by Molly Jameson | Feb 27, 2020
Larva of the granulate cutworm (Feltia subterranea). Photo by John L. Capinera, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida.
One of the biggest predicaments growing vegetables in my backyard garden is dealing with cutworms. Cutworms are a type of nocturnal moth larvae that feed by wrapping themselves around seedling stems at the soil surface. They then cut the stem of the seedling in two – as if Edward Scissorhands dropped by for a visit – killing the plant. There are multiple species, but one of the most common in Florida is the granulate cutworm (Feltia subterranea). They are distributed most frequently in the tropics but can occur as far north as Southern Canada and regularly occur in the Southeastern United States.
My plan was to install cutworm collars the next morning. But that night, cutworms chewed through the stem of this tomato seedling in two locations. Photo by Molly Jameson.
Since cutworms feed at nighttime it is particularly frustrating, as you will find plants which appeared fine in the evening destroyed by morning. What’s even more frustrating is they feed in multiple seasons on a very wide range of crops, including tomatoes, beans, corn, eggplant, lettuce, peppers, watermelon, celery, broccoli, cabbage, and kale, to name a few. This fall and winter, I even found they had attacked my carrots and onions, which I thought would be more resistant.
One approach a backyard gardener can take in combatting cutworms is to use physical barriers. Netting or row cover can help prevent mature moths from ovipositing their eggs. But if you already have larvae invading, this technique will be ineffective.
For plants with stems less than pencil-width thick, make cutworm collars to help protect young seedlings from attack. Photo by Molly Jameson.
Plants with stems that are less than pencil-width thick are most susceptible to cutworm damage. A useful tactic is to make what are called “cutworm collars.” Surround individual seedlings with toilet paper rolls, taking care not to break fragile stems as you position the rolls over the plants. Materials such as soda cans or cereal boxes can be cut into strips to encircle seedlings if toilet paper rolls are too small to safely fit over the plant. Try to extend the cardboard two inches below and two inches above the soil surface. In this way, the cardboard acts as a barrier, and can help keep cutworms from accessing the stems.
Unfortunately, if cutworms are already hiding in soil close to the plants, the collars might not be effective. Another technique to try, especially if cutworms are already present, is the toothpick method. Place two toothpicks vertically in the soil on each side of the stem. They should be right up against the stem. In this manner, the toothpicks should prevent the cutworm from wrapping around the stem to chew through.
This onion start was given a moonlit haircut by feasting cutworms. If you are lucky, you may be able to find the culprit by digging around the soil adjacent to the afflicted plant. Photo by Molly Jameson.
It can also be helpful to scout your garden for cutworms. Carefully dig one to two inches into the soil near afflicted seedlings. The caterpillars are small, growing from a few millimeters up to less than two inches in length, but tend to stay curled up near the soil surface within about a foot radius of their vegetative victims. Crush any cutworms you find, or for the squeamish, simply drop the cutworms into soapy water.
Applying the bacterial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Bt for short) may help control cutworms but be sure to apply in the evenings and not before a rainfall or irrigation event, as sunlight and water render Bt useless. And keep in mind, cutworms must digest Bt to be effective, so you may need to apply multiple applications. As with any insecticide, always remember to follow the directions on the label. Once seedling stems grow larger than pencil-width, they should be safe from cutworm mayhem. That is… until the next garden vandal comes along!
To learn more, visit the University of Florida Entomology and Nematology Department’s Featured Creatures page about the granulate cutworm (http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/granulate_cutworm.htm). You can also search for cutworms on the UF/IFAS EDIS website to learn about additional cutworm species found in our area (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/).
by Molly Jameson | Jan 27, 2020
A raised bed container garden , about 8 inches deep. Image Credit Matthew Orwat
Interested in growing vegetable crops but have limited space for a garden bed? Maybe you live in an apartment, have poor soil, or you can’t find a sunny enough location to start an in-ground garden.
