Taiji
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Location: Gardening in western U.P. of MI. 46+ N. lat. elev 1540. zone 3; state bird: mosquito

Baiting Cutworms?

Well, here's a subject that has probably been addressed time and again. The other day I turned a little soil, only a 3 X 3 foot area, in order to plant a little clover to turn under in a few weeks. But in that small space saw 3 or 4 cutworms. Every year whenever new seedlings emerge, something eats them almost immediately. I'm thinking it's cutworms.

Now, I can collar my plants I set out, but it's impossible to put little collars on every little corn and beet seedling, no? Last year I had no corn because the little seedlings got eaten immediately. Lettuce and spinach is destroyed as well. Garden is fenced, so it's not an animal.

Last year tried diatomaceous earth, but it's not practical here because I have to keep new seedlings moist with the hot, dry winds, sometimes water them twice a day. Of course, DE is useless when wet. Tried some Sevin dust too in my desperation, but it didn't do a thing, I think they think it's salad dressing.

Finally my question! Wondered if there's a way to bait and kill cutworms before actually planting anything? Say I turn my beds, rake them out nice and smooth ready for planting, but then sprinkle DE on top. Maybe the worms come up at night, waltz thru the DE and die? Or, do they only come up when something is actually planted there? Thought maybe I could get a jumpstart on the little monsters! Or, maybe they're attracted to something else I could sprinkle along with the DE?
Just call me frustrated in AZ!
Thx.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I never find more than one or two at a time, so I never tried, but this might work?
Subject: CUTWORMS ahhhhh
applestar wrote:Robins and Flickers are digging them up in my garden... and I saw a Towhee yesterday :D

Hey! I was pretty sure moles eat them too (last year, I panicked about a wee little mole with a cute pink nose in my veg garden and was reassured that the small non-hilling kind is pretty much harmless, and actually beneficial except for a few earthworms they eat in exchange) and did a search -- came up with this: https://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?a ... story=lazy 8)
I assume the hoe-handle hole is a simple trap and you can come back and collect them for disposal (I would put them in my birdfeeder :twisted:)

You know to put cutworm collars on all your transplants, right? :idea:

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sweetiepie
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Location: York, ND (Zone 3b)

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 15&t=24101

This person said to use cornmeal. I don't know, I usually only have a couple a year.

Taiji
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Posts: 921
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 3:19 am
Location: Gardening in western U.P. of MI. 46+ N. lat. elev 1540. zone 3; state bird: mosquito

Hah Applestar, that is a really an hilarious link (the lazy cutworm story).
I can't wait to read the others in the list! Might work, I don't know, guess I'll go out and make some hoe handle holes. (say that 3 times fast, but be careful!)

I heard about the cornmeal thing too sweetiepie. Maybe I'll try some cornmeal. If they can't resist cornmeal, maybe if I mix it with some diatomaceous earth at the same time...then throw in some bran soaked in carbaryl, who knows? And stand there at night with a flashlight and scatter gun...



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