We’ve heard of baking soil but not soaking it with boiling water. You may be on to something, as the cutworms lay eggs in the soil. We can not comment on the idea because we have never done it, but we can advise removing weeds and plant residue, Til the garden before planting to help expose and kill overwintering larvae (if your beds are covered, perhaps the lack of exposure to cold enables the cutworms/larvae to thrive?), and avoid green manure; instead use compost. To that point, have you considered replacing your soil?? If you still think there are larvae in the soil, collar the plants with aluminum foil. Cutworms have many natural enemies but none can really eliminate them. We hope this helps.
We’ve heard of baking soil but not soaking it with boiling water. You may be on to something, as the cutworms lay eggs in the soil. We can not comment on the idea because we have never done it, but we can advise removing weeds and plant residue, Til the garden before planting to help expose and kill overwintering larvae (if your beds are covered, perhaps the lack of exposure to cold enables the cutworms/larvae to thrive?), and avoid green manure; instead use compost. To that point, have you considered replacing your soil?? If you still think there are larvae in the soil, collar the plants with aluminum foil. Cutworms have many natural enemies but none can really eliminate them. We hope this helps.