Cutworms a MAJOR problem - Page 2

**carolyn137** · May 18, 2013

Toothpicks never worked for me; maybe b'c y'all had short narrow, spindly,starved underweight ones while I had BIG ones that could stare at a toothpick and laugh out loud.

I'm serious about the toothpicks which is why I went to twigs and similar before I settled on plastic straws, which stumped even my big ones since they could not encircle the stems with the increased bulk of the straws.

Actually I started out with collars, both cardboard and aluminumfoil, and bothwere uselss.

As is oft said, whatever works for a person works so stick with it,no pun intended.

Carolyn

huntoften · May 18, 2013

Thanks for all the help....I a just glad I'm not the only one that has faced the wrath of these monsters. Ok...so I'm going to cover with DE, weld a cast iron collar around the stem, build a fort of toothpicks around that, and then a layer of oda straws,, another layer of sticks, and coat the whole thing with the sticky paste that Mischka recommended and cover that with the gooey concoction that Carolyn posted. IF THAT doesn't work, I'm headed to the garden tonight with a flashlight and a shotgun!

kath · May 18, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by huntoften

Thanks for all the help....I a just glad I'm not the only one that has faced the wrath of these monsters. Ok...so I'm going to cover with DE, weld a cast iron collar around the stem, build a fort of toothpicks around that, and then a layer of oda straws,, another layer of sticks, and coat the whole thing with the sticky paste that Mischka recommended and cover that with the gooey concoction that Carolyn posted. IF THAT doesn't work, I'm headed to the garden tonight with a flashlight and a shotgun!

Best if luck!

dustdevil · May 18, 2013

I rototill my garden about 10" deep every year just before planting and smash any that I see. I have never lost a tomato plant to them and never used any toothpicks or collars. Cutworms also like to destroy young beans when they're first growing.

Claudia · May 23, 2013

I had never had a problem with them until this year....glad I found this place!! I have put in twigs and toothpicks and sprayed!!

coastal bend · May 23, 2013

Down here in STexas, if we have a wet winter there is alot of host plants(weeds) growing in the farmland. The moths lay the cutworm eggs in those weedy spots. Where the cutworm get's it's start. When spring comes they have become larger and can do a lot of damage in one night. I have seen cotton fields that they have taken out 15 to 20 acers in one night. If you keep the host plants around you garden down you probably won't have a big problem with them. I understand that we have mild winters down here compared to the folks up north. What I would do is saturate the ground around the plant with Spinsoad and spray it up the main stalk. That should help. Ortho vegetable insect spray will kill them if you won't to use a synthetic control. You can also dig them up, they will be close to the top of the soil around the plant. They like to stay in the edge of the moisture and dry dirt during day time and come out at night. Hope that is some help.

May 18, 2013	#16
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Toothpicks never worked for me; maybe b'c y'all had short narrow, spindly,starved underweight ones while I had BIG ones that could stare at a toothpick and laugh out loud. I'm serious about the toothpicks which is why I went to twigs and similar before I settled on plastic straws, which stumped even my big ones since they could not encircle the stems with the increased bulk of the straws. Actually I started out with collars, both cardboard and aluminumfoil, and bothwere uselss. As is oft said, whatever works for a person works so stick with it,no pun intended. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

May 18, 2013	#17
huntoften Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas CIty Posts: 560	Thanks for all the help....I a just glad I'm not the only one that has faced the wrath of these monsters. Ok...so I'm going to cover with DE, weld a cast iron collar around the stem, build a fort of toothpicks around that, and then a layer of oda straws,, another layer of sticks, and coat the whole thing with the sticky paste that Mischka recommended and cover that with the gooey concoction that Carolyn posted. IF THAT doesn't work, I'm headed to the garden tonight with a flashlight and a shotgun! __________________ Kansas City, Missouri Zone 5b/6a

May 18, 2013	#19
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	I rototill my garden about 10" deep every year just before planting and smash any that I see. I have never lost a tomato plant to them and never used any toothpicks or collars. Cutworms also like to destroy young beans when they're first growing.

May 23, 2013	#20
Claudia Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Indiana Posts: 34	I had never had a problem with them until this year....glad I found this place!! I have put in twigs and toothpicks and sprayed!!

May 23, 2013	#21
coastal bend Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: south texas Posts: 114	Down here in STexas, if we have a wet winter there is alot of host plants(weeds) growing in the farmland. The moths lay the cutworm eggs in those weedy spots. Where the cutworm get's it's start. When spring comes they have become larger and can do a lot of damage in one night. I have seen cotton fields that they have taken out 15 to 20 acers in one night. If you keep the host plants around you garden down you probably won't have a big problem with them. I understand that we have mild winters down here compared to the folks up north. What I would do is saturate the ground around the plant with Spinsoad and spray it up the main stalk. That should help. Ortho vegetable insect spray will kill them if you won't to use a synthetic control. You can also dig them up, they will be close to the top of the soil around the plant. They like to stay in the edge of the moisture and dry dirt during day time and come out at night. Hope that is some help.