Seedling cutter Help Plz

[Munir]

I don't think its a bird's mischief.It most probably is an act of the cutworms who(not birds)operate at night, as you would see such damaged plants first time in the morning, not later in the day.It is a common phenamenon these days, but reducing as the Marigold plants grow in height/size.
One possible remedy: "Use crushed eggshells to deter slugs, snails, and cutworms. These garden pests are a real pain in the gardener's neck, and cutworms are the worst, killing seedlings by severing the stems at soil level. All three of these pests have soft undersides, and dislike slithering across anything sharp. Crushed eggshells, applied to the soil's surface, may help deter these pests"

[Farhan Ahmed]

Its definitely not birds. I sealed the border last night with everything in order but again in morning ........Also not the cut worm as the leaves are severed not at the base line but further 2-3 inches up.

[Tahir Khan]

Its definitely not birds. I sealed the border last night with everything in order but again in morning ........Also not the cut worm as the leaves are severed not at the base line but further 2-3 inches up.

Have you thought about rodents ? rats or squirrels ?

[Tahir Khan]

Just a thought. What if an alternate food source such as kitchen leftovers are placed for bird feeding would that cause them to leave the plants alone (if its birds).

It is useless, alternative source will attract even more birds...the idea is to deter them somehow..i have tried numerous techniques like flashing CDs, sprinkling chili powder, even mixing rat poison in bird food but all in vain.

One day i prayed to GOD to please get the birds away from my plants and it worked...i don't have any bird problems now

[Hamad Ahmed Kisana]

One day i prayed to GOD to please get the birds away from my plants and it worked...i don't have any bird problems now

hmmmm...very nice idea..

[Farhan Ahmed]

Its definitely not birds. I sealed the border last night with everything in order but again in morning ........Also not the cut worm as the leaves are severed not at the base line but further 2-3 inches up.

Have you thought about rodents ? rats or squirrels ?

No squirrels, but yes i had few intruding mice. To be precise i killed 2 with poison bait and one apprehended. Maybe there are more. Will watch out.

[Farhan Ahmed]

I have a pair of Mayna roosting in the building. They are sometimes loitering on the ground but i am certain they are helping the gardener picking up caterpillars and stuff. Other than sunflowers birds never seem to harm anything here. Mayna are highly territorial birds and do not let others invade their grounds.

[Tahir Khan]

Maynas also damage seedlings, saw it with my own eyes

[newton]

Appears to be cutworms,

******************

The following data may be of use to some of our readers.

Cutworms are the larvae (caterpillars) of several species of night-flying moths. The larvae are called cutworms because they cut down young plants as they feed on stems at or below the soil surface. There are also species of climbing cutworms that move up plants and feed upon foliage, buds and shoots. they can grow upto 2" long, curling up into a tight C when disturbed. At night the larvae may be found by torchlight on the soil surface or munching on your plants. By day they usually lie just under the soil surface within 2-3" of damaged seedlings. The adults are night-flying moths and do not cause damage.

Sustainable pest management strategies usually work best when used together. Think about your garden, your resources, and your time, and put several of these tips together into a plan that works for you

Remove weeds and plant residue at least ten days before planting to help reduce egg-laying sites and seedling weeds that nourish small cutworms. Till your garden and solar sterilise it in "jeyt haar" which helps expose and kill dormant larvae/eggs. Tilling also removes plant residue, which helps to discourage egg laying in the first place. Avoid leaving "green" manure as this may encourage egg laying.

You can control cutworms by placing aluminum foil or cardboard collars around transplants. Some people even use toilet roll inserts, plastic bottle collars, ice cream cups/metal tin cans/drinking straws or other trash. Great for small areas but not viable for larger concerns. This method creates a barrier that physically prevents cutworm larvae from feeding on plants. When placing these collars around plants, make sure one end is pushed a few inches into the soil, and the other end extends several inches above ground. This should prevent most species of cutworms from getting to your plants.

You could also compensate with denser planting of seedlings or have some spare elsewhere to hand to transplant those that are damaged.

Bioinsecticide BTK. BTK (Bacillus thuringiensis, var. kurstaki) is a type of bacteria. When eaten by the cutworm, BTK makes a poison in the caterpillar’s gut. This causes the pest to stop feeding and eventually die. It is somewhat selective, killing many caterpillars but not harmful to other creatures.

Spraying seedlings is not a good way to control cutworms since the cutworms can easily kill your plants before they have a chance to eat enough BTK to kill them. However, you can make a bait with BTK by mixing it with bran or rolled oats and gur. Sprinkle the bait on the planting area several days before planting. Since the area will have no plants yet, the cutworms will feed on the bait and hopefully die before your plants go in. It is available online but im unsure of its availability in the markets.

Because cutworms spend most of their time hiding underground, the use of other insecticides is not very efficient for cutworm control, but you can protect plants with a residual product if you are experiencing a severe problem. Treat the stems or the foliage (for climbing cutworms). For the best results, apply insecticides in the evening just before they come out to feed, examples include Carbaryl, Permethryn and Cyfluthrin. Asides from environmental toxicity the disadvantages to using these chemicals is that you will also be destroying the cutworms natural predators and beneficial insects. These include parasitic wasps and specific flies resident in the garden. Other helpful creatures such as toads, ground beetles, spiders, lacewing larvae, and even birds actively consume the insects. Destroying these will inevitably cause problems elsewhere as they cant repopulate like most pests do.

Regards
Ifzaal

[Munir]

Appears to be cutworms,

******************
The following data may be of use to some of our readers.
...................................................................................................................................................
You could also compensate with denser planting of seedlings or have some spare elsewhere to hand to transplant those that are damaged.
................................................................................................................................

Agreed with the good explanation.But, I'll rather leave them alone,as generally cutworms don't do so much damage as to warrant so much of worry & hassle.They normally damage about 1-2 %( not more) of tender plants,say in the first week & not later .One fore-action as mentioned above should be good enough..However,if the magnitude is alarming then one could upgrade the response & resort to the suggested measures.