My personal favorite is the plastic soda straw but any sort of stick, big nail, popsickle stick or whatever stuck into the soil right flush alongside with the stem works. If they can't encircle the stem they can't cut it. The old 10 penny nail trick has been around for decades.

Dave

Agree with Dave, What most folks don't know is that collars and all that other stuff doesn't work, b/c they do have to encircle the stem before they can start chewing, and the only way to do that is to use a physical barrier that touches the stem.

I've used soda straws and nails, but what worked best for me was twigs from still barren Golden Rod plants, of which there were plenty.

Transplants that are set out that have a thick main stem, are not usually bothered.

Carolyn

Are you positive about this -> "What most folks don't know is that collars and all that other stuff doesn't work, b/c they do have to encircle the stem before they can start chewing, and the only way to do that is to use a physical barrier that touches the stem."?

The cutworms I've seen are smaller than the stems on some of the plants that have been toppled. I don't see how they could do this.

Yes, I'm positive about what I wrote, just as I'm sure Dave was when he wrote the same as what I wrote/

There's more than one species of cutworm and one species that actually climbs the plant and feeds on the foliage.

And please note the mention of small ( what you wrote above) cutworms in the link below, which is the best one from a Google search that I found b/c it was more complete.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Cutworms

If cutworms are what is actually doing the damage rather than something else then yes the stick along the stem works.

Cutworms are a chronic problem for me but the only time I have lost a plant to one is when I have neglected to get the straw or stick in for some reason.

As I said above this is new info but has been common knowledge among farmers and gardeners for over a century if not longer. :) And it is always possible that the small worm you see isn't the one that did the damage.

I know some seem to really push the cardboard tube collars but that assumes the worm can't come up inside the collar or crawl over it.

Dave

I've found that toilet paper tubes placed over the seedling and pressed in slightly always seem to work. Not that other enclosures don't. And I make a 6" hole of good composted soil so I am removing any cutworms from close to it anyway.