The good news is you can grow nearly any crop in a container! Even crops such as beans, squash, watermelon, and sweet potatoes can be grown to maturity and produce high yields if they are grown in properly sized containers with nutritious potting soil.
The Container Gardening: Recommended Varieties and Spacing chart covers the recommended minimum container volume, container depth, plant spacing, and varieties that do well in containers for each crop:
by Molly Jameson | Dec 10, 2019
This velvet ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis) is a female, and therefore has no wings, but it does have a long ovipositor that could inflict a painful sting if provoked. Photo by Johnny N. Dell, Bugwood.org.
The Docile Nature of a Cow Killer
Has a large, flashy, bright red-orange, fuzzy ant-like creature ever captured your attention? It may have been the infamous velvet ant, otherwise fittingly known as “cow killer” for the very painful sting it can inflict. A solitary species that builds no nest of their own, you’d likely only see one at a time, perhaps crawling over bare soil or along a tree root.
This velvet ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis) is a male, and therefore has wings, but no stinger. Photo by Johnny N. Dell, Bugwood.org.
Velvet ants are actually not ants at all, but wasps. They are wasps that – although capable of stinging humans and other large animals – are not aggressive and have venom with relatively low toxicity (less than that of a honeybee). That said, an accidental sting by the female’s long ovipositor inflicts serious pain that one would not soon forget.
Velvet ants are in the Mutillidae family, which contain about 8,000 species throughout the world. But only fifty Mutillidae species can be found in Florida, as most prefer arid regions, such as the southwest United States.
If you see a velvet ant with wings, rest assured, it is a male. Although capable of flight, males are incapable of stinging, as they lack stingers. Females, who lack wings, need a suitable host to be able to lay their eggs, and they spend most of their time looking for one. They rely mainly on mature larvae (such as pupae and cocoons) of other solitary species in the Hymenoptera order (other wasps, bees, and ants) to parasitize. That is, a female adult velvet ant will forcibly enter a nest to deposit an egg beside its larval victim. When the velvet ant larva emerges, it will consume this host within about a week before it matures and emerges from the host nest to seek a mate.
Adult velvet ants feed on flower nectar. Photo by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.
The “velvet” part of velvet ant refers to the dense heap of hairs covering top portions of its body, which is usually a bright shade of red or orange, although some species are gold, silver, black, or white. Velvet ants use their aposematic coloration to their advantage. They tell potential predators “don’t mess with me” through their visually striking, often red and black “stripes,” that act as a visual defense mechanism.
Beyond coloration, a female velvet ant will also produce a warning sound when provoked, further evidence that she wishes to remain docile, rather than fight. Despite their gory parasitism on which they rely to reproduce, adults simply feed on nectar.
So, the next time the mesmerizing bright red streak of a velvet ant catches your gaze, keep your distance, but have no fear, for this cow killer comes in peace.
by Molly Jameson | Nov 7, 2019
There are hands-on agricultural crop displays and much more in the UF/IFAS building at the North Florida Fair. Photo by Molly Jameson.
New Demonstrations in the UF/IFAS Extension Building at the North Florida Fair
Every year during the North Florida Fair in Tallahassee, extension agents from all over the Florida Panhandle showcase their various programming in the UF/IFAS exhibitor building. This includes educational displays and hands-on activities in areas such as horticulture, agriculture, livestock, 4-H youth, natural resources, and family and consumer sciences.
Once you have your fill of fair rides and funnel cake, see a live educational demonstration at the UF/IFAS building! Photo by Molly Jameson.
For instance, visitors can view and touch agricultural crops grown in our area, play in a giant tub of actual cotton, match images of song birds with their names, make a 4-H craft, and learn about the importance of wildlife habitat for animals.
This year, Extension is including even more to do and learn in the UF/IFAS building. There will be live demonstrations taking place throughout the fair week, which is November 7 to 17 this year.
Did you know you can convert recycled containers, such as milk jugs and soda bottles into self-watering planters? Or that when saltwater reef fishing, if fish are brought to the surface too quickly, it can rupture their organs? Learn all about these concepts and more during the UF/IFAS Extension Live Demonstrations.
