EmilyAnn89
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Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2016 4:34 pm

What's Killing my Tomatoes?

Hello everyone. I'm sorry for jumping right into asking for help, but I'm pretty desperate.

For the past several years I've had a successful, grown from seeds, tomato container garden. This year, I built a new raised bed and I was very excited about expanding my garden. Unfortunately, it's been a disaster. Every time one of my plants gets flowers, I find it dead, cut off somewhere near the bottom of the stem. I know this sounds like cutworms, and that's still my number one theory. However, I can't find any when I turn over the soil.

When this first started I tried putting cardboard collars around the bottom of the stems, but I would just find the plants cut right above the collar. I went out to look for them at night, and could never find any. I got frustrated enough that I decided to try pesticides, and applied Sevin Ready to Spray Bug Killer (this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sevin-32-oz- ... /100618547) as directed. I though that worked for about 2 days, and then I found another dead plant. I kept applying on the recommended schedule, but it hasn't made a difference. I also tried the sevin powder, at the recommendation of my father, and slug and snail pellets, at the recommendation of my local nursery. Neither helped. I took the collars off and replaced them with tree tape, going farther up the plant, but whatever is cutting the steams still just goes up farther.

Some other reasons I think it might not be cutworms is that these are full grown plants. Why would cutworms have left the seedlings along and only attacked once the plant was flowering? Also, this is still happening, and isn't it a little late in the season for cutworms?

My husband thinks it might be voles, so we've been using vole repellent. Still, I found three more dead plants today. I just installed a sonic vole repellent device.

Does anyone have any other ideas what could be doing this? It's really getting me down. I've really enjoyed gardening for the past few years but this is making me want to give it up. I started with around 20 tomato plants, and I now have three left. I've pretty much given up hope of seeing any tomatoes this year. Nothing's bothered the peppers or squash plants yet, but they also haven't produced any fruit. I just want to figure out what is going on so I can fix it for next year. I really don't want to go through months of prep just to have all my plants killed right before they start producing.

I'm attaching picture of the damage from today. You can see that whatever it is is eating whole sections of the stem now. Earlier in the season it was smaller cuts. I also took a picture of some small brown centipedes I found in the soil. I don't think they're harmful, but there are a lot of them. Also, maybe I'm wrong and they are harmful? The only other insects I found were earth worms.

Sorry for being so long winded. If anyone has any suggestions I would really, really appreciate it.
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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I've never seen anything like that. So I'm thinking it can't be rabbits or cutworms -- I have both of those. It's something I don't get in MY garden.

I was also noticing those thin strands hanging from the upper tomato stem, then came across this regarding vole damage --
What Animal Will Eat Tomato Plants? | Home Guides | SF Gate
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/animal-eat ... 60523.html

The animals sometimes chew the stems and leaves, or they may just eat through the stems, leaving a severed tomato plant. Often, evidence that voles are eating your plants are narrow grooves in the leaves, which are created by the animal's two front teeth.
...then I saw in the other photo that there are two grass-like strands on the ground next to the severed tomato plant.

Now, I haven't had voles in my garden -- very few times voles was one of suspected culprits but that's it. So in a sort of reverse elimination, it puts voles in the list of candidates for your problems.

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rainbowgardener
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Wow! how frustrating to lose your tomato plants at that stage! :)

Nope, definitely not cutworms, which mainly only bother tender seedlings and definitely don't eat sections of stems.

Damage that major seems like more than insect/ caterpillar type stuff. What critters have you seen in your neighborhood? Deer? (they would probably eat the fruit, not the stem) Woodchucks? Rabbits? Chipmunks, squirrels, rats?

If you get it right away, you can try dipping the cut end of the stem in rooting hormone and burying maybe six inches of it. Tomato stems are pretty good at rooting themselves, so you might save some that way.

EmilyAnn89
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Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2016 4:34 pm

Thanks for the replies!

I don't think it could be deer because the garden is behind our 6ft wood fence. The back of our yard is wooded though, so we definitely have plenty of rabbits, chipmunks, and squirrels. I'll let you know if the sonic vole device helps. It's seems like that's still most likely.

I wish I had thought of trying to re-root them sooner! If it happens again I might try that in a big pot and move it up to the deck so we can maybe have a tomato or two this summer..

It's a relief it doesn't seem to be insects, honestly. I ran out of solutions for insects, but critters I can probably figure out. Thanks!

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I would think it is probably the work of a larger animal like mice or rabbits especially since they are cutting the plants off high up. Definitely not cutworms and probably a night raider. Try a cage around the plant and put it down about 4 inches into the soil.



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