What is eating my seedlings

Written and edited by Tammy 7th April 2025

Insect attacked seedlings

The biggest question on every gardener's lips right now is “what is eating my seedlings!?" Working out the answer requires a bit of simple detective work, some Sherlock Holmes. It's a case of looking for clues and putting the puzzle pieces together.

1. Slugs and snails-Look out for silvery trails all over the foliage and the ground. They need moisture to be able to move around otherwise they're at risk of their bodies drying out. When the weather is hot and dry, they'll be hiding somewhere cool and dark, and most likely, not your culprit. If it's recently been raining and everything is wet, there's a good possibility slugs or snails are to blame.

1. Earwigs, millipedes and beetles- Like slugs and snails, these little critters are mostly nocturnal. During the day you'll find them hiding in the dark under rocks, logs and debris. They are renowned for chomping tender little seedlings off at the stems. If you don't see the evidence pointing to snails, you could perhaps suspect these critters.

   Earwigs and millipedes LOVE soft, sweet, delectable strawberries. They'll be hiding beneath the mulch surrounding them.

2. Caterpillars-On mild, calm days keep an eye out for cabbage moths flitting around. They're known as cabbage moths for a good reason. They absolutely LOVE Brassicas, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Brussell sprouts. They most often lay their eggs on the undersides of the foliage of your plants. The eggs hatch and hungry little caterpillars emerge. Lime green in colour, they camouflage well and discreetly chomp away at the underside of the leaves. As with snails and earwigs they can decimate a crop of seedlings very quickly, almost overnight.

3. Aphids- will be obvious in daylight hours, you'll see them infesting new young shoots and foliage, roses are a favourite for them. They are sap suckers and will leave the new growth looking limp, yellow, and drained of life. Another indication aphids are at work is the sticky secretion they leave behind, honeydew, which in turn brings the ants in droves.

4. Rodents and native wildlife- It's not always just grubs, bugs and creepy crawlies. Particularly if you live rurally or on the outskirts of town, mice, rats, rabbits and even birds don't mind a bit of greenery in their diets too. Make sure you install some rodent mesh around your veggie patch. Other than the missing vegetable seedlings, they leave evidence such as tracks, footprints and droppings.

Vigilance and prevention are always better than cure. When you plant out new seedlings, don't be afraid to lay out some pet friendly snail bait around them. Cover them up with insect mesh so they physically can't get to them. Plant them in raised beds further out of reach of ground dwelling critters. When you are watering them daily, get down amongst them and check there's nothing crawling around on or beneath the foliage. Look for some clues and hopefully you'll be able to determine for yourself exactly who your culprit is.

Happy Gardening😘🌱🌸