(Photo: cutworm sleeves protecting Okra plants)
Cutworms
If you see a perfectly healthy plant toppled over and lying on the ground with a lethal wound about ½ inch above the soil, your garden probably has cutworms. Cutworms vary in colour, look like caterpillars, and curl up like the letter “C.”
(Photos: 2 cutworms – vegetable lumberjack; cutworm at the scene of the crime!
These worms (actually not worms but moth larvae) climb out of the soil at night and weaken stalks of newly planted seedlings by chewing into them for food and drink, until the stalk can no longer support the plant. However, the cutworm is not fond of left-overs and will not feed on the fallen plant; it will move on to the next nearest plant in the row, looking for fresher food.
To safeguard your seedlings, destroy any cutworms you find while planting, and use cutworm sleeves. These sleeves can be of any material that will encircle the stem and keep cutworms from getting to the stalk. A sleeve 3 inches tall with one inch pressed into the soil will be enough. A sleeve can be a toilet roll core, a cardboard container from frozen juice, a plastic juice or water bottle cut in half, a bottomless paper or plastic cup, an aluminum foil wrap, or a small bottomless plastic germination or seedling pot.
(Photo: Cutworm sleeves from recycled plastic containers)
If you are choosing a plastic sleeve, check the recycle number in the little triangle – choose food grade plastics #1, 2, 4, & 5 to avoid BPA — a chemical released as the plastic warms up in the sun.
A soup or vegetable can open at both ends could be used, but it is not recommended. If you use metal cans note that there are generally three types of metal cans: steel, tin, and plastic lined. The plastic lined ones are generally white inside (e.g. canned tomatoes or pineapple) and the lining protects the can from acid in the contents which could eat the can. Some plastic lined cans release BPA into the soil when they weather. Note: there are cans of acidic fruits and vegetables that do not have the plastic linings. However, the more challenging problem is the removal of the can when danger has passed. You will need a tin snips or metal shears to cut the can since the upper parts of the plant may no longer pass through the openings in the can.
If the seedling is too tall or bushy to go through the sleeve, cut a seam down the sleeve, encircle the plant stalk, and duct tape or staple the sleeve shut.
You may wish to remove the sleeves once the danger has passed (mid-June) and you are tired of the look. Cardboard (if no metallic or plastic lining) will disintegrate in the garden and add helpful carbon to the soil but they will look even less attractive as the season wears on – best to cut them off and bury or compost the cuttings. Plastic, metal, and aluminum foil must eventually be removed and these you can scissor off, sheer open, or unwrap. Some plastics, if left too long, become brittle and break into small, hard to gather up pieces due to sensitivity to UV rays.
(Photo: Search & destroy – cutworm digs into the soil beside its victim after its night time meal)
Some gardeners don’t use sleeves until a plant has fallen. However, if a plant has fallen, you must search for and destroy the cutworm. In daytime, the cutworm will be underground within a 6-inch radius from the fallen plant, and between 2 to 3 inches down. With the stalk as center, describe a circle around the plant 6 inches out from the stalk and gently remove the soil away from the stalk until you find the cutworm. A gloved hand or a trowel can mash the cutworm, or the cutworm can be dropped into a cup of soapy water. You can now remove the damaged plant and start over. Sleeves will protect other seedlings from cutworms on the move.
If you plant in containers, it is unlikely that any fallen plant is a victim of cutworm unless you have used in-ground soil to fill the container. Look to squirrel gardeners or some large birds (e.g. crows) as the culprits.
Do not let this plant cutter, worm its way into your garden!
Keep calm and carry on gardening!
