Tips For Preventing Cutworms

Cutworms can be a real nuisance in the vegetable garden, and can decimate seedlings in no time flat. Once a cutworm starts working on your seedlings, there is no turning back; unless you catch him in the act. The most frustrating thing about cutworms is they do not subject damage over a period of time, but in just a matter of minutes or even seconds.

These garden pests prey on young seedlings for two reasons:

1. Young seedling stems are very tender making it easier for the cutworm to chew.
2. Cutworms wrap their bodies around the stems of young seedling when feeding. The smaller diameter stems make it easier for them to wrap around.

The best control for cutworms is to eliminate them from your garden area and yard. This is much easier said than done, but here are some tips that will help keep them away from your prized vegetables.

• Use drinking straws as a stem collar – Take a regular drinking straw and cut a slit down one side, long ways. Cut the straw into 2 inch pieces. Use the straw pieces to gently wrap around the stem of the seedling. Gently push the straw into the soil about 1/4-inch deep.





• Create newspaper collars – Cut some newspaper into 2 – 3 inch wide strips. Loosely wrap the strips around the stems of young seedlings. The strips will decompose fairly quickly and give good protection against cutworms.
• Toilet paper rolls – Cut a slit down one side of old toilet paper rolls, and place around seedlings when planting. The toilet paper rolls will decompose after a couple weeks. This method has mixed reviews – it seems to work well for some gardeners, while others have claimed it was ineffective.





• Use popsicle sticks or coffee stirrers to create cutworm obstacles – Stick a popsicle stick on each side of a seedling to prevent the cutworm from being able to wrap around the stem. Coffee stirrers and toothpicks can do the trick as well. The main objective is to keep the cutworm from being able to wrap around the stem, therefore he won’t be able to gnaw on your plant.
• Create cutworm bait – Mix 1 cup of wheat bran, 1 cup of hardwood sawdust, 16 ounces of molasses, and water. Thoroughly stir the mixture then lightly pour around vulnerable seedlings right at dusk. Keep the mixture about 3 – 4 inches from the stem of the seedling. The mixture will prevent cutworms from burrowing, leaving them vulnerable to the heat from the sun. Go out to the garden the next morning and you will find the cutworms exposed on the soil. Remove any dead, or trapped, cutworms from the garden. You may need to reapply after rains or heavy watering.
• Introduce beneficial nematodes – You can introduce beneficial nematodes to the garden soil. The parasitic nematodes will seek out and infect cutworms, killing them fairly quickly. This is a somewhat hit and miss method, but can be very effective. Parasitic nematodes are also good for getting rid of grub worms as well.
• Use organic dusts – You can also apply some organic pesticides such as BT Caterpillar Killer or Dipel Dust. These two pesticides are widely available at most garden centers and are fairly safe to use. Just do not get any of the powder on the plants themselves. They work best by applying in a 3 – 4 inch circle around the seedlings, and will need to be reapplied after rain or heavy watering. This method should be used as a last resort.

If you have any tips or tricks for stopping cutworms, please share them!