Bulbs Flower Basics Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens Flower Garden Garden Furniture Garden Gnomes Garden Seeds Garden Sheds Garden Statues Garden Tools & Supplies Gardening Basics Green & Organic Groundcovers & Vines Growing Annuals Growing Basil Growing Beans Growing Berries Growing Blueberries Growing Cactus Growing Corn Growing Cotton Growing Edibles Growing Flowers Growing Garlic Growing Grapes Growing Grass Growing Herbs Growing Jasmine Growing Mint Growing Mushrooms Orchids Growing Peanuts Growing Perennials Growing Plants Growing Rosemary Growing Roses Growing Strawberries Growing Sunflowers Growing Thyme Growing Tomatoes Growing Tulips Growing Vegetables Herb Basics Herb Garden Indoor Growing Landscaping Basics Landscaping Patios Landscaping Plants Landscaping Shrubs Landscaping Trees Landscaping Walks & Pathways Lawn Basics Lawn Maintenance Lawn Mowers Lawn Ornaments Lawn Planting Lawn Tools Outdoor Growing Overall Landscape Planning Pests, Weeds & Problems Plant Basics Rock Garden Rose Garden Shrubs Soil Specialty Gardens Trees Vegetable Garden Yard Maintenance

How to Make Cutworm Collars to Protect Seedlings

How to Start Lemon Seeds Indoors - watch on youtube
How to Make Cutworm Collars to Protect Seedlings

How to Make Cutworm Collars to Protect Seedlings. Cutworms are unpleasant garden pests that can destroy many plants, including tomatoes, cabbage, beans and peppers. They are actually larvae from certain types of moths. Cutworms look like caterpillars and can be gray or brown. If you poke them, they curl into a "C" shape. Young plants are...

Cutworms are unpleasant garden pests that can destroy many plants, including tomatoes, cabbage, beans and peppers. They are actually larvae from certain types of moths. Cutworms look like caterpillars and can be gray or brown. If you poke them, they curl into a "C" shape. Young plants are especially vulnerable to cutworms but the danger often passes as the spring passes and the plants grow bigger and stronger. A cutworm collar is a barrier around the base of the plant that the worm cannot climb over. There are several methods of making the collars.
Things You'll Need
Aluminum foil
Tuna fish cans
Can opener
Toilet paper rolls
Newspaper
Disposable cup
Fold aluminum foil into a 4-inch-wide strip and make it into a circle. Place it around the base of the affected plants and bury 1 inch deep.
Remove the top and bottom of a tuna fish can, or other small can, with a can opener to make a sturdy cutworm collar. Slip the can rings over the tops of plants before they grow too large.
Cut toilet paper rolls in half with scissors or paper towel rolls in fourths to make rings to protect very small plants. For larger plants, slit the side so the tube can be opened and placed around the stem.
Fold newspaper into 4-inch strips and encircle affected plants with the strips. As the plant grows, the newspaper breaks down and nourishes the plant.
Cut the bottom from paper, polystyrene or plastic disposable cups into circles and slip them over the tops of young plants.
Cut rings from soda bottles and place them around the base of affected vegetation.
Tips & Warnings
Inspect plants in the morning to detect cutworm damage. Plants may be cut off near the ground or be wilting from stem damage. Cutworm droppings may be present around the stem, or soil clumps under the soil around the plant indicate their hiding places.

Check out these related posts