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I live in San Francisco Bay area. Till last year I did not have this problem. Something is eating the base of my bell pepper plant which is about 18 inches tall and producing. The critter is eating just the base of the plant and the plant is falling off and dying. It is like someone just cut it at the base. It is not touching the leaves are the bell peppers. I thought it is gopher and I put bites in all the holes around the backyard. I have also added chili powder to the base. This morning I saw that the base of another plant is chewed (only a little) and hopefully this plant will survive. I noticed that it tried to chew from the side the chili powder is not present. Mostly they were eaten when it was dark though once it happened in the afternoon too. I have eggplant, okra, tomato and other vegetable plants. But none of them were touched. I had very small Thai pepper plants but were eaten by critters. Please help me finding out who the critter is and how to get rid of it. Thanks survived bell pepper plant

dead bell pepper plant

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  • Still no answer. I'm curious!
    – trusktr
    Commented Jul 27 at 21:21
  • 1
    Is only the "bark"(phloem) being eaten and then the plant collapses or is the whole stem actually being chewed through?
    – Vorac
    Commented Jul 27 at 23:15
  • Have you ruled out rats as a possibility? You might try putting out a game camera. I hear they're affordable.
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Commented Aug 1 at 2:22

2 Answers 2

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As far as I can guess the culprits can be larvae, snails, or cutworms to know the exact one you can inspect at night time as most of the damage occurs at night you can check the place using a flashlight and look for signs like droppings, slime trails, or other signs around the plants.

The preventive measures now you can take are to continue using chili powder and also add garlic or neem oil spray around the plant base to deter pests. You can also make cardboard collars and put them around the base and burry them a few inches into the soil to stop pests from accessing the stem, Usage of floating covers while still letting the light and water through. Also, keep your garden area clean and free from weeds, debris, and other places where the pests may hide themselves.

I hope you will get to know the reason soon.

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This kind of damage reminds me of voles chewing on the bark of young fruit trees. The base of mature pepper plants is quite strong and woody so it will take an animal with strong teeth and jaws to bite in. At the same time it will be a small animal. Rabbits likely have a surfeit of soft vegetable leaves to feed on at a higher level. One candidate is possibly the California Vole. In dry locations and periods they may be looking for the sap that emerges from the chewed damage. In this case your defensive measures might include wire cloth collars.

Check your other plants and young trees for damage. You may find they have been exploring the garden for tasty drinks.

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