Question
I live in Plano, TX. Just last night, I was feeding my plants with Miracle Grow and everything was healthy. This A.M. one of my four Hibiscus was gone, except for a few leaves at the top of each stem. Don't see any insects on plant, however, it was something much LARGER to do so much damage overnight. The other plants appear to be undisturbed (coleus, bananas, palms, begonias, etc.) What's up? I took the bare stem to two different nurseries, but they were stumped. Thanks,  Mike

Answer
Mike, without seeing the animal that destroyed your plant, it's very difficult to venture a guess.  But based on the description you gave, it sounds like a deer.  They can devour a plant in less than 5 minutes when hungry.  I have also seen damage from groundhogs and rabbits, but they normally eat a few leaves rather than the entire plant.  The exception would be small seedlings or very young plants under 1 foot tall.

Hungry deer are the most difficult pest to control.  Very little can be done to deter them, with the exception of a large fence.  There are products on the market such as Deer Off and Ropel that repulse deer and other animals, but they can prove expensive over a long period.  Another alternative is to sprinkle cayenne pepper on the plants.  No animal will eat a plant with cayenne pepper.  However, it does need to be reapplied after a rain.

I hope this helps.  Good luck, and please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike