Vegetable plants being cut down and left laying - Ask Extension
Something has been cutting off the brockoly, cauliflower and cabbage plants at night and leaving it lay. The raised beds are in an area that is surrou...
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Vegetable plants being cut down and left laying #872961
Asked June 13, 2024, 1:22 PM EDT
Something has been cutting off the brockoly, cauliflower and cabbage plants at night and leaving it lay. The raised beds are in an area that is surrounded by fencing and electrified at the bottom of the fencing. Any ideas? Thanks for the help.
Deschutes County Oregon
Expert Response
Jill: I am a westside Extension agent (recently retired) but in my experience, it is most likely voles (field mice). Rabbits are a possibility as they also make clean cuts, but they don't usually leave pieces, they eat them! And I don't know if they could get through your fencing. So you can test the field mouse/vole by putting out some sturdy mouse traps baited with peanut butter in the evening. You should know soon.
It is also possible that chipmunks or some other animal more common to Central Oregon are the culprits. Crow usually pull seedlings out and don't cut them, in my experience.
Let me know what you find out. Chip Bubl OSU Extension
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It is also possible that chipmunks or some other animal more common to Central Oregon are the culprits. Crow usually pull seedlings out and don't cut them, in my experience.
Let me know what you find out. Chip Bubl OSU Extension
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It recently occurred to men that it might be cutworms which aren't too common in home gardens but are a problem in some years in commercial cabbage family crops. Here is a link to information about them. Chip
https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/vegetable/vegetable-pests/hosts-pests/broccoli-brussels-sprout-cabbage-cauliflower-cutworm
https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/vegetable/vegetable-pests/hosts-pests/broccoli-brussels-sprout-cabbage-cauliflower-cutworm
It recently occurred to me that it might be cutworms which aren't too common in home gardens but are a problem in some years in commercial cabbage family crops. Here is a link to information about them. Chip
https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/vegetable/vegetable-pests/hosts-pests/broccoli-brussels-sprout-cabbage-cauliflower-cutworm
https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/vegetable/vegetable-pests/hosts-pests/broccoli-brussels-sprout-cabbage-cauliflower-cutworm
