# Which plants can recover with no leaves?



## xCSx (Mar 13, 2012)

Well mr hungry groundhog evaded the electric fence somewhere and ate all the leaves off my bush bean plants, as well as ate almost all of my tomato plants.

He literally left 1-2 leaves on the entire tomato plant and ate the whole upper half. 

The bush bean plants he ate practically every single leaf.

Should I direct seed replant these? (I am in 6b) or Will the leaves grow back?

I only have a 36 square feet garden, and he went after 3 of my 6 tomato plants, and 8 of my 12 bush bean plants, so it was a significant loss. 

Should I:
A) Direct reseed
B) Let them recover somehow
C) Buy transplants


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Tomato plants should come back from laterals as long as there is at least one leaf. Bush beans could do the same but no guarantee. Depends upon if the growing tip were eaten and if it were a variety which branches freely.

Martin


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## How Do I (Feb 11, 2008)

I've had bush beans devoured by deer several times and they just don't seem to do very well after that. Sure, you may get a few beans, but if'n it were me and I had the extra seeds I would just pull them up and reseed.

For instance, I had deer get about 4 plants this year before I started using a radio out in an unfenced garden bed and then planted some more bush beans a few days later in the same bed. The new bean plants are three times the size of the deer defoliated plants and putting on a good amount of beans already. The defoliated plants are just existing, basically. If you don't have any bush bean seeds on hand you should still be able to find some locally.


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## dustie1 (Feb 21, 2012)

I'm not a bean growing expert by any means but I can share my experiences this year. I have a ground squirrel infestation. They have mowed down every single bean I have planted. Numerous times. The beans never seem to recover. And eventually the squirrels come back and rip the whole plant out. 

The tomatoes on the other hand have come back and flourished. I've got 8 little cherry tomatoes on my 4 foot tall plant that they chewed down to the ground. It's still really early for tomatoes so this excites me. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## janetn (Apr 26, 2012)

Is the groundhog dead yet :happy2: Id be so mad that the little sucker would be dog food. Id reseed they may or may not come back, if you wait to much longer you wont have time to replant.


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## xCSx (Mar 13, 2012)

Thanks, I replanted 12 more bush beans. I forgot to mention he also ate entire pepper plants. I wish I could dispose of him. Illegal to relocate in nj. Can't shoot. I'm in town on .11 acres.


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

Trap it, drive out of town, and then plug it.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Gas it. Catch it in a live trap, throw a tarp over the trap, and run a hose from your car exhaust under the tarp. Leave car run 20 minutes.


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## Raven12 (Mar 5, 2011)

I've had problems with animals stripping leaves this year. My tomato and pepper plants bounced back. The ones that were left that is.


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## bluemule31 (Nov 30, 2011)

xCSx said:


> Thanks, I replanted 12 more bush beans. I forgot to mention he also ate entire pepper plants. I wish I could dispose of him. Illegal to relocate in nj. Can't shoot. I'm in town on .11 acres.


I am with a few others on here....I would have to bend the rules a little bit and get rid of this joker!


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## blooba (Feb 9, 2010)

Go get a .22 Co2 airgun that has the power or a crossbow with broadheads. That groundhog would be dead before replanting if it were me.


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