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smokensqueal
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Posts: 392
Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:36 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO Metro area

Eating my red tomatoes

Something is eating my red tomatoes or at least part of the tomato. It's not a clean hole its more like a small critter just took a bite out of if or took their paw and pulled a little out. But I don't think its anything like a squirrel because we pick most of our tomatoes earlier today and I went back out tonight and noticed some already had this marking on them. And we were outside all day not far from the plants. So I can only assume that it may be something like a grasshopper. Do they eat parts of tomatoes? And it appears that it's really only on the ones that are nearly ripe. If so how do I control them?

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rainbowgardener
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Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Grasshoppers do eat tomato fruits, but so do a lot of other things, including hornworms and other pests. Do a search and see if you can figure out what you have . Row cover or two thicknesses of deer netting over the plant will keep insects off it. However, you have to be sure there are no insects on the plant when you put the cover over it; don't want to lock any insects in there with your plants ! :)

Praying mantis and guinea hens are well known predators on grasshoppers, but I don't know how practical the hens are for you and to buy mantis on-line now you would only get eggs. It's the wrong season for eggs and they wouldn't help against the hoppers.

There is a product called Safer that's supposed to be an organic insecticide, but I don't know much about it, haven't used it. Perhaps someone else can comment on that, that has more information.

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gixxerific
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Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Hornworms make me mad, see my avatar. :x Luckily it didn't get my tom's at all but decimated my Jalapenos in a day. Look for little pea sized green poop under the plant that's what I had. If not look into the other suggestions that RG said. Hope you find out what it is.

Maybe it what is getting my cantaloupe, almost like someone took a 3\8 drill bit to a few of them. :x Not effecting anything else so it's cool for now they gotta eat too you know.

Good luck let us know what you come up with. Sorry I couldn't help more. A pic might help diagnose your problem better.

p.s. sorry to add this off topic note but this is too weird.

I noticed as of my last post we both have the same # of post, we both live in or near St Louis, we both joined on the same day and month but a year apart, we both seem to love fast cars and we both love to garden.

Dude, we need to go gambling at the boat tonight. 8)



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