Viewing post #839379 by JWWC

sooby said:

That is so very typical of cutworm damage that I would scratch away an inch or two of the soil around the base of the fan and see if you can find one and remove it before it strikes again. Here's a pic:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/g...

Edited to add another pic showing the size of plant they can fell:
http://extension.entm.purdue.e...

Came to post exactly this. I had a problem with cutworms for a while and they can be a huge pain. I've never had a slug take a plant at the base like that. There isn't a good organic control method that I know of besides trying to get nematodes or BTK into the soil but that can take time. You can also think about attracting birds and putting a toad house or 2 in the garden. Or of course just use a systemic insecticide anywhere you see damage.