Topic: Cutworm protection

[ina]

A piece of newspaper about 10cm square, wrapped around the stem of the young plant when you plant it out. Half of it above and half under the soil. I just read this and am planning to use it for my tomato plants. I wonder about the paper acting as a wick but I think I rather deal with that than those blasted cutworms. Any thoughts on this?

[Mrs Ava]

hmmm Ina, never had cutworm problems, or not that I am aware of.  What do they cut, and what do they do?  I have lashings of lino I am going to use to protect strawbs and brassicas, do I need to think about protecting other plants too???

[ina]

Maybe you just don't have them. They are greyish/tan, fat, squishy worms, the chew through the stem of  seedlings at soil level. I mostly had trouble with pepper, tomato and lettuce seedlings. Very annoying when you have babied a seedling along, plant it out and the next day it's laying flat on the soil, disconnected from it's roots.