[Cheshire Phill]

Unhappy bunny!!

Sowed, potted on and nurtured 20 or so beetroot (Detroit Red), and last week planted them out, in a raised bed, under cover of cloche with open ends.

I put some blue pellets each end, and was devastated (well, not really!) to find that most of the row has been eaten down to the stalks, almost all the leaf gone.

Any ideas? I have seen one slug, but thought the blue pellets would protect the ones in the middle of the cloche...seems they have been worked along, one or two still survive in the middle?

I've never netted beetroot before, is there something flying/caterpillar-wise that might have got them? Or is it maybe those horrid black keel(?) slugs from underground?

Phill

[lucywil]

when i read the title my first thought was flea beetle but not yet, and having now read your post, not to that extent! definately sounds like slugs

[Salmo]

It is probably slugs. They live underground so barrier poison at the entrance is not perfect protection. If you look carefully you may see slime and the damage will be ragged.

It could be cutworms or leatherjackets. Cutworms are the catterpillars of moths that live in the soil and emerge at night to feed. Leatherjackets are the lavae of daddy long legs. Either of these tend to cut through the stems or leaf bases and leave the odd leaf scattered about. Chafer grubs are another possibility with similar damage.

If the ends of the cloches are open it could be small birds. The leaves will be cut off straight and you may see tell tail V shaped beak marks on some leaves.

[Cheshire Phill]

Hmmm, still baffled by this...have put out two slug beer traps and lots of blue pellets, but no sign of any slugs, and still the leaves are being eaten...either nipped off quite squarely, or with triangle-shaped pieces missing. Same in my small lettuce plants too.

One of our plotholders suggested mice, or I suppose it could be birds, but no sign of disturbance...I'll have to block off the ends...if it is cutworms or cockchafers, what is the solution?

Have more plants coming on, but really don't want to put them out until sorted...

Phill 

[Trikidiki]

My wife!

[HugglescoteGrower]

Me too, I love em, roasted in the oven with a sprinkling of Olive Oil, loverly. I do tend to wait till the red bit at the bottom has grown though!

The level of devastation you describe sounds mamalian to me, I would block the ends of the cloche securely and see if things change.

[Salmo]

Nipped off quite squarely or with triangle pieces missing - exactly what I described = birds

[Cheshire Phill]

OK, thanks for the comments - I shall re-stock and block off the ends of the cloches and see if any plants survive better...it could be birds, maybe even pigeons, there are plenty on our site after brassicas when they are available but I still suspect some chomping grubs of some type...

Thinking about it, some plants survive in the middle of 6ft cloche, so perhaps the fat old wood pigeons aren't able to squeeze in that far, or aren't brave enough? I shall net!!!

Phill 

[muddywellies]

It could also be a little bunny Phill. We all have to entirely fence off our plots with rabbit wire at our allotment or they'd scoff everything!