bird attack

[robynhicks]

Has any one had experience with these seedlings surviving well?
I put them under lights in 68 degrees.
Outside its very over cast and in the high 50s today.
With my little know-how on tomatoes.. figured this may help.
Their 1/5 cotyledon looks alright I suppose!! **** BIRDS.

[Labradors2]

Should be ok. Could you cover the seedling with something to protect it from those hungry birds? I have used an upside-down plastic flower pot with the bottom cut out to protect from the cold and that might help with the birds too. I secure the pots with sticks poked into the ground.

Linda

[Worth1]

Could be slugs or snails.

Worth

[robynhicks]

The leaves were left behind and its been very bird-y here since spring/summer popped up.
Im 90% sure (and really hope) it aint snails/slugs.

[zeuspaul]

It doesn't look like birds to me. There are too many tiny bites. When birds get mine they leave only the stem.

[robynhicks]

Zeuspaul, two were left with only the stem, and these two were left like this.

[robynhicks]

The leaves were left behind. Clean cut this way.

[FarmerShawn]

If the leaves were left behind, I'd suspect cutworms. Some chew the stem off at ground level, but others climb up a bit and chew the leaves off. A cardboard collar (toilet paper roll) around the plant often foils them. They hide under the dirt in daylight, and feed at night. It's a possibility to consider, anyway.
Around here I can often root around in the soil around an attacked plant and find the little bugger, a fat, smooth-skinned caterpillar-like critter that squishes quite satisfyingly.

[robynhicks]

Awesome, thank you very much FarmerShawn. Sounds more like my problem.

[habitat_gardener]

Or it could be birds...

A few years ago someone was eating broccoli seedlings down to nubs. I assumed it was slugs or snails, so I used sluggo. Didn't work. THen one day while I was in the garden, I saw little brown birds nipping delicately at the remaining seedlings. Tiny nips! Lots of nips!

After that, I protected seedlings with floating row cover or cloches (gallon water containers with the bottoms cut off).

[robynhicks]

Thank you habitat gardener, I could of sworn I saw several birds that day. Keeping an eye on them and I actually checked through the soil and transplanted them into even larger pots of even nicer soil.