This year, never happened before, but when my peas
germinate, I find the 10mm shoot lying on the ground -
not attached to its roots.
Anyone experienced this and now what the culprit might
be?
Davy

On 19/05/2011 12:14, Davy wrote:
This year, never happened before, but when my peas
germinate, I find the 10mm shoot lying on the ground -
not attached to its roots.
Anyone experienced this and now what the culprit might
be?
Davy

The usual suspects I imagine. Slugs or snails. IME they take one bite at
ground level and move on to the next plant.
Marigolds are their all time favourite though, and are normally mature
enough in Spring to occupy them full time. A few sacrificial plants
dotted about might help next time.
This year I did my sweet peas in plastic freezer bags and tied the tops
to the sticks until they got going

"Davy" wrote ..

This year, never happened before, but when my peas
germinate, I find the 10mm shoot lying on the ground -
not attached to its roots.
Anyone experienced this and now what the culprit might
be?


We had that but in our case the root with old pea attached was missing. We
assumed mice.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Davy wrote in news:Xns9EEA7C9A9F7D5DavyS@
216.196.109.145:

This year, never happened before, but when my peas
germinate, I find the 10mm shoot lying on the ground -
not attached to its roots.
Anyone experienced this and now what the culprit might
be?
Davy

Slugs & snails or mice have been suggested.

After sowing the peas I covered them with a tunnel of
10mm mesh (open at ends) and liberally scattered slug
pellets.

I don't see any slime trails so mice are currently the
favourites - unless you know different? But why would
mice cut through the base of the sprouts and not eat the
sprouts? I can't see any signs of the peas seeds being
dug for or pulled up.

Davy

On May 19, 12:14*pm, Davy wrote:
This year, never happened before, but when my peas
germinate, I find the 10mm shoot lying on the ground -
not attached to its roots.
Anyone experienced this and now what the culprit might
be?
Davy

Mice.

harry wrote in news:cbb44f3e-
2422-46d3-b7f0-815e22ad9e03
@z19g2000yqz.googlegroups.com:

On May 19, 12:14*pm, Davy wrote:
This year, never happened before, but when my peas
germinate, I find the 10mm shoot lying on the
ground -
not attached to its roots.
Anyone experienced this and now what the culprit
might
be?
Davy

Mice.

I think I can now rule out mice. This morning all the
new germinations were cut off. Examined very carefully
and no signs of digging or of the seed being dug up.

Still no slug slime around the slug pellets.

So I am coming to think that it is something that
lives in the soil that is cutting my pea shoots;
undersoil slugs have been suggested.

DAvy

On Fri, 20 May 2011 04:52:53 -0500, Davy wrote:

harry wrote in news:cbb44f3e-
2422-46d3-b7f0-815e22ad9e03
:

On May 19, 12:14*pm, Davy wrote:
This year, never happened before, but when my peas
germinate, I find the 10mm shoot lying on the
ground -
not attached to its roots.
Anyone experienced this and now what the culprit
might
be?
Davy

Mice.

I think I can now rule out mice. This morning all the
new germinations were cut off. Examined very carefully
and no signs of digging or of the seed being dug up.

Still no slug slime around the slug pellets.

So I am coming to think that it is something that
lives in the soil that is cutting my pea shoots;
undersoil slugs have been suggested.

DAvy

It is a common misconception that slugs ALWAYS leave obvious slime
trails. Just because you cannot see slime does not mean you don't have
slugs. It is also said that a slug may leave a trail so fine as to be
invisible to us but to be very smellable to a slug and that other
slugs will follow the same trail to the food source.

If you are using metaldehyde based pellets, they do need to be thinly
scattered as metaldehyde itself repels slugs. Cardiff University has
produced a paper on slug control which says:

"As a rule of thumb, a maximum of 100 mini pellets per square meter
should be used, which results in about 10 cm of space between each
one. Spread them any more densely and most will not be taken up, while
the repellent effect may actually reduce the kill. That is why the use
of small heaps of pellets should be avoided. Use at the recommended
rate will prevent pets and wild animals from taking up a lethal dose
of pellets. Confine dogs during application to prevent them from
believing they are being fed and remember that curious toddlers are
likely to put anything unusual (like bright blue pellets) in their
mouths.

Choose the evening before a warm, humid night if possible. Confine the
use of pellets to limited areas. The edges of walls, paths and lawns
are the sorts of places in which slugs like to hide away during the
day, where they can find damp, dark, cool refuges. When using pellets
in a crop, do not throw them around wildly or you run the risk of some
lodging in plant and contaminating your food. If at all practicable,
protect birds and hedgehogs from the pellets by using netting. Pea
guards are particularly suitable for edge situations, and are easy to
manage. It is a very good idea to remove and kill any slugs around the
pellets the next day because many will be paralysed but not dead. You
can skim off the pellets and slugs for disposal, which will allow you
to move the guards and treat another section, for if conditions were
right you will have killed most of the slugs you were going to kill in
that area on the first night. Such speedy treatment, and removal of
chemicals, will minimise the risks to non target creatures. "

Jake Nospam@invalid wrote in
:

On Fri, 20 May 2011 04:52:53 -0500, Davy
It is a common misconception that slugs ALWAYS leave
obvious slime
trails.

Ah, slight confusion. The slime trails I was referring
to would be because I have put down slug pellets.
Whenever I do this and slugs are present I always see
very copious slime in the morning.
Davy

In article , Davy
writes

I think I can now rule out mice. This morning all the
new germinations were cut off. Examined very carefully
and no signs of digging or of the seed being dug up.

Still no slug slime around the slug pellets.

So I am coming to think that it is something that
lives in the soil that is cutting my pea shoots;
undersoil slugs have been suggested.


How about pigeons? (Not living in the soil...) They are very partial to
fresh shoots - although I'd expect them to eat them rather than leave
them.

--
regards andyw

Davy wrote in
:

This year, never happened before, but when my peas
germinate, I find the 10mm shoot lying on the ground
-
not attached to its roots.
Anyone experienced this and now what the culprit
might
be?
Davy


I think I know the culprit - cut worms! According to
Wikipedia "They are voracious leaf, bud, and stem
feeders and can destroy entire plants. They get their
name from their habit of "cutting" off a seedling at
ground level by chewing through the stem. Some species
are subterranean and eat roots."

Suggested methods of Control:
- Put cardboard collar around new transplants to
extend 1" to 2" above and below soil level. - not sure
this is practical for peas since I sow them about 5cm
apart so have very many of them
- insecticides - not in my veg bed

But surely all I need to do is keep them away from the
line of sown peas is to water the soil with a
deterrent? Any ideas?
DAvy