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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: sticks on May 17, 2012, 07:59:58

Title: What's eating my peas?
Post by: sticks on May 17, 2012, 07:59:58: Any ideas what's doing this damage to my peas?
(http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/stix_photo_album/Lottie/th_IMAG0380.jpg) (http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/stix_photo_album/Lottie/?action=view&current=IMAG0380.jpg)

I'm unsure whether to put up chicken wire to deter birds/mice/rats/etc or lay down some slug defences or both.
Title: Re: What's eating my peas?
Post by: saddad on May 17, 2012, 08:02:59: From that angle looks like toern leaves... which would be pigeons... :-\
Title: Re: What's eating my peas?
Post by: sticks on May 17, 2012, 08:05:44: Yes, the leaves do look torn. We do seem to have a lot of pigeos around...I think I need to cover my whole plot in a giant net!
Title: Re: What's eating my peas?
Post by: sticks on May 17, 2012, 12:15:08: If I net them over now will the peas continue to grow or should I re-sow?
Title: Re: What's eating my peas?
Post by: Stevens706 on May 17, 2012, 12:41:07: If you net them now they will regrow and be OK, even if the main tip has been eaten they should sprout again from lower down
Title: Re: What's eating my peas?
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on May 17, 2012, 18:10:59: Pigeons; mine looked the same this time last year. I netted them and they soon recovered.
Title: Re: What's eating my peas?
Post by: JENIAN on May 17, 2012, 18:17:03: Buy an airgun and do your neighbours a favour as well. ;)
Title: Re: What's eating my peas?
Post by: George the Pigman on May 19, 2012, 22:30:07: Yes I would guess pigeons or birds of some kind. However on our plot they seem to just eat the tendrils not the leaves or pods. They only started to attack peas a few years ago so it's probably learned behaviour. I cover my peas now.
I agree about needing the whole plot covered with green netting. Ours looks like a camp site with all the netting! Perhaps we should have guard posts to stop the vandals as well! It would end up looking like Stalag XIV!!
Title: Re: What's eating my peas?
Post by: picman on May 20, 2012, 09:56:42: Pesky pigeons ... net and re-sow , I always put mag-lime on them( the peas :) stops a lot of pests and the peas love it...