

Light your torch, and you will notice them wriggling to the surface. To be sure that it is cutworms who are putting your lawn at stake, dilute some liquid soap in warm water and pour it on the damaged area.


It is quite challenging to spot cutworms during the daytime as they go into hiding and come out at night to feed. See also: How To Successfully Remove Aphids From Kale: A Quick Guide How Do You Tell If The Damage Comes From Cutworms or Some Other Species? They will chew the stems of newly-emerged transplants and seedlings in early to late spring. Watch out for surface cutworms because they will cause the most damage to your gardens or lawn. Cutworms lay most of the damage mainly during autumn.Īnd most species of cutworms take shelter in the soil by day and come out to feed at night. Soon, you will start finding damaged leaves or castings from the caterpillar. Depending on the kinds of cutworms, the eggs will hatch in a few days to two weeks.Ī moth may find some hiding spot in your lawn and lay its larvae. Most species lay their eggs on the stems of grasses and weeds, even though some lay eggs on bare ground. Generally, the larvae start feeding in early spring and keep growing until early summer, when they will pupate in the soil and emerge as moths one to eight weeks later. Most varieties of cutworms overwinter in the soil or under vegetative debris as partly-grown or full-grown larvae. – Kale Here’s How To Get Rid Of Cutworms (Simple yet handy hacks!) – Understanding Cutworms’ Life Cycle Plants Commonly Attacked By Cutworms – Asparagus In addition, most cutworms cut plants off at or slightly below the ground, making recent transplants particularly susceptible. See also: Top 16 Best Gardening Books For Beginners How To Identify CutwormsĪll varieties of cutworms curl into a tight ‘C’ shape when exposed, making them easy to identify.

When together in large numbers, cutworms can destroy up to 75% of the crop.Ĭutworms look similar in general appearance. Each one can destroy several plants, and damage may appear very suddenly as the larvae grow larger. And the large mature larvae do most of the feeding damage. Symptoms include cut, missing, or wilted plants. They sneak in the soil during the day and feed at night at the base of small corn plants throughout May and June. How to Inspect Your Garden For Cutworms:Ĭutworm larvae are smooth, large, dull-colored caterpillars that tightly curl when handled.3- Maintaining a Healthy Garden or Lawn.How to use a barrier to keep cutworms out:.Should You Be Concerned About The Damage?.How Do You Tell If The Damage Comes From Cutworms or Some Other Species?.
