[greenhead]

Hi all,

This is a new one to me, not seen it before.  My carrot seedlings are being eaten just after the nursery leaf stage leaving the stalk just above the soil.  No visible slug trail so who do you think is the culprit?

Mike.

[azubah]

I had that happen with vine weevils. The roots eaten and the stalk and leaves left.

[greenhead]

Thank you azubah,  The seed bed is covered with weed seedlings yet these have not been attacked!!  weird

Mike.

[shedmeister]

werbunny. they are known for purpertrating such deeds

[AnneB]

In my experience the most likely culprits are slugs, both surface living ones and underground keel slugs.

[Salmo]

If they look as though they have been cut off leaving the tops scattered this could be cutworms. These are caterpillars of various moths. If you dig around where the damage is you may find them.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=910

[al78]

Thank you azubah,  The seed bed is covered with weed seedlings yet these have not been attacked!!  weird

Mike.

Weeds are native plants which have adapted to the local conditions, including defence against being eaten. Human cultivated crops are weaklings by comparison, so are the first to be attacked.

[sunshineband]

In my experience the most likely culprits are slugs, both surface living ones and underground keel slugs.

Things got so bad one year I sowed slug bait pellets with the carrot seed to kill off those little black slug under the ground 😲

I have to say though that cutworm or wireworm even, sound more likely if the tops are left lying. Like Salmo said, a little gentle dig around might reveal the culprit. Hope you find the little devils

[greenhead]

Thank you all,

There are no rabbits seen for years on our allotment site (fingers crossed)  The tops of the seedlings have been consumed leaving the stalk just above ground.  Not had this problem before, no sign of dead slugs or trails.  We have a lot of pigeons who always seen to be nibbling away on the site but have not seen them attacking the seedlings.  Should I cover?

Mike.

[arh]

As I read the original post, the seedlings are cut off, leaving a small stalk just above ground level. Not the roots eaten, leaving the seedlings lying on the ground. The question is:- "Are the carrot seedlings laying there? or, have they vanished?", if they have vanished, but the roots haven't, I suspect that the culprits have long ears and hop around.

[arh]

Update, posts crossed I guess. But just because they haven't been seen doesn't mean that they aren't there.

[greenhead]

If it were rabbits I would have thought they would have attacked other things nearby like lettuce.  Nothing just the carrot seedlings.

Mike.

[azubah]

I misunderstood, sorry. Vine weevils eat the roots and leave the stalk and leaves.

[Blewit]

I've suffered the same this year on both carrots and parsnips. Turned out it was slugs.

[AnneB]

In my experience the most likely culprits are slugs, both surface living ones and underground keel slugs.

Things got so bad one year I sowed slug bait pellets with the carrot seed to kill off those little black slug under the ground 😲

I have had to do the very same with my second sowing this year.  The first all germinated lovely then they vanished as if the bed was empty.  I cursed that I had neglected to put some slug pellets on,  then re-sowed with pellets alongside.  I don't like using slug pellets, but use the organically allowed ones and as the bed is netted against carrot root fly anyway, so birds and animals can't get at them.  Result is the second sowing is now growing well.  Only 1 visible dead slug, I think the main culprits are the underground keel slugs.