Tomato Plant stalks being cut. Who is doing it? - Ask Extension
We have 10 or so tomato plants. All have had stalks cut off and the stalks disappear - they are not left behind on the ground.
Some stalks are 3 to...
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Tomato Plant stalks being cut. Who is doing it? #874093
Asked June 21, 2024, 2:31 PM EDT
We have 10 or so tomato plants. All have had stalks cut off and the stalks disappear - they are not left behind on the ground.
Some stalks are 3 to 4 feet high (off the ground) others are at one foot level. NOT cutworms.
Not eating leaves, just cutting off stalks.
No hoof marks/tracks visible. No scat left behind. So who could be doing this?
I can attach a damage picture to a message but need a cellphone number to send to.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Our best guess is a groundhog as the culprit. (You can attach photo files to your reply, as Ask Extension does not have a phone number, just the web platform. If attaching a file is proving uncooperative, then try pasting the image directly into the body of your reply instead. As long as it's at least 1MB in size per photo, we'll be able to zoom-in enough to see enough detail in most cases.)
Lots of wildlife can damage and consume vegetable plants. As noted on the linked pages, sturdy fencing is usually the best solution for preventing crop loss to most animals. Groundhogs can climb, but in the case a stubborn groundhog is not deterred by high fencing and a buried fence base, then electrifying the fence should be successful.
Miri
Lots of wildlife can damage and consume vegetable plants. As noted on the linked pages, sturdy fencing is usually the best solution for preventing crop loss to most animals. Groundhogs can climb, but in the case a stubborn groundhog is not deterred by high fencing and a buried fence base, then electrifying the fence should be successful.
Miri
We have about 10 tomato plants. All have had several stems cut off. The stems are not left on the ground, they have been eaten or carried away. Leaves are not being eaten. See pictures attached. One plant is about 3 1/2 feet high, the other in a pot almost 75 away from the tall one. Cuts are similar on both. Yesterday the potted plant was twice the size it was when I took the picture today. There are no hoof prints visible. There has been no deer scat. (we do have lots of fox) I have not seen any racoons. The cuts are all 1 to 3 1/2 feet above the ground
We received the photos you sent with another submission, thank you. Groundhog remains our prime suspect, though we can't rule-out deer (even given the lack of hoof prints and scat).
Miri
Miri
These two pics of the larger plant I submitted should be better focussed and give perspective.
I am another member of the response group and agree that sturdy fencing is best but in a "pinch" I suggest using plastic bird or deer fence/netting around and covering the plants. Be sure to secure the netting to the ground. Tall stakes can be used to hold up the netting above the plants.
Len
Len
