Brand new gardener in the U.K.

Alex321 4/7/2020, 8:43 am

Hello,
Excited to be here my partner is getting fed up of me talking about plants to him

I have been inspired to begin square foot gardening to make use of my sunny decking.
Started out some seeds in a mini plastic greenhouse, all going great until this morning and some critter has nibbled through most of my sunflower seedlings first leaves. Have bought all my plants inside the house as I don’t know what to do I couldn’t find any bugs or caterpillars on them??
Am very attached to my first ever seedlings, whatever it was hasn’t touched my mangetout plants though??
Any advice!

OhioGardener 4/7/2020, 9:06 am

Welcome from Ohio, Alex! Usually when something is eating the small leaves of seedlings it is either slugs or sowbugs - they both love damp places - but, you seldom see them as they operate under darkness. The only control I have found for them is something like Sluggo Plus, or Diatomaceous Earth.

**AtlantaMarie** 4/7/2020, 9:21 am

Hi Alex321. Welcome from Atlanta, GA (SE USA)!

Bunnies perhaps? But I would also think slugs... If you have some beer, you could trap them. Slugs love beer apparently.

**Kelejan** 4/7/2020, 9:37 am

$glad you\'re here$ Alex 321 happy hi

from Kelejan from British Columbia
:canada:

Sorry about your seedlings.

Alex321 4/7/2020, 1:52 pm

Thanks for the help! Yh I agree most probably a night time critter, Iv moved them inside for the night to keep them safe.
Is there any homemade remedies that you can spray the seedlings with to deter things from eating them? Although they didn’t touch the pea shoots.
X

**sanderson** 4/7/2020, 4:10 pm

Alex, Welcome to the Forum from the State of California! $glad you\'re here$ I modified the title to this thread to reflect your location, as often the replies are determined by location. We all feel your pain with losing seedlings, no matter how many years of gardening.

**Kelejan** 4/7/2020, 5:04 pm

Kelejan wrote: $glad you\'re here$ Alex 321
from Kelejan from British Columbia

Sorry about your seedlings.

Alex, I am an English/Canadian and I am returning to the UK to live, which means I will be starting a new SFG garden when I arrive there. To begin with I will most probably live with my brother in Middlesex and will continue to be in touch with this site.

Where do you live, as the UK has many different ecosystems that have many differences? I have mostly lived in the Home Counties of Surrey, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

plantoid 4/8/2020, 4:48 am

Alex ,
I live in South Wales UK ..we get slug & snail damage quit a lot , can you put up pictures of the attack damage on your plants ….. a picture is worth a thousand words etc. etc.

If it is slug or snail damage using a commercial nematode spray or watering can application on all your plants in one go , putting the rest on the veg bed is most beneficial in keeping them down . Look up" NEMASLUG " ..I've been using it with great success for the last six or so years , as a result I no longer slip & slither on slugs on the paths round my raised beds pus slug damage is an absolute minimum in my veg & flower beds .

Flea beetle might also be a cause of nibbled leaves that's why I asked for the pictures .

Dave

**Kelejan** 4/8/2020, 10:39 am

Oh, Plantoid, "slipping and slithering on slugs+ makes me feel "squirmy" if there is such a word. Rolling Eyes

countrynaturals 4/8/2020, 12:34 pm

Alex. Sorry I was late to this party. $glad you\'re here$ from Northern California.

I gave up fighting slugs and sow bugs. Now I start everything inside and keep it there until big enough to defend itself. Evil or Very Mad

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