How to Get Rid of Cutworms on Bat-faced Cuphea Plants

As a gardener dealing with pests is an inevitable part of caring for plants. One of the most frustrating pests is the cutworm – those sneaky caterpillars that chew through plant stems and leave your seedlings flopped over on the ground. Bat-faced cuphea plants are especially susceptible to cutworm damage. In this article we’ll explore some effective organic methods for getting rid of cutworms on bat-faced cuphea plants.

What Are Cutworms?

Cutworms are the larvae stage of various moth species including the miller moth bronzed cutworm moth, glassy cutworm moth, and more. The moth lays its eggs at the base of plants. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the leaves and stems of seedlings.

Cutworms are most active at night and hide in the top inch or two of soil during the day. That’s why you’ll notice the damage in the morning – they’ve chewed through the stems of your plants overnight. They get their name from their habit of “cutting” down small plants as they feed on stems.

Why Are Bat-faced Cupheas Vulnerable?

Bat-faced cupheas (Cuphea llavea) are prized for their unique tubular flowers that resemble bats’ faces. However, their delicate stems and leaves make them prime targets for cutworms.

Being native to Mexico and Central America, bat-faced cupheas thrive in warm weather. Cutworm populations also explode in summer’s heat. So these pests can quickly decimate a stand of bat-faced cupheas.

Additionally, cutworms like to hide in mulch and grass during the day. Since bat-faced cupheas often grow best in a protected microclimate of mulch, this puts them in close proximity to cutworms.

Organic Cutworm Controls for Bat-faced Cupheas

While chemical insecticides are effective for cutworms, organic options are safer for people, pets, beneficial insects, and the environment. Here are some research-backed organic methods to prevent and control cutworm damage on bat-faced cupheas:

Encourage Natural Predators

Cutworms have many natural predators, like birds, spiders, ground beetles, and parasitic wasps. Attract these beneficial creatures to your garden by providing habitat like bird houses, allowing vegetation to grow, and avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides.

You can also hand-pick cutworms from your garden in the morning and evening and feed them to backyard chickens or wild birds. Just be sure not to transfer cutworms from an infested area directly into an uninfested garden bed.

Use Physical Barriers

• Collars – Slip the stem of each plant through a toilet paper tube, tin can, or other barrier pushed an inch into the soil. This prevents cutworms from chewing through the stem.

• Foil squares – Place sheets of aluminum foil, shiny side up, around plants to deter cutworms. The reflective surface scrambles their senses.

• Sharp grit – Sprinkle crushed eggshells, coarse sand, wood ash, or diatomaceous earth around plants. The abrasive texture deters cutworms.

• Sticky traps – Smear Vaseline, Tanglefoot or sticky tree wrap around stems to prevent cutworms from climbing up plants.

Rotate Crops

Since cutworm moths lay eggs at the base of existing vegetation, rotating where you grow vulnerable plants each year helps disrupt their life cycle.

For example, if cupheas were grown in bed A last year, grow them in bed B this year. Then sow a cover crop like buckwheat or clover in bed A to suppress weeds and pests.

Time Planting Carefully

In areas with severe cutworm pressure, delay planting until late spring when soil temperatures rise and cutworm activity declines. This avoids the peak time when larvae are emerging from eggs.

You can also stagger planting dates over several weeks rather than installing an entire bed at once. This way, only a portion of plants will be vulnerable if cutworms are active.

Weed Vigilantly

Cutworm moths prefer to lay eggs in weedy, unmanaged areas. Keep your garden weed-free to discourage them. Go through beds weekly and pull emerging weeds, focusing on grassy plants like crabgrass.

Mulch after weeding to suppress new weeds. Use coarse, inorganic mulches like gravel or wood chips rather than fresh, weed-seed-laden grass clippings.

Use Beneficial Nematodes

Beneficial nematodes are microscopic roundworms that prey on soil-dwelling insects like cutworms. The nematodes are safe for plants and people when used as directed.

Water nematodes into the soil around vulnerable plants. They locate and infect cutworm larvae, eventually killing them. Apply nematodes in the evening for best results.

Monitor with Trap Crops

Some plants are extra appealing to cutworms, like lettuce, corn, and beans. Use these trap crops to monitor cutworm activity.

Plant a few trap crop seedlings in a small section of the garden a week before your main crop. Check them daily for cutworm damage. If the trap crops stay intact, your main crop should be safe. But if they show signs of feeding, be ready to protect your plants.

Remove Daytime Hiding Spots

Eliminate places where cutworms hide during the day, like mulch and weedy vegetation around gardens. Rake mulch several inches away from plant stems. Pull weeds before they get established. This exposes cutworms to predators and sunlight.

You can also hand-pick cutworms while weeding. Check under boards, rocks and plant debris that provide cover. Crush or drop worms into soapy water to kill.

Utilize Resistant Varieties

Some cuphea varieties have thicker stems or other traits that make them less vulnerable to cutworm damage. ‘David Verity’ and ‘Flor de Angel’ are two more cutworm-resistant bat-faced cuphea cultivars to look for.

Dealing with cutworms requires diligence, but organic solutions can keep these pests from destroying your bat-faced cupheas. The best approach is integrating several methods like crop rotation, beneficial insects, trap cropping, and physical barriers. With smart organic practices, you can enjoy gorgeous, healthy stands of bat-faced cupheas.