Okay... Who pulled out my seedling? And why?

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33shadows Brisbane, Australia Mar 01, 2010

I just transplanted about 40 tomato seedlings and 40 capsicum seedlings into cups yesterday. I set all the cups on the ground outside and made a border of bricks around them to keep them from falling over. I went outside this morning and one of the tomato seedlings had been pulled out of its cup (roots and all) and was laying across the edge of its cup. Hmmm.... very odd. Hanging off the corner of the brick in front of the cup was a soft grey feather - looked to me like it might be off a young magpie (we have a LOT of magpies in our area). The seedling was limp and unsalvageable but I couldn't see any evidence that something had tried to eat it.

The magpies in our area (young ones especially) get around tapping on our windows and pulling threads from the shade cloth on the back patio area and have even been caught red-handed swinging from the bottom of our clothes on the clothes line like it was a fair-ground ride or something. I think they are playful and looking for fun things to do - particularly whilst still young. But pulling up plants? I've never seen that before.

If its not a magpie that pulled up my plant is there another animal around that likes to do that? I'm wondering now if I need to put a net over the plants or if that's just going to be a one-off bizarre event. I think I will be quite devastated if I come out on another day and all the seedlings have been pulled out...

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dividedsky Indianapolis, IN(Zone 5b) Mar 01, 2010

Put something over them so that the birds can't get to them, and set some water out for the birds.

Birds (and other critters) really like tender young seedlings.

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locakelly Phoenix, AZ(Zone 9a) Mar 01, 2010

My vote is for birds. I never would have believed it until I caught them in action - lol...

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1lisac Liberty Hill, TX(Zone 8a) Mar 02, 2010

Birds are very curious. Sometimes they peck at things just to see what it is. I have lost a few seedlings this way. Last year my peacock stepped on a whole tray of squash seedlings that were setting on my AC units in soft peat pots. He wanted to see himself in the window. He did peck at a few and pulled them out.

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vanislandgirl Ladysmith, BC Mar 02, 2010

I have seen over and over that birds, mostly crows pull out plants. Mostly the ones people take out of pots and just pop into the soil. It might help to separate the roots and then press the soil around the roots a little more firmly.

Another problem I have is my kickking type birds, they work the soil over and over.

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