The most likely cause is cutworms; (caterpillars of some moths: Agrotis, Amathes, Peridroma, Prodenia spp.) . Cutworms live about 1/4 to 1/2 inch below the soil during the day. At night they encircle and chew through the stem of young plants, bringing the whole plant down. Then they eat the foliage at their leisure. If you dig around the plant that has been cut down within a radius of about 6 inches, you may find the cutworm. The best control is to plant your seedlings inside a "collar" made of something like half of a cardboard toilet paper roll. Bury the collar about 1 inch deep. Or you can simply plant extra seedlings and replace the ones taken by the cutworms. Cutworms may be a problem in any garden but are especially prevalent in areas previously growing in grass. A second possibility is that the seedlings damped-off (a fungal disease). However, damping-off is unlikely because your plants were old enough to transplant and because of the random nature of the damage, which is much more indicative of cutworms.
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I am having a problem with transplanted lettuce seedlings in my cold frame.They have been cut off and are just laying there; the leaves have not been eaten. Any idea what might cause this?
Last Updated: January 05, 2012
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