Cabbage disease treatment: pesticide diazinon

What is it?

Cutworms are the most likely pest to attack young cabbage plants, but they will also feed on the other plants in the cabbage family as well. These include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, chinese cabbage, collards, kale, kohlrabi and of course the common cabbage.

There are several species of cutworms, which are the larvae of moths. When damage from cutworms occurs, the seedlings and young transplants will usually look chewed. They may also appear as if they have been cut off or trimmed close to the soil. You can verify cutworms by digging in the soil around your cabbage family plants. If you go down about 2 inches you may find black, gray or brown worms. These cutworms typically have either stripes or spots on their bodies. These details give the illusion of texture, but cutworms are actually very smooth to the touch. When you disturb cutworms by digging near them they will curl up their bodies, which can get up to two inches in length.

How does it manifest?

Adult cutworms are night flying-moths that are very dark in shades of black, brown and gray. They have strips on their forewings and don’t do much damage the plants. It is their larvae in the form of cutworms which can quickly destroy your vegetable garden. You may not notice them until the damage is severe because these worms hide during the day and feed at night. Only if you look for the tell-tale adult moths will you first suspect cutworms.

What can you do about it?

Once you have discovered cutworm damage in your garden, you can apply an insecticide containine either chlorpyrifos, or diazinon. You can also bait areas at the bases of stems and leaves with carbaryl containing insecticide. Once cutworm infestation has begun, it’s hard to get rid of. You may need to do weekly applications of insecticide for quite some time before all cutworm damage ceases. Often, the best way to prevent cutworms is by applying cutworm collars. These can be made by using stiff paper, milk cartons, aluminum foil or even cut tin cans. Place the collars firmly in the soil and make sure they are at least 2 inches high. This should help prevent cutworms from climbing plants and causing damage to your cabbage family plants.