plagues usually dont return.. repeatedly ...

that said.. IPM rules dictate that we react to an actual known pest ...

not on a presumption to act in advance ...

when you find them ... in sufficient numbers.. then is the time to act ..

one year were were swarmed with asian lady bugs .... have barely seen another one in the 5 years since ...

ken

thanks.

We just don't want this to happen again, but with nature you never know. I have had a garden for the last 14 years an I never had this problem before. We were wiped out.

My brother thought that we got them as bad as we did because we planted canola next to the garden the year before. I didn't think this would be a factor but you never know

I protect tomatoes and cucurbits from cutworms by wrapping half a toilet paper roll loosely around the stem when I plant them. The cardboard is half-buried in the dirt. This keeps cutworms from reaching the stem.

Cut a toilet paper roll from one end to the other, then cut it in half perpendicular to the original cut. (The result is two C-shaped pieces, each half the length of the original toilet paper roll.)

That would work but my garden is huge (30 feet by 70 feet). I guess I should of mentioned that before hand sorry

Cutworms are the larva of one of several moths that overwinter in the soil as either eggs or larva and in the spring emerge to feed on plants so they can grow into pupae that will become the adults that lay the eggs that become the larva that are the cutworms.
Many people do put something next to plant stems to keep the cutworms from circling the stem. Cultivating the soil often will expose the larva hiding in there.
As a rule there is little value in using pesticides, which may not be available in Canada, to control these wee buggers.

Here is a link that might be useful: controlling cutworms

Thanks kimmsr,

We had a cold winter so hopefully that will help kill some of the larva. We also till our soil several times before we plant and also till after we take the garden off. Fingers crossed we don't get them as bad again this year.

I've read beneficial nematodes can control them. Diatomaceous earth can too, but can also kill beneficials.

I do something like missingtheobvious. Instead, I take 2-3 toothpicks and place right next to the stalks of my seedlings. This prevents the cutworms from wrapping around them and clipping them. haven't lost a single plant since I started doing this.

Kevin