How to Get Rid of Cutworms on Plants With Natural Methods

**”The system can’t start because the *license key* is missing.”**

The best way to avoid or control a cutworm infestation is through prevention. Cutworm infestations are often worse in gardens that haven’t been tilled. Female cutworms lay their eggs in dry soil, and the larva rests typically in the soil, overwintering. Cultivating or plowing the soil after winter helps destroy these larvae that eventually become a nuisance.

Controlling and getting rid of cutworms naturally is easy and possible with some know-how. If cutworms attack your seedlings, read on for more information on how to identify, prevent and kill cutworms.

Preventative measures for getting rid of cutworms in plants

Other preventive measures for removing these pesky things in our plants include:

You can add or attach:	Spreading Cornmeal or bran
Making DIY plant collars	Adjusting your watering schedule
Making use of popsicle sticks, toothpicks, or straws	Manual removal of the cutworms
Spreading cornmeal or bran	Introducing natural cutworm predators
Using coffee grounds	Change or eliminate the use of mulch
Sprinkling diatomaceous earth

Read on for further information on the measures mentioned above.

How to Identify a Cutworm Infestation and Rid it from plants using natural methods

The ability to identify the signs of a cutworm infestation is the first step toward managing the problem. You aren’t likely to see cutworms during the day because they feed at night.

Most hobbyists and gardeners don’t know when they have an infestation problem until the damage is evident in the morning. Getting rid of the cutworm population before they can cause any damage will help save your garden. Here is what you should keep an eye out for:

Fresh damage to foliage can be seen on plants from cutworm infestation

If you check on your plants in the morning, and the first thing you notice are chewed spots on foliage, you probably have a cutworm infestation problem. This usually occurs around summer when most emerge and make their way up plants to feed on the leaves.

Cutworm droppings can be seen on plants.

If you notice what you may suspect to be damage inflicted by cutworms, look for cutworms dropping on the ground around the damaged plants.

Cutworm dropping looks like small black pellet-shaped droppings, and you can often spot them on the leaves of plants.

The droppings help you clearly distinguish cutworm damage from slug damage. Slug droppings tend to be S-shaped and slimy.

The plant’s cut near the base of the stem because of the cutworms

Most cutworm species feed on the ground, where they chew at the stem of a plant and mow it down. Some cutworms may crawl up the plant during summer and damage the plant leaves and stems from the top.

Plants that are damaged or wilting because of the cutworm infestation

Cutworms enjoy devouring the roots of small plants. After a while, you may notice the top of your plants shriveling up or dying from what may not seem like an apparent cause. Check the base of the stem for notches or cuts.

Bare patches in densely planted areas due to cutworms

Cutworms often completely mow down a young plant, leaving behind a bare spot. If your garden is densely planted, look out for bald patches. Also, examine the plants around the basic site for cuts or notches around the stem that have chewed into.

Actual cutworms can be seen on the plants and soil

You can easily spot cutworms when you overturn the soil with your hands in the area where the damage is evident. At first glance, cutworms resemble beetle grubs.

Cutworms range in color, including green, pink, and black, covering their body in either stopped fashion or solid with little discoloration and often 2 inches in length.

You may find them curled up in a C-shape when they aren’t moving or eating. The most common type of cutworms is black and variegated cutworms. Black cutworms can be identified by the dark spots all over their bodies, while variegated cutworms have a white stripe running along the middle of their back.

How to Naturally Get Rid of Cutworms on your plants

There may be different ways of getting rid of cutworms, spanning from buying specific things to getting rid of them, but for now, let us focus on natural ways to rid of these pesky things.

Make DIY plant collars for your plants to get rid of cutworms

Plant collars are protective barriers made using plastic, cardboard, aluminum foil, or another firm material that can be placed at the stems of your plants. Since cutworms enjoy chewing through plant stems, putting a barrier around the stem limits their access to the branch.

Cut the material into four by four inches squire strips, then wrap them around the plant to form a tube. Push the line down into the soil for support to keep it in place. Cardboards and plastic cups are convenient because they are biodegradable and durable. This method, however, is time-consuming because you need to create a plant collar for each plant.

Diatomaceous earth is a useful thing for ridding cutworms from plants

Diatomaceous earth acts as a natural pesticide by creating a protective barrier around your plants. It is a white powder derived from rocks. Sprinkle the powder on the soil around your plant as a ring.

If a cutworm crawls over the diatomaceous earth, it will die. The powder is safe for humans and is considered a safe pesticide. Unfortunately, the rain may wash it away over the wet or rainy season.

Add beneficial nematodes to your garden to rid of cutworms

Beneficial nematodes are tiny organisms that live in the soil and are parasites of harmful insects, including cutworms. In effect, they help control pests in your garden. Beneficial nematodes are available in local garden centers and online suppliers.

Purchase some of them and release them in your garden to eliminate cutworms naturally.

