Here's a silly question about cutworm prevention

Woodenzoo · April 28, 2007

I've got most of my tomatoes potted up and some already getting acclimated to outdoors.
My concern is cutworms. Last year, I had 1 Anna Russian that they kept going after repeatedly. This was while all the plants were still in their little cups and first placed in a shady area of the yard and moved once to more sun to their final place in the garden. (The AR was attacked 3 times in the various spots. It kept coming back and grew to be a nice sized plant, but production was very low. I figured that was in part to what a late start it got after getting cut down 3 times!)
Anyway for my question...
I'm wondering if I keep the containers on my concrete patio or on the walkway, would that help to cut down on the attacks while they are in the cups?
I'm very tempted to use perethrin from the get-go as a preventive...
I've got one seedling each of several varieties and would hate to lose those. (And yes, I know about sticking a nail or something next to the stem, but there's the chance that something else did the damage as I had some of the plants that just had the leaves cut off instead of at the stem.)
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Cathy

NCTIM · April 28, 2007

Hey Cathy,

As you suggest, a cutworm may not be your problem. In my experience with cutworms they cut the stem at or below the soil line and regrowth has not occured for me. I also have not had cutworms in cups.

You may want to cover your plants with netting. I have seen birds picking away at newly transplanted plants.

Good luck.

Tim

tomakers · April 29, 2007

I don't think you will get cutworms in cups unless they were there when you planted them, which I would doubt. So your villian is probably something else. As far as I know a cutworm will always cut the plant off at the soil line. Usually, on a tomato, you can just stick it back in the ground and it will re-root and keep growing.

Woodenzoo · April 29, 2007

Hmmm...
Well, I am a complete idiot when it comes to insects and such as I don't really care what they are, as I hate them all!
Anyway, last year I took a flashlight out at night to see and found a few little green worms crawling on the plants and assumed.
Yeah, they didn't get cut off at or near the soil line, so it must be something else. Could very well have been birds...
Thanks to the both of you for the info!
Cathy

feraltomatoes · April 29, 2007

Crickets will cut down your small tomato plant in a couple quik seconds.
I did not know crickets to be so distructive until this year. I walked by a plant that had been in the soil for maybe an hour and a black cricket was parked at the base of the stem, as the cricket hopped away the plant fell like a miniture pine tree. I did a quik look to notice the stem was chewed through, this really changed my opinion on crickets as much as I like there music on a hot summer night they will get smashed in the mater patch.
Since then I have noticed chew markes just above the soil level on several starts that I though got nocked over by wind so the crickets are taking all the blame now.

Brad.................

dcarch · April 29, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by feraltomatoes

------through, this really changed my opinion on crickets as much as I like there music on a hot summer night they will get smashed in the mater patch.----Brad.................

Count on me for crazy ideas:
I would assume crickets' music is for mating purposes. What if you record thier chirps and play them back loud thru loudspeaker systems? Will this disrupt their mating/reproductive cycles?

dcarch

tomakers · April 29, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcarch

Count on me for crazy ideas:
I would assume crickets' music is for mating purposes. What if you record thier chirps and play them back loud thru loudspeaker systems? Will this disrupt their mating/reproductive cycles?

dcarch

Probably send them into a mating frenzy and you'll have twice as many.

Tom

Granny · April 29, 2007

feraltomatoes, there is a reason that crickets are in some years known as locusts - as in horde

garnetmoth · May 2, 2007

Hey Brad, ill loan you my chickens! they LOVE grasshoppers and crickets.

Cathy- I agree with the not in cups observations. as far as protecting them- I used a CRW arch with Reemay clipped to it for hardening off some tomatoes- worked great. Maybe you could make a small tunnel support- maybe leave one uncovered as bait to try to see what the problem is...?

Fert1 · May 8, 2007

Slugs will also sometimes cut tomato plants off at the stem, or just remove branches, and they will go after them in the cups. That would be my best guess. Every year I have to put out the slug/snail bait. I've yet to ever have a cutworm problem though, (knocking on wood quickly).

April 28, 2007	#1
Woodenzoo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ohio z6 Posts: 141	Here's a silly question about cutworm prevention I've got most of my tomatoes potted up and some already getting acclimated to outdoors. My concern is cutworms. Last year, I had 1 Anna Russian that they kept going after repeatedly. This was while all the plants were still in their little cups and first placed in a shady area of the yard and moved once to more sun to their final place in the garden. (The AR was attacked 3 times in the various spots. It kept coming back and grew to be a nice sized plant, but production was very low. I figured that was in part to what a late start it got after getting cut down 3 times!) Anyway for my question... I'm wondering if I keep the containers on my concrete patio or on the walkway, would that help to cut down on the attacks while they are in the cups? I'm very tempted to use perethrin from the get-go as a preventive... I've got one seedling each of several varieties and would hate to lose those. (And yes, I know about sticking a nail or something next to the stem, but there's the chance that something else did the damage as I had some of the plants that just had the leaves cut off instead of at the stem.) Any thoughts? Thanks! Cathy

April 28, 2007	#2
NCTIM Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: zone 8 NC Posts: 286	Hey Cathy, As you suggest, a cutworm may not be your problem. In my experience with cutworms they cut the stem at or below the soil line and regrowth has not occured for me. I also have not had cutworms in cups. You may want to cover your plants with netting. I have seen birds picking away at newly transplanted plants. Good luck. Tim __________________ "You can observe a lot by just watching." - Yogi Berra

April 29, 2007	#3
tomakers Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Cranberry Country, SE MA - zone 6? Posts: 353	I don't think you will get cutworms in cups unless they were there when you planted them, which I would doubt. So your villian is probably something else. As far as I know a cutworm will always cut the plant off at the soil line. Usually, on a tomato, you can just stick it back in the ground and it will re-root and keep growing. __________________ I never met a fish I didn't like.

May 8, 2007	#10
Fert1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Upstate SC, Zone 7 Posts: 543	Slugs will also sometimes cut tomato plants off at the stem, or just remove branches, and they will go after them in the cups. That would be my best guess. Every year I have to put out the slug/snail bait. I've yet to ever have a cutworm problem though, (knocking on wood quickly). __________________ Holly

April 29, 2007	#5
feraltomatoes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Home=Napa Valley/ Garden=Solano County Posts: 245	Crickets will cut down your small tomato plant in a couple quik seconds. I did not know crickets to be so distructive until this year. I walked by a plant that had been in the soil for maybe an hour and a black cricket was parked at the base of the stem, as the cricket hopped away the plant fell like a miniture pine tree. I did a quik look to notice the stem was chewed through, this really changed my opinion on crickets as much as I like there music on a hot summer night they will get smashed in the mater patch. Since then I have noticed chew markes just above the soil level on several starts that I though got nocked over by wind so the crickets are taking all the blame now. Brad.................

April 29, 2007	#8
Granny Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 507	feraltomatoes, there is a reason that crickets are in some years known as locusts - as in horde

May 2, 2007	#9
garnetmoth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: cincinnati, oh Posts: 492	Hey Brad, ill loan you my chickens! they LOVE grasshoppers and crickets. Cathy- I agree with the not in cups observations. as far as protecting them- I used a CRW arch with Reemay clipped to it for hardening off some tomatoes- worked great. Maybe you could make a small tunnel support- maybe leave one uncovered as bait to try to see what the problem is...?