How to Get Rid of Cutworms Naturally

Cutworms can destroy the seedlings in your garden before they can attain maturity. You can save your plants from these predators with a variety of remedies that don't employ harmful chemicals to turn your yard into a killing field.

Instructions

1. Create straw shields for your seedlings. Cut plastic straws into 2-inch lengths, and then cut them open lengthwise. Slip them around the stem of each seedling. Bury one end of the straw ½ of an inch below the soil. This prevents the cutworms from gaining access to the tender stems.

2. Use the toilet paper tubes as alternative shields. The tubes don't work as well as the straws, since there will be some soil inside the collar, but you will manage to save some of your crop.

3. Pluck the cutworms from the soil as they emerge at night. Carry a flashlight so you can see themt Drown the cutworms, snails and slugs in a bucky of soapy water.

4. Put Bacillus Thuingiensis (BT) a biological control, on the soil that surrounds your plants. This natural powder paralyzes the cutworm's intestinal tract. Don't o get any BT on the leaves, or you may accidentally kill butterfly larvae. Put more BT on the soil after each rainfall.

5. Introduce parasitic nematodes, such as S. feltiaeare and Steinernema carpocapsae during a particularly rainy season, when BT won't be effective. The moist soil helps S. feltiaeare and Steinernema carpocapsae move easily to hunt and kill the cutworms.

6. Encourage cut worm's natural enemies to become guests in your garden by creating conditions they like. For example, wasps and flies like alyssum flowers, so plant some in your garden. Install a birdbaths to attract birds. You'll be getting rid of the cutworms naturally while adding beauty to your garden.