Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi all,
I planted a few lettuce seedlings the other day - 2 days later and half of them appear to have been chopped off where the stem meets the ground I thought slugs - then realised some of the seedling leaves seem to have been tugged down into the soil and eaten from below - any one got any ideas about what it might be? and how I can get rid of it?
Ta

I had this problem where I planted some lettuce in ground,just dug that had been a lawn.

The pest was leatherjackets,the larvae of Daddy Long Legs.
My small plants were just cut off at soil level, when I lifted the plant roots, there was a leatherjacket in each clump of root.
Though my plants were not pulled underground.
As for some thing to get rid of the problem, if it is not leatherjackets, i'm afraid I am no help to you there!

It sounds like leather jackets to me too. This happened to some I'd planted in the greenhouse and I dug round the ones that had been chomped off and found a large fat brown grub - a leather jacket. So I'd have a dig round between the plants to see if you can find any and get your revenge.

Hello all,
I think it could be cutworms,a grub similar to the leather jacket but normally a bit greener depending on moth species. There are chemical controls but organically cultivate regularly, keep cleaning up all debris and dig down and remove little devils from beneath affected plants. Best of luck.
Oxalis

HI all,
Thanks for the advice as it meant I knew what to look for and after finding the 4th lettuce in the row under attack I carefully dug it up and there it was! horrid little brown grub curled up like a catapillar in the roots - revenge extracted Thanks again