Caterpillar damage & prevention, a few ?s

The first thing I noticed when I went out to check on my girl today was a number of chomp marks on one of the larger leaves.

I'm fairly sure that a caterpillar is to blame even though I didn't see it, and I haven't seen one anywhere this summer...yet.

Does anyone know of a good caterpillar deterrent?

I've been ashing a cigarette on the ground around the pot, and, after snubbing it out, rubbing the butt and excess tobacco into the detritus on the ground, thinking that the smell would keep pests away. I even read something about tobacco being decent for pest prevention...so this is pretty unexpected.

Next time I go out there I'll be sure to check carefully for any caterpillars or eggs.

I've heard that orange peels (any citrus fruit's zest) and garlic spray are good for keeping caterpillars away, but I haven't either of tried them out yet.

Does anyone know of anything less toxic than neem oil that will help?

Last time I checked my plants,I sprayed them with Tobasco and Garlic mix..dunno how it works yet,anyway at early stage I invested in some snail poison granules,and every week I saw many dead snails around my plants,so that was one of the best things I have done to keep my plants alive....have to buy silicone spray for next crop you can check it at Basement Lighting Hydroponics and Grow Lights UK

praying mantas, or however they are spelled, lol they help eat the bugs that get around your plants and they dont hurt your plants.