To get rid of cutworms on the plants, use coffee grounds and eggshells

Coffee grounds are a simple and inexpensive way to repel cutworms. Pests such as cutworms don’t like coffee grounds because they irritate their skin, which will keep them away. Sprinkle leftover coffee grounds around your plants to ward off cutworms.

Crushed eggshells are another effective home waste that can be effective in getting rid of cutworms.

Their sharp edges cut into the larvae’s soft bodies, killing them. Eventually, the eggshells will biodegrade, leaving behind a beneficial calcium residue.

Manual removal is the go-to move to rid cutworms from plants

Since cutworms are nocturnal feeders, you need a flashlight to spot them on foliage and plant stems. Cutworms come in many colors, so you will have to be keen. Pick them off and crush them or plunge them into soapy water. It may not seem effective, but this also destroys the possibility of eggs each could lay in a season.

Till your garden to get rid of cutworms from plants

You may have cleaned up your garden in the fall, but do it again in the spring. Digging up the soil exposes overwintering pupae or larvae.

Instead of collecting and disposing of the pests after digging, leave the soil unplanted to allow birds to eat the cutworms you have unearthed.

We have this excellent article too on digging up your garden and what benefits it can bring depending on the time you dig it up. So please do check it out if you are interested!

Get rid of cutworms by cleaning up your garden thoroughly

Properly cleaning up your garden after summer can prevent much of the carnage caused by cutworms. Take all the debris out of the garden after the fall harvest. Please put it in a compost pile far from the garden or burn it.

“A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.”

Liberty Hyde Bailey

If any larvae or eggs are in the garden, compost gives them a good place to wait out the winter. If you intend to use the compost waste, have two separate piles you can alternate between.

Using bamboo stems, skewers, or toothpicks to get rid of cutworms

Another great way to protect your plants from the damage caused by cutworms is to use bolsters. Bolstering the stem prevents cutworms from curling around the stem and eating through it.

Place the toothpicks in a circle around the plant stem or stick them in the ground next to it to act as a barrier.

Use Cornmeal to get rid of cutworms.

Cornmeal is a natural pesticide that can be used to kill cutworms. Sprinkle the Cornmeal on the soil around the plant and the leaves. If a cutworm feeds on the Cornmeal, it will die because it can’t digest it.

Make a molasses treatment to prevent cutworms from attacking your plants

Mix in molasses with wheat bran and sawdust into a thick paste. Use the paste to draw circles around the plants where the cutworms are likely to be. Once they crawl over the mixture, they will get stuck to it, preventing them from ruining the plants.

Delay planting for a few weeks to get rid of cutworms from your plants

Suppose you can delay planting for a few weeks. The first few weeks of early spring encompass a cutworm’s initial eating frenzy. After the first few weeks, the number of cutworm larvae will significantly reduce as they starve and die.

Introduce cutworm predators to your garden to eliminate cutworms from your plants.

First, make your garden hospitable to cutworm predators. Create a friendly environment in your garden for cutworm predators such as moles, toads, fireflies, meadowlarks, and blackbirds which enjoy feeding cutworms.

You can use feeding boxes and beautifully scented flowers to attract these natural enemies.

Using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to get rid of cutworms on plants

Bt is a bacterium that produces toxic proteins that are fatal to cutworms and other pests. It naturally occurs in the soil and isn’t harmful to beneficial insects, pets, or wildlife.

It can be purchased from garden stores or online. The packaging comes with specific instructions on how to use it appropriately.

Essentria IC-3 is a specific blend that has proven effective in removing cutworms from plants.

Essential oils have been a deterrent for pests such as cutworms for a long time.

Essentria IC-3 is a blend of oils made into a very effective spray that directly targets pests, consisting of a mix of peppermint, rosemary, and geraniol.

The essential oil is safe for children, livestock, and pets.

Slow their progress by drying up the soil to remove cutworms from plants.

Another effective way to eliminate cutworms is by slowing down their progress. This can be achieved by watering the soil in the morning and digging up the garden walkways to about an inch. This technique helps the soil dry up faster, slowing down the progress of any approaching cutworms while still trapping moisture to keep the plants healthy.

Look into leaving a soil border around your garden to eliminate cutworms on plants.

Creating a bare soil barrier around your garden is a great way to protect your plants. Leave a bare patch of soil around your garden so there is no shade.

This technique will dry the soil, ensuring any cutworms heading towards the garden endure the risk of being eaten by birds or dying in the sun. To make this method more effective, sprinkle diatomaceous earth along the soil border.

Conclusion on how to get rid of cutworms on plants using Natural Methods

It is disheartening for a gardener to find a trail of ruined plants and watch more than a month’s preparation and hard work going down the drain. Recognizing the problem is the first step towards handling it, and now you know how to identify a cutworm infestation and get rid of them naturally.

The above list may not be conclusive, but it is a good place to restore your garden to a healthy and productive state.

If you liked this article, subscribe to the form below to be notified about future content and releases!