staging and shelving?
I wonder if a beetle would do that sort of damage?

[Two_Sheds]

.I think it's a furry critter...

Set a trap yet? I've not caught a mouse for a couple of months now: I think they're all out in the fields eating peas

[poly]

Sounds very similar to my first lot of sweet corn last year. Especially the soil disturbance, pesky little mice looking for the seed.

[Paulottie]

Set a trap yet? I've not caught a mouse for a couple of months now: I think they're all out in the fields eating peas

I know what I'll use for bait anyway.....I'm off to get a sheet of glass from the lottie to fix a pane with a small hole that could be an entrance point....hope they haven't moved in already with the varied and plentiful restaurant

Sounds very similar to my first lot of sweet corn last year. Especially the soil disturbance, pesky little mice looking for the seed.

Funny thing is it is pre sprouted sweetcorn and the peas are already up...not much of the seed left....I guess they think there must be more in there.

[Paulottie]

Have you checked underneath all the pots - and staging and shelving?
I wonder if a beetle would do that sort of damage?

I thought Maybugs ( that's June to TS) were a suspect ..but I haven't seen any in the last few nights.....not impossible. Funny that they still come up in there after the greenhouse had a whole raised bed dug out to site it 5 years ago.

I am no fan of chaffers or molluscs or to rush to their defence but I'm still blaming the rodents...apologies if a couple of mice that 'just happened to be wandering past my greenhouse and saw a window open/broken...just checking for vandals Guvn'r'...are about to be executed as innocent bystanders here....but wrong place at the wrong time guys.

[PAULW]

PAUL its the mice I had the same problem with my peas in guttering, shoots chopped off laid on the surface of the compost pea missing put some blue sweeties down for them problem solved, so it looks like mice don't eat peas that have sprouted is an old wifes tale.

[poly]

I've found Pea and sweet corn seeds stay attractive to mice for a while after they have sprouted. Covering at night with one of the tall rigid clear plastic tray tops works for me, until the leaves are too tall to fit underneath

[grannymem]

It happened to me too - or at least to my peas! I still think the culprits were those nasty tiny slugs - grrrrhhhhh