From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Topsfield, Ma.

My young sunflowers are being uprooted and some are now being chewed off at the base. Anyone know what I'm up against or how to combat this? Some uprooted ones have been successfully replanted. Latest victim plant had about 1/2" trunk gnawed off at base and abot 3" of stalk was gnawed 99% thru. Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks, Duff

6/12/2009 9:01:16 PM

Bloomington, IN

Last year I had problems with rabbits eating my sunflowers, leaving only a small stump. Do you have a lot of them in your area?

6/12/2009 10:32:39 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

gophers...they love the fresh sprouts...the little sob's are going down....

6/12/2009 10:59:00 PM

NB Canada

Chipmunks can be nasty little critters when it comes to the garden. I have had them do that to me with diffrent types of young plants. try dusting some powder chalk around the ground so you can see the prints, small tracks will show up in it and give you a better idea what your up against.

6/12/2009 11:00:53 PM

Winston Salem NC

slugs ate alot of mine off at night when they were just coming up and about 6" also. Little tree rats (squirrels) would dig them and most any other plants they could get to up at first. They quit when they got the piss knocked out of them by the electric fence.

6/12/2009 11:26:05 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Thanks for all the ideas folks. Only seen 1 rabbit in these parts of late and he's too big to wiggle thru fence. No gopher holes observed, think I'm safe there...but you never know? Plenty of chipmonks, just never seen one in the garden? Chalk might be a help identifying culprit, good idea! Most of these plants have been a foot tall, maybe we have killer slugs here? Applied garlic spray from Extremepumpkins around plant bases to see if that helps?
Thanks again for all the input!

6/13/2009 6:45:12 PM

Bloomington, IN

I've seen rabbits slip through some amazingly small spaces...like a chain link fence, or a tiny overlooked crack in a wood fence.

6/13/2009 11:58:42 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Relocated a chippy and a squirrel today...so i'm no closer to a real solution yet...LOL!

6/15/2009 8:14:40 PM