Can anybody tell me how I can save my cucumbers next year from whatever cut down every single one of them this year?
by
FELICIA W
+26
I would check them in the morning and they'd be healthy and fine, when I came from work in the late afternoon, they'd look like the pictures. I live in Phoenix, AZ and I know it's not deer, or anything like that. Not one single cucumber or squash plant survived whatever this was. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
28 answers
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Felicia, without knowing what ate your cucumbers it is hard to prescribe a defense. Did this happen more than once? I see a bit of fence in the background of your photo. How high is the fence, and is any part of it buried in the ground?
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 26, 2011
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Does it look like this? http://onvegetables.com/2011/06/14/cutworms-in-vegetables/
360 Sod (Donna Dixson)
on Jul 26, 2011
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It appears that the foliage of your cucumbers was eaten by a rabbit. They nibble away at the leaves, while deer will typically pull up some of the plants by the root. I put a 2 foot high fence around my garden to keep all but the largest critters out, but allowing me to step over the fence to harvest. The cucumbers will grow onto the fence, so you might want to trellis them up and out of reach of the rabbits.
Travis P
on Jul 26, 2011
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Yes, there is a fence around it, it's either a 2 or 3' fence, and it is underground by a couple inches. There's no signs that rabbits have gotten inside, but it does happen during the day while I'm at work. It happened every time new shoots came up. And it does look like the picture in the cutworms link. There were shoots that were chewed off at the soil level and just discarded. So frustrating! I can't tell if it's worms, birds, rabbits, or bugs, so I don't know what to do to protect them.
FELICIA W
on Jul 26, 2011
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I had a problem a few years back with a chipmunk...he mowed down an entire row of peas...Chipmunks can climb fences with ease
KMS Woodworks
on Jul 26, 2011
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We don't really have a chipmunk problem in Phoenix :) or a deer problem...
FELICIA W
on Jul 26, 2011
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Here's a couple more pictures that might show a little better what is happening.
FELICIA W
on Jul 26, 2011
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Sorry, here's the pictures.
FELICIA W
on Jul 26, 2011
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And I noticed these holes, but I'm not sure if it's related to what's eating or chewing my cucumbers. I don't know what made these holes, I could never see anything going in or out of them. I believe they were made during the day, because they wouldn't be there in the morning, but in the late afternoon when I got home. The holes are small, maybe the size of a small pinky finger. I don't know how deep they go because I didn't want to stick my finger in it haha. I did try digging into the holes with a garden shovel, but never found anything. I'm wondering if these are beetle larvae coming out as beetles, and that may also be what was eating my cucumbers?
FELICIA W
on Jul 26, 2011
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I think if it were cutworms that there would be "downed" foliage as evidence. And cutworms are generally active at night, not during the day. I lean toward Travis's rabbit culprits. which must be finding some way through/under your fence.
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 27, 2011
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Time to install the motion activated camera...or time lapse cameras...this will nail it for sure.
KMS Woodworks
on Jul 27, 2011
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I would say that it is a critter, not a cutworm. The area surrounding the plant is cleaned up. We do have chipmunks, as well as squirrels, here in the Phoenix area. Especially in the rural areas. We also have javalina and deer in the even more rural areas like Apache Junction, where I live. A raised planter with a trellis will solve most of your problems and your cukes and squash will love it. The chipmunks and squirrels pose a bit more of a problem, but they can be beaten as well.
Pearson Contracting and Services
on Jul 29, 2011
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Raised planter is probably the way to go, it sounds like - thank you! On an interesting side note, at least I thought it was interesting: I saw a cardinal breaking off the cherry tomatoes and flying off with them! I knew other birds would eat tomatoes, but I didn't think a cardinal would! Thank you all for your suggestions and help, I agree, it probably is rabbits and a raised bed should solve it.
FELICIA W
on Jul 30, 2011
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Good luck, Felicia!
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 30, 2011
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here in Pa we have ground squirrels, that play havoc on our fruit plants, what I did is got a 12 x 12 plastic box ie: mike crate, after planting the vegetable, i pushed the box down about a inch or two, that way they can't dig under it.
Mike Demchik
on Jun 23, 2014
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Do you have snails? where I live there is a huge slug population which is good as it rains a lot and they clean up disintegrating foliage so that is good but they do munch of my freshly planted potatoes and especially green beans. Just a thought.
Meem Kaplan
on Jul 12, 2014
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No, we don't have snails, but thanks for the thought. I planted cucumbers in pots this year and nothing munched them and they grew and grew! But I think they got too much sun and then they didn't grow. Maybe next season I'll finally have it right :)
FELICIA W
on Jul 14, 2014
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If you buy milk in gallon jugs, wash when empty, cut the flat bottom off, then push them into the dirt around the plants. They act like little greenhouses with a chimney to let the heat out, and protect the shoots 'til they are stronger. If that doesn't help, you might have slugs, which will drown in a saucer of beer.
Linda T
on Jul 16, 2014
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You may have mice or a roof rat. I lost all my flowers and part of the trim on my patio cushions before I found one roof rat that had destroyed my yard. Margie.
Margie
on Jul 26, 2014
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I think that its a underground critter such as Voles ,Mice, Rat ,Back here in Ct I'm fighting with voles which eat everything.My 2 cats helped clean them out but this year I have to keep them in because of coyotes
Patricia R
on Jul 26, 2014
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try setting out some mole bombs. I tried the milk jug thing and my plants were toasted.
Debbie Machmer
on Aug 16, 2014
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First I would play detective and look for any animal droppings or bug droppings that might shed light on what it might be.
Evelyn
on Aug 25, 2014
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Rabbits.
Susan
on Aug 25, 2014
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Grandpa taught me that downed foliage with those circular marks was cutworms working at night. Look for worm poop on the downed foliage. But then it doesn't look as though your plants even get the chance to leaf out. In which case you're looking for a varmit. Plant stems roughly "chewed" off are rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels. Deer will leave a cleanly clipped stem. And birds love seedlings. Again they will break the stem off cleanly or pull up the whole plant. Any tracks near the plants??
Sheryl Johnson
on Aug 25, 2014
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Groundhogs and or ground moles. Do you have either in Az? Also my dad and of course me because dad said to used lime. Dust your plants lightly with it. If something tries to eat your plants it burns them and they will leave your plants alone. Also good for bugs
Vicky
on Aug 26, 2014
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Gophers . Select a specific spot, wall it off and bury at least 12" of wire around the area. Better solution in this case is to elevate a 2' X 4' plot up off the ground, like green house tables to guarantee no rodent damage.
Robert Whitman
on Oct 04, 2014
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This looks like above ground work to me. I don't know what you have in Az., but if this were in Iowa, or Tx., I would suspect birds, or rabbits. Especially, when you first plant them, birds will nip the tops off. Either use a milk jug, or a tin coffee can, and keep watered until they are bigger, I wonder if in your hot climate, maybe you would keep them from burning up, by planting them in a shadier location. If it is rabbits, you will need a fence to keep them out. Don't use the plastic type, as they will chew holes right through it.
Lana Baker
on Oct 04, 2014
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I'd suspect cutworms, although they usually feed at night.
Mary Wilshire
on Nov 18, 2014
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