Where did my seedlings go?

You planted seedlings one day and their gone the next? A very common problem is seedlings freshly planted disappearing, let’s look at the possible culprits.

• A cutworm or armyworm

• Wallabies, kangaroos, rabbits, rats, mice or bandicoots

• Snails or slugs

• A neighbour who envies your garden

No to the neighbours, but the other three are highly likely.  Top of the list is cutworms, they are a caterpillar that lives in the soil and is active mostly at night. Turn the soil well before planting, looking for caterpillars. If found, hand remove them and if still concerned, spray the seedling with an insecticide suitable to kill caterpillars.

The next most likely culprits are animals. When planting cover the new seedlings with cloche or cage, or netting or even a cut off plastic bottle top. Simply to keep these physically away from the seedlings is enough to stop the loss.

Snails and slugs are more easily kept away with snail pellets, manually removing on sight or alternatively use exclusion methods mentioned above to keep them out.

If you are growing from seed and you are failing to get germination rates recommended, then consider,

• Birds or mice activity

• Heavy rain, seeds will rot or are transported away

• Not enough gentle regular watering, but letting it dry out in between watering

• Soil temperature still too cold

• Temperatures too hot

• Old seeds, always check use-by-date before planting

• Seeds planted too deep

• Planted in soil too rich in fertiliser. This burns their developing roots as they sprout. Use a seed raising mix for best results

For many of these it is sometimes easier to germinate seedlings in a protected area or seedlings tray and transplant them after they have four leaves.