Beware the Cutworm

Understanding the life cycle of problem insects, can help us to improve control over them. Last winter, & this winter, the snow fell and stayed early & insulated the soil before the ground was as frozen as usual. More cutworms than usual survived, good for them...not for us. "Cutworm" is an umbrella term under which many types of plant feeding larvae fall. They typically have only one generation per year, thank goodness. The adult moth lays eggs in grassy/weedy areas. Good reason to keep the garden clean. The larvae are night feeders, so you will not see them at work, but in the morning you will see 'their work.' The most obvious damage to the home gardener is the 'cutting' off of the plant right above ground level. They usually will be sleeping it off close to the plant. Immediately dig around in the soil to about a 2" depth near the damage and you can often find them, they blend in so look carefully!

This above photo is very typical of the damage. A good way to deter them: place a tiny stick right up against the plant at planting time, I mean right next to the stem. This will help stop them from breaking the plant off. You can use nails, collars etc, but then you have to come back and find all those nails or till them in. Tiny sticks? Till'em under, no problem. Some cut worms feed on plant roots, and some climb plants and chew them. They are getting us on every level!

Ways to combat them:

• spring & fall tilling will help to expose hibernating cutworms
• as soon as damage is noticed, dig around, find & destroy
• some soil drench chemicals & granulars are available, beware they chemical may kill earthworms (your #1 soil dwelling friend)
• keep areas weeded & grass mowed
• avoid debris piles near you garden, compost piles too!

It starts with the seeds.

This is a familiar look, seed packs strewn about, notebooks everywhere, markers, tags & tea.
Yes, already planting. Most of the companies I order from are wholesalers, and although some of those seed packs don't look that big, they have thousands of seeds nestled inside. Every week until mid June, I will be planting seeds somewhere. Varieties that perform poorly, rarely get a second chance. I don't often share my 'best' varieties either. Would 'Coca Cola' give you their recipe? =) Well, maybe I am not THAT famous, you're right. Here is one seed tip: this year we are growing Sunsugar instead of Sungold for our orange cherry tomato. Sunsugar does not crack as easily and both very sweet.

Soon they'll be back....Cucumber Beetles

One of the most frequent & persistent pests is the spotted or striped cucumber beetle. Seen these trouble makers around in your garden? Some insects just target one plant or a plant family. These beetles bother many crops including flowers, and are particularly devastating to vine crops. The adults chew on stem & leaf material. Usually it's not just the chewing that harms the plant, but these insects carry disease in their mouth parts that they spread to plants. By the time you see the adults, they have already laid eggs near the root system of your plants. The eggs hatch & the larvae feed on the plant roots. So don't wait till you see a lot these beetles before doing something, they are already multiplying. Several types of dusting powder, including organic types are very effective like Sabadilla or Rotenone. Keep at it, as they mature from larvae to adults, you will need to continue to dust. These beetles are about the size of a lady bug, but more oblong. Normally there are more striped yellow & black cucumber beetles, then spotted around this area, both are bad.