Personally, I wouldn't use moth balls. You may have cutworms that are cutting off the stalk? Or, snails and/or slugs. Either way, it helps to "collar" the seedlings. I make mine using soda bottles, and make them about 3-4" high. Or, you can save tuna cans, or cat food cans, any short can, and just cut off the top and bottom and use those as collars.

Susan

I had a squirrel that did that to my squash plants one year. I had to plant them in cups and put them inside a cage until they got true leaves.

Thank you for your shared experiences and solutions, Susan and Tigerdawn. Great ideas. I thought rabbits, but I haven't seen any rabbits in quite some time, I think, due to the coyotes. I DO, however have squirrels who LOVE sunflower seeds and rob my birdfeeders, even though I put out corn for them. Didn't occur to me that they would chow down on seedlings. Haven't seen any "snail trails", but my vision isn't the greatest, so they could be there. Thanks, again.

Jeanie

This is not something I'd ever do nor would I ever encourage anyone to do it. It is just so dangerous.

Mothballs actually are a registered pesticide and it is against the law to use them in any manner other than the manner specified on the label. I haven't looked at the label on a box of mothballs in years, but I bet there is nowhere on the label that it tells you how to use them outdoors to repel rabbits or anything else.

Mothballs are very dangerous and I have heard stories of people who used them outdoors and discovered they had poisoned their own cats and dogs by accident, not to mention contaminating the soil with them.

It is your choice and you can try it if you wish, of course, but my philosophy about gardening on this little piece of God's earth that we call "ours" is that we do not want to put anything into the air, ground or water that will harm the wildlife who share this land with us. We certainly don't want to harm our own pets, or for tthat matter ourselves. Prolonged exposure to mothballs is dangerous to humans. Mothballs will kill some of the beneficial insects that help us keep pest insects under control.

There are many things that eat sunflowers in my yard and garden, but I've never seen rabbits near them. Usually it is little orange and black caterpillars, and I know Susan knows which ones they are because she tells me the name of them every year since I never can remember it. It might be the Bordered Patch? They demolish my sunflowers.

The collars suggested by others are a good idea. Or, if it is an animal and not an insect, sprinkling blood meal on the ground around them usually repels the animal (but you may soon have vultures circling your yard, looking for the 'dead animal' whose blood they are smelling).

Or, you can put a couple of cloves of garlic and a couple of hot peppers in a blender with a quart of water. Puree them together. Strain out the solids and spray them on the plants and around the plants as a repellent. Garlic/Pepper spray repels a lot of animals, but you may have to reapply it often.

If you really want to know the identity of the critter that is eating your plants, on a calm, still evening (if this wind ever stops blowing) sprinkle a light layer of something white on the ground around the plants.....talcum powder, agricultural lime or all-purpose flour. If it is a small animal, you should see animal tracks. You then can match those tracks to animal tracks on the internet.

They are so very many things it could be....squirrels, voles, rabbits, field mice, birds, caterpillars, cutworms, etc.

I have a lot of trouble with turtles crawling under the gate and getting into my garden and eating stuff, especially tomatoes. It is a little aggravating, but on the other hand, I often have a turtle take up residentce in the potato bed where it appears he or she eats the Colorado potato beetles. Last year, I had a turtle-proof fence around the potato patch (not intentionally turtle proof, but it turned out he or she couldn't crawl under it) and had a horrible problem with Colorado potato beetles and no turtle to help me with them. Would I ever have thought of a turtle as either a garden fiend or a garden friend? No, but as it turns out, the turtle can be either one. So, whatever is eating your plants might be something you never thought about....just like I never imagined a turtle would want in the garden for any reason.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Info On Hazards of Using Moth Balls In Garden or Yard

I wasn't really looking forward to using moth balls or blood meal, so guess talc. and collars are my best move, that is, if I have any seedlings left. Guess I could start all over again. It's not too late to plant, I would think. You ladies are certainly right about the variety of pests it COULD be, as I have an abundance of rodents. SIGH! The joys of gardening can sometimes be bothersome!

Jeanie

What do you have if you have a moth ball in each hand?
-------------------------------------------------------

An extremely large moth.

Omigosh, Joellenh! L. O. L. Wasn't expecting THAT response, but funny, funny!

Jeanie

Jo, that was really a good one. I sure hope I don't have any moths that large.

Larry

I always cover my bean seeds with an old window screen, because the birds seem to love those fat carbohydrate packets that sprout. Anyway, that's what my mom told me, so it must be true. I like bean sprouts, so why wouldn't some other critter? The screen seems to do the trick, and can be elevated with stones until the plants have a couple of true leaves. Very low-tech, but works for me.
Carol

My MIL died of lung cancer some years back. She had not smoked in about 14 years but she did always have mothballs in all her windowsills to ward off spiders. I have always been certain it was the mothballs that killed her. (Not to speak of the fact that her house reeked, but that's another post.)

Wow! I knew moth balls smelled bad, but had no idea they were so dangerous! No moth balls for me. Love ALL the ideas about protecting new sprouts. You can tell I don't know much about gardening in the country! Thanks everyone!

Jeanie

Dawn, the butterflies could be Bordered Patches, but their preferred host is Golden Crownbeard, Verbesina enceliodes, or other Verbesinas, but Sunflowers also are larval hosts for Silvery Checkerspots and Gorgone Checkerspots. Before I started Butterfly gardening, I had some Sunflowers and knew nothing about butterflies. I went out one day and it seemed like I had nothing left of my sunflower leaves. The caterpillars eat all the green stuff, looking like the leaves had been skinned! They feed in groups and quickly "skin" the leaves, leaving just the vein structure. I was shocked and got rid of the plants (to my horror now)!

I've attached a photo of a Silvery Checkerspot larva. Gorgones have more burgandy coloring.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Silvery Checkerspot caterpillar