[mandycharlie]

Hi,

Hubby has been up to the plot this morning, I have not seen this with my own eyes so am relying on his detail.  

A tray of peas which had germinated has been cut down, he says like as if someone had come along with a scalpel at the base of each plant.  I wondered if it was a mouse but he didn't check to see whether the actual pea had been taken, although it was probably more root like than an actual pea by this point.  

A complete tray has been affected which is on the lowest shelf, the others on higher shelves seem okay, but, it was early morning and he's not too sure.

(I'm trying desperately not to have to go up the plot and look for myself and as I'm feeling the cold today..  )  

Any ideas.  

Or do you think it might be some bug/virusy thing.

[puravida]

Sounds like mice to me.
They did the same to me last year I think although I never saw any droppings etc.

[naturesparadise]

yep id say mouse you could try a live trap put it in the greenhouse and if its a mouse you will catch it

[beki]

My first thought was cutworms...

Cutworms

One of the most destructive garden pests is the cutworm - aptly named as it cuts off the stem of the plant at ground level. The cutworm caterpillar ranges in colour from grey, brown, black, red, and greenish-white to striped or spotted. One way to identify cutworms: if poked with a stick, they curl up into a 'C' shape. The adult forms of cutworm larvae are small brown moths often called millers. Millers are very attracted to bright lights and are often seen flittering around a porch light at night. Cutworms also feed and do their damage at night. Prevention is the only cure. The best solution is to put a 'cutworm collar' around each plant, which the cutworms won’t crawl over. Collars should be about 5-8 cm (2-3") high and can be made from many recycled materials, such as small tin cans, rings cut from plastic yoghurt cartons or cardboard rolls, or stapled strips of plastic or cardboard. Press the collars securely into the ground. Natural predators for cutworms include birds, toads, and ground beetles. Bats will also eat the adult moths. Biological controls include parasitic wasps and parasitic nematodes.

But i would have thought you'd see them in a greenhouse, and also, it's a bit early for caterpillars and the like isn't it  :?

So i reckon it's probably mice aswell.. Like NP says - maybe lay a trap, and if it's there you should catch it  

[mandycharlie]

Ooooh cutworms,

I've just googled them and they sound quite scary!

Do you think it could  be them then?

[beki]

I'm very new to veg growing etc, but i've been reading up about garden pests and what you wrote, immediately made me think of cutworms.

However, i've just had a look about at some garden pest websites, and it seems it's too early for them.

They breed in June, July, August and September. So prety certain you've not got cutworms  

Sorry to panic you - i should have checked what months they breed in first shouldn't i?!  :oops:  

[Aunt Sally]

Hi Mandy  

Get hubby to:
a) take a photo for us
b) have a dig around in the soil to see if he can find the culpret
c) set a mouse trap and
d) plant more peas.

That should keep him busy for a while