Drain Tile Saves Garden Plants From Cutworms

Drain Tile Saves Garden Plants From Cutworms FARM HOME Food Mike Toppen of Burnips Mich got tired of watching cutworms destroy vegetable seedlings in his garden year after year He didn t want to use harsh pesticides so he came up with a low-cost solution that makes use of common drain tile I bought a 100-ft length of 3-in dia corrugated black plastic drain tile and used a bandsaw to cut it into 4-in sections which I place around each plant in my garden says Toppen The tile forms a physical barrier that blocks cutworms from reaching the plants I ve used this idea for the past 5 years on my tomatoes peppers cabbages broccoli and so forth It really works well - I hardly lost any plants this year at all Before I tried this idea I often had to replant 2 to 3 times to get a good stand Once the plants æoutgrow the drain tile I remove the tile and store it for the next year Another benefit is the plants are easier to water I push soil up around the outside of the tile to form a berm that keeps water from leaking out under the tile That way I can go down the rows using a sprinkler can to water just the plants and not the weeds between the rows notes Toppen Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Mike Toppen P O Box 138 Burnips Mich 49314 ph 269 673-5597; fordsrule@btc-bci com

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