UF/IFAS Live Demonstration Schedule:
Turn all types of containers into self-watering gardens, such as planting a strawberry in a plastic jug using strips of old cloth as a wick. Photo by John Edwards.
Saturday, November 9:
- 1:00 p.m. – Food Safety with Extension Agent Kendra Zamojski
- 2:00 p.m. – Avoiding Barotrauma while Deep Sea Fishing with Extension Agent Andrea Albertin
Monday, November 11:
- 1:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. – Reef Fish Catch and Release Techniques with Extension Agent Laura Tiu
Tuesday, November 12:
- 6:30 p.m. – Rose Propagation with Extension Agent Matt Orwat
Thursday, November 14:
- 6:15 p.m. – Starting Plants in Recycled Newspaper with Extension Agent Paula Davis
- 7:00 p.m. – Food Safety with Extension Agents Laurie Osgood and Amy Mullins
Saturday, November 16:
- 3:00 p.m. – Planting with Recycled Containers with Extension Agents Molly Jameson, Mark Tancig, and Allison Leo
Sunday, November 17:
- 7:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. – Reef Fish Catch and Release Techniques with Extension Agent Erik Lovestrand
For more information about the North Florida Fair, visit the website at http://northfloridafair.com/.
See you at the fair!
by Molly Jameson | Sep 16, 2019
2019 Panhandle Fruit and Vegetable Conference: Seeking to Bridge the Agricultural Gap
Join UF/IFAS Extension on October 2 and 3 for the 2019 Panhandle Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Not only will participants get the opportunity to learn about some of the most current innovations in fruit, nut, and vegetable production; marketing and business; and alternative enterprises in the southeast; they will also have the pleasure of hearing the keynote address from Dr. Cary Rivard, an Associate Professor, Extension Specialist, and Director of the Kansas State Research and Extension Center.
The 2019 Panhandle Fruit and Vegetable Conference keynote speaker is Dr. Cary Rivard, an Associate Professor, Extension Specialist, and Director of the Kansas State Research and Extension Center.
Dr. Cary Rivard knows the horticultural and agricultural industries well, as he grew up helping his parents operate a greenhouse business in Kansas City, Missouri. Embracing his family roots, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural science and biology from Truman State University and his Master of Science and doctorate degrees in plant pathology from North Carolina State University.
But Dr. Rivard knows not everyone gets to grow up witnessing the importance of the agricultural industry firsthand, nor does everyone study agricultural sciences in pursuit of educational degrees. Therefore, throughout Dr. Rivard’s career, he has sought projects that work to connect urban communities with agriculture. As we all know, technological innovations in the 21st century have connected communities in more ways than we could have ever imagined. Yet, it seems a disconnect has arisen among the people in these communities and the food they eat and the farmers who grow that food. But Dr. Rivard sees this disconnect as opportunity. He knows it is agricultural and horticultural leaders – both university specialists and farmers – who can bridge the gap between urban communities and the agricultural products on which they, knowingly or unknowingly, truly rely.
At the Panhandle Fruit and Vegetable Conference, Dr. Rivard will discuss his mission to connect urban communities and agriculture, including his work coordinating the Growing Growers Kansas City program, which provides education to new and experienced growers through farm apprenticeships and an annual workshop series. In addition to speaking as the 2019 Panhandle Fruit and Vegetable Conference keynote speaker, Dr. Rivard will also present one of the conference sessions, where he will discuss his effort to integrate crop diversity and crop rotations into high tunnel production systems.
Register to attend the UF/IFAS Extension 2019 Panhandle Fruit and Vegetable Conference and Post-Conference Tour on Eventbrite (https://panhandlefv2019.eventbrite.com). The main conference will be held on October 2 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The post-conference tour on October 3 will be a great chance to chat with farmers, and it kicks-off with breakfast at the Emerald Coast Convention Center. Participants will then ride together by bus to tour local farms, enjoy lunch, and be returned to the Convention Center by 3 p.m.
