View Full Version : Oh, I am so upset! I'm losing plants...
AnnaJW
11-21-2005, 04:48 PM
:( I just found another of my plants laying down outside. I had thought it was the result of overwatering, but now it looks like something is eating the plants. This last one was very healthy and growing like crazy, but it was sheared off at ground level. What could be doing this???
momoese
11-21-2005, 05:01 PM
I have never heard of anything sheering plants that large. Some seedlings have trouble from a certain worm that cuts them at the base but they are not very big. Could it be gophers or ground squirrels? Your husband maybe? Kids? Dogs crashing into them while playing? I had that happen to one of my reds once. I had to prop it back up and repack the soil. Maybe it's rot from over watering or lack of drainage? Have you mulched lately and left it high up on the P-stem?
AnnaJW
11-21-2005, 07:22 PM
I just went out and mulched. This was just strange. The other two plants I pulled up were leaning over, so I knew something was wrong. But this one was fine yesterday and today it was totally broken off. My dog doesn't go around that area, and my husband only goes in the back yard to grill. (The yard is MY domain!) LOL!
There are a couple of K-Rats in that area, but they have been here as long as we have so I don't think it's them. We do have a major ant colony around there though. Oh, and on one of the plants I pulled up, there were two small centipedes on the bottom. I'm going to go out with a flashlight tonight and see if some nocturnal critter is visiting. With my luck, I'll run into a skunk. :-)
Bananavilla
11-21-2005, 11:03 PM
Do you have gophers? They love bananas. I have had a bit of trouble with them here.
Mike
AnnaJW
11-23-2005, 12:53 PM
I haven't seen any signs of gophers. (knock wood) :)
I did make some changes to that area several weeks ago and I'm thinking now that maybe that has something to do with the problem. I took out some Fountain Grass, Aloe, and Yarrow from around the bananas trying to give the bananas more "breathing space". Maybe those plants were actually helping the soil by drawing in excess water?
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2020, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.