Question about cutworm

[tarheelchick]

I'm fairly certain that I have a cutworm near my garden. I have a beebalm plant that I put out a month ago and every week or so since I keep finding a stem that is cut off from the bottom of the plant. I'm a slow learner and finally figured out that it must be a cutworm.

This plant is immediately next to my garden, which so far doesn't seem to be effected, but now I'm worried. My garden is no longer tiny seedlings so I can't do the toilet paper tube thing around each plant, but should I be taking some kind of precautions? I don't care about losing the beebalm, but very much care about my veggie plants.

Any suggestions?

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[Labradors2]

I think your tomatoes should be fine by now. I assume they have been in the ground for quite a while and now have thick stems that would be difficult for a cutworm to cut.

I always place a think piece of twig vertically, right next to the stems of my tomatoes, eggplants and peppers as that is supposed to make it impossible for the cutworms to wrap around the stem and cut through it. It seems to work!

Cheers,
Linda

[JLJ_]

I don't think a cutworm would travel very far, but it would probably have family members in the neighborhood.

However, there are other things that will bite off a stem bigger than a cutworm can handle and leave it lying. Vile voles, for one. Last year they bit stems in two of quite a few of my pretty good size tomatoes -- killed most of them that they got to. So you may need to keep an eye out to see what is doing the biting.

Or it may just have been some passing critter that bit off a piece of beebalm and said "Yeeuch! I'm never going to touch THAT again!" and moved on.

Hopefully.

[kath]

If you are able to monitor daily and find a newly bitten stem in the morning, the cutworm responsible is often at the base of the plant under the dirt. Often I'm able to find it by carefully scratching up the soil surrounding the stem of the plant, starting close to the stem and gradually working farther away if necessary. They seem to be in the upper inch of the soil, just be careful not to disturb the roots of the plants too much. Try to search and destroy before they multiply!

kath

[4season]

I have been using a popsicle stick with the tomato type next to the stem for several years. If one in a hundred is cut I am surprised. When the stem is little finger size I don't worry about cutworms anymore.

[tarheelchick]

Thanks! I'll try to search more carefully in the soil if another stem comes down. We have had voles before and I hope that's not the problem. I don't see evidence of a tunnel anywhere near the beebalm. The beebalm is planted right next to the garden fence, and the fence goes down into the ground about 6 inches but I'm sure it wouldn't stop a nasty determined vole. Hopefully that isn't the problem.

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[peebee]

I'm with 4season, I also stick all manner of things around the entire stem such as popsicle sticks, toothpicks (if stems are tiny), plastic utensils, even wrap plastic clothesline hooks right at dirt level. I hate cutworms, they've given me such grief! I've even found some in my pots. But with a little prep before planting they are easy to foil. Good luck!

[Tracydr]

My Doberman puppy was "helping" me weed last weekend. I looked up and she was pulling up the tomatoes. She had also broken quite a few stems.
Any dogs in your garden?
Gardening with a rambunctious Doberman puppy is about like trying to garden with a toddler. She sees me dig,she digs. She sees me weed,she pulls plants out of the ground. Then she gets the zoomies,runs around the garden at Mach speed,somehow managing to hit every plant while doing her circles.

[tarheelchick]

Lol Tracydr! I have a grown up Great Dane who also gets the zoomies from time to time. I could never allow him into the garden. Just the swing of his tail could take down 4 tomato plants at once! Can't blame this one on him!

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[shelleybean]

My first two plantings of green beans grew very well and are now done. I've tried to plant green beans four more times but each time they sprout, they are cut off at the soil level. I suspect cutworms are the problem and they just weren't around earlier in the season and that's why my other beans grew well. I did some reading on this yesterday and found that DE is supposed to work well. I just happened to have a huge tub of food grade DE here! I bought it from Amazon last summer for some other purpose. I planted beans yet again but this time surrounded the area with barrier of the DE. I'll report back on how well this works. Fingers crossed!

[gorbelly]

Sounds like a vole to me as well. I once watched a vole taking down a plant stem by stem. It would scurry out, cut the stem off neatly at the base near the soil line, and drag the sprig away. Then, a few minutes later, it would come back out and do it all over to another stem. And so forth. The damage looks like someone took some shears and snipped the stems about a 1/4" to 1/2" above the soil line.

I haven't seen the vole lately, and the neighbors' cats have all started congregating my yard at night. Coincidence? I occasionally see big tufts of what looks like squirrel or bunny fur on the grass.Next year, I'll grow some catnip for the neighborhood felines as a thank you. I have cats of my own, but they were raised in a New York City apartment, and before that they were strays, so they think the outside world is a horrible, filthy place where water falls from the sky and there is nothing to eat. They're not interested in going out.

[shelleybean]

The DE works well but you have to keep reapplying it after heavy rain. I am happy to report I should have green beans until frost.

[Aerial]

Last year cutworms and snails destroyed every single sunflower and seedling I transplanted. One even chowed down a 2 feet tall thick sunflower stalk.

I used Corry's Slug and Snail bait twice in the beginning of the season, haven't seen a slimy trail or lost a seedling since. It works!

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by tarheelchick

I'm fairly certain that I have a cutworm near my garden. I have a beebalm plant that I put out a month ago and every week or so since I keep finding a stem that is cut off from the bottom of the plant. I'm a slow learner and finally figured out that it must be a cutworm.

Originally Posted by Aerial

Last year cutworms and snails destroyed every single sunflower and seedling I transplanted. One even chowed down a 2 feet tall thick sunflower stalk.

Cutworms are just caterpillars and not all that large. Because they feed at the soil line, they can kill young seedlings by eating through their main stems while they're still tender, and this can cause a lot of damage if you have a lot of them. But hey're not capable of eating through a giant, thick, woody sunflower stalk or roaming around for long distances in the garden mowing down full-grown plants.

I think the name "cutworm" makes them sound more powerful and active than they actually are. Not to say that they're not a genuine problem while seedlings are small, but the sort of damage you guys are describing sounds like it's being done by something with actual teeth, probably a rodent.

[Aerial]

Cutworm, or what else? The sunflower is killed by persistent chewing. No wild rabbits in the city.