That is a strong chemical and it may not even work on what is eating them. If you haven't seen any bugs on them then have a look with a flashlight after dark.

The two most common night feeding culprits are slugs and earwigs. Slugs will leave a slime trail clearly visible in early morning. If that's what they are--slugs or earwigs--, there are many organic recipes for doing away with them found on this website. If you do go the other route then use slug or earwig bait, but be careful if you have young children or pets it can harm them too if it's ingested.

The long and short of it is--first fimd out what you are dealing with and treat accordingly

I will try to check after dark and see what is eating them. I was thinking slugs but it may be earwigs. Thanks for the response!

this is one reason. to grow your seeds in pots or trays.. so you have better control.. without resorting to chems ...

as a last resort.. i see no reason the slug bait.. or sevin cant be applied to the soil.. rather than the tender plant ... if that is label appropriate ...

beer in a shallow container.. will catch you some slugs.. if that is what they are .. at least give you an ID to start with ...

ken

April,

If it turns out that slugs (or snails) are the culprits that have been munching your seedlings, Monterey's Sluggo slug and snail bait is very safe and effective. I have relied on it for years. It's active ingredient is iron phosphate, which eventually breaks down to provide iron and phosphorous for your plants, so it has a double benefit. Many garden centers and home stores carry it.

ZM
(not associated with any product or vendor mentioned)

Thanks so much for your responses and info! So far I have not been able to catch the culprits in action. Hope I have better luck this weekend!!

Just as a note, slugs have eaten two different transplanted crops of zinnias, cleomes and cosmos in my beds this year. They eat from the edge of the leaves inward, and have even eaten parts of the stems. We've had a lot of rain (slug fertilizer), so I see today that I need to put out more bait. STINKING Critters! Once you mkae the ID, diligence is key.

I have really horrendous problems with slugs here, plagues of them bordering on biblical proportions, and still I've never found them bothering my cosmos (which is why I've plastered my garden with cosmos seeds this year). I'd guess earwigs maybe.

Beer cans (with a couple drops left) and melon rinds can be used as bait traps to attract the slugs. Leave them out overnight and in the morning pick them up and dispose of them. Great natural control for slugs/snails.