I went outside this morning, and my Mr.Stripey tomato was nothing but a stump! I looked everywhere for caterpillars and did not find anything.

I closely examined my other tomatoes, top and bottom of leaves. I found nothing!

I'm assuming this is catepillar damage. What should I do to prevent the loss of my other tomatoes?

Thanks in advance for your help.

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...Heather

Have you gone out at night. Sounds like it might be snail or slugs. Howard will have the solution for slugs on this website.
Richard Spitzer

I have had the same problem with a few of my favorite grown-from-seed tomatoes, and the guilty party is pill bugs. It only happened in certain beds and they are the ones with the most compost and mulch, thus the most pill bugs. I caught them in the act. I replaced the plants that were munched down, and surrounded them with collars to keep the pill bugs out. So far, it's working fine. I'm not saying that pill bugs are eating your plants, but they were eating mine, so it's something to consider.

It could very well be pillbugs. I have a lot of those! And I do use compost and mulch in the garden.

Snails are definite possibility, I've seen a number of those; I haven't noticed slugs, but I haven't checked at night either. I will tonight.

Dragonfly, what kind of collar do you place around your plants? My grandmother suggested sinking coffee cans 'round them.

If I am having snail/slug problems, should I put out a shallow pan of beer? That's what I've heard mentioned before.

I'll check on the plants tonight, and let you know what I found!

Thanks for all the help.

_________________
...Heather

I have heard the beer traps work well. I have not tried it. I do a lot of hand picking. With just a litte time for several nights you can control them pretty well especially if it is snails.
If you have any of the long snails these are decollate snails and are beneficial because they eat the other snails so be sure and leave them.
Richard Spitzer

Heather, coffee cans should work just fine. I used plastic pots from transplants that I cut the bottom out of. I just placed the bottom rim about 1/2 to one inch below ground level.
Thanks for the info on snails. I have lots of the long snails, but don't know much about them. I haven't lost any plants from snails that I am aware of, though.

Ok. I have cut the bottoms out of cans, and slid my tomato plants through them. So the base is circled by tin, or whatever cans are really made of.

I found a LOT of pill bugs out there. I did not find slugs yet, but I found many snails. I'm afraid to move 'em for fear of taking away the good snail. How do you identify the difference in snails? One just has a longer shell than the other?

Greg Rohde suggested putting out wet cardboard over night, and in the morning taking it and all of the pill bugs under it, away.

Good news: my Mr. Stripey tomato is putting on new leaves.
Bad news: the insects have now cut down my Yellow Pear tomato. I'm not sure it'll come back, because they left a stump on Mr. Stripey, but the Yellow Pear is cut flush with the soil.

Thanks for all the help!

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...Heather