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Schlueter -- Cutworms are most unwelcome garden visitor Tuesday, June 23, 2009
What happens when your plant stems are cut off overnight?
Cutworms are likely to blame.
The cutworm is the beaver of the insect world. They wreak havoc by cutting plants off at ground level. The results look like somebody came along with a teeny, tiny chainsaw. There isn't a worse sight than finding a row of new plants lying wilting in the sun.
Other cutworms are climbers and chop off plant tops. The cutworm is the larva of several species of night-flying and otherwise harmless moths. Cutworms feed at night. Digging by hand or trowel in the immediate area of a fallen plant almost always reveals the culprit: A small, soft-bodied gray or dull brown caterpillar-looking creature that curls up when disturbed.
The following are some easy and natural ways to help deter these plant killers.
Create straw shields for your seedlings. Cut plastic straws into 2-inch lengths and cut them open lengthwise. Slip them around the stem of each seedling. Bury one end of the straw one-half-inch below the soil. This prevents the cutworms from gaining access to stems.
Gather up toilet or paper towel tubes, and use a pair of scissors to cut up the center, making an adjustable cardboard "cuff."
Take the cuffs with you to the garden at planting time. Plant the seedling like usual. Open the "cuff" of cardboard tubing and wrap it around the plant's stem. Close it and push the tube into the soil. Some people fill the tube with soil, but I always leave it empty above ground. This tube will let the water right into the plant. This method isn't as effective as the straws.
Now your plants have an effective cutworm barrier. The cardboard tube will disintegrate with time, composting back into the soil. By that time, your new plants will have become tough enough to survive cutworm attacks.
The other no-fail option is to be a "cutworm picker.'' In the evening carry a flashlight and you will see them around the plants. Pick them up and put them into a pail of dish detergent water.
Put Bacillus Thuingiensis -- a biological control -- on the soil that surrounds your plants. This natural powder paralyzes a cutworm's intestinal tract. Don't get any BT on the leaves, or you may accidentally kill butterfly larvae. Apply BT after each rainfall.
Nematodes are another way to help with cutworms. Especially if it's real rainy because BT won't be effective. Buy nematodes from garden companies on the Internet or from garden centers. Nematodes also kill grubs, beetles, gnats, fleas and flies.
Encourage cutworms' natural enemies to come to the garden by planting plants that wasps and flies like. Also having a water source such as a bird bath nearby will attract birds to dine on the worms.
Till your garden area in the fall to expose any soon-to-be-hibernating larvae. Before planting, remove any weeds and till the garden again. This will expose and kill many of the soon-to-be-awakening larvae.
Keep those questions and comments coming by sending to Christine Schlueter, 19276 Walden Ave, Hutchinson MN 55350 or e-mail rcschlueter@yahoo.com |
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