I just found the culprits that have been eating my Broccoli and Cabbage plants.
These little buggers...
I bought Ortho Max Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer and have sprayed them twice so far. I wonder if there is anything else I can do, or how long this spray takes in order to stop them.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
- applestar
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Rainbowgardener put together a very informative thread that addresses some important information. Here's the link and an excerpt from intro to the pertinent section for your product.
Subject: Please read before you spray poisons! INFO
Subject: Please read before you spray poisons! INFO
rainbowgardener wrote:Imidaclopid & other neonicotinoids
Product names: Bayer Advanced products including 2-In-1 Insect Control Plus Fertilizer Plant Spikes, 2-In-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care, 3-In-1 Insect, Disease & Mite Control (Ready-to-Spray), 12 Month Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed (Concentrate) and many others. Aloft, Arena, Criterion, Fertil-lome, Lesco, Mallet, Marathon, Meridian, Ortho® Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer, Safari, Surrender, Transtect, Xytect, and many others.
- applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30541
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
For that number of plants, depending on level of infestation, I've only needed to examine and hand pick the caterpillars and rub off the eggs with cabbages and kales. It gets harder once the older caterpillars manage to get inside the heads.
With broccoli, it's harder once the broccoli heads form because the caterpillars get inside the branches where it's impossible to get at them.
Bt is an effective bacteria specific to butterfly and moth caterpillars that infect them in the gut and kills them.
Overall, I prefer to exclude them from the outset by growing them inside a screen enclosure/cover. I posted some photos in this thread:
Subject: Yay! Got some planting done!
This thread might be of interest for future reference.
Subject: Cabbage/broccoli/cauliflower planting plan: a theory
I definitely think leaving parsley to overwinter in the garden and allowing them to flower next year is tremendously helpful. This year, some of the russet mite infested tomato starts are recovering after I put them under the blooming parsley canopy.
With broccoli, it's harder once the broccoli heads form because the caterpillars get inside the branches where it's impossible to get at them.
Bt is an effective bacteria specific to butterfly and moth caterpillars that infect them in the gut and kills them.
Overall, I prefer to exclude them from the outset by growing them inside a screen enclosure/cover. I posted some photos in this thread:
Subject: Yay! Got some planting done!
This thread might be of interest for future reference.
Subject: Cabbage/broccoli/cauliflower planting plan: a theory
I definitely think leaving parsley to overwinter in the garden and allowing them to flower next year is tremendously helpful. This year, some of the russet mite infested tomato starts are recovering after I put them under the blooming parsley canopy.