What is attacking my collard greens?!?

[Azieboo]

Hello, I'm new to gardening and have a few collard green plants growing in containers. Lately I have noticed holes in the leaves and today I found some small white bugs on the leaves which I'm guessing are cabbage aphids.
Does anyone know exactly what could be attacking my collard greens and what natural products can I use to prevent anymore damage? Thanks. *** update. I went out to take pictures of the plants and found a white moth and little green caterpillars on the plants.

[imafan26]

I think the holes are probably from cabbage butterflies. The insects are nymphs are aphids. They will suck the plant juices. Cabbage worms will be green and easily blend in on the leaves. During the day and evening look for white butterflies or moth hanging around the collards. Bt will take care of any cabbage worms and you can use insecticidal soap or alcohol on the nymphs.

[RadRob]

Where are you at, post your location in your profile for better help. With that said it's too hot in 90% of the US to grow them and if they do grow they will be bitter. They always grow and taste better in cooler temps and a light frost will make them a little sweeter. The little white moths look like whiteflies to me, use what Imafan said.

[Lindsaylew82]

Yes, I agree Cabbage Butterfly And their wee babies, Cabbage Worms.

BT and row covers.

I live in SC. Collards are a lot more heat tolerant than some of the other Cole crops, especially if it gets a little shade. I'm still growing kale and lettuce in my less sunny front yard. The damage here is not from bolting, it's from insects. While it is nice to know where you are growing your plants, and it is rather helpful, I think it's not really that necessary in this instance.

[applestar]

In the last photo, you have molted skins of aphids to the left but top right one is an empty aphid *mummy* -- you can see the hole in the back end ...an open hatch where the aphid mummy maker wasp came out. That's a good thing. You have a member of Garden Patrol taking care of some of the aphids.

[Azieboo]

Ok thank you everyone for your help. I purchased some bt based on your recommendations and plan on spraying the plants tonight. Going forward I will be treating them once a week with the bt and then will be using a neem oil foliar spray twice a week. Any further input will be greatly appreciated! I also plan on starting a grow journal.

[Lindsaylew82]

I've not found neem oil to be effective with cabbage butterflies. They mock me when I have my dprayer in hand. I try to spray them down, but have better luck just whipping the handle around and hitting them! Karate Kid Chopstick style!!!

Seriously though... I use neem regularly, and it doesn't help with cabbage butterflies.

Does BT harm the aphid mummy makers? Or the Aphid midge? I've paid special attention not to spray the tops of my tomato plants...(even though the potato aphids are no longer an issue!

I'm still not using BT.... I have kale that is so heavily inter planted that the butterflies can't figure out where to lay. They act like they like my nasturtiums, but I haven't seen any cabbage worms... The hornworm caterpillar tentions are beginning to mount though....

[Azieboo]

Lindsaylew82, I intended to use the neem oil for the aphids because I found that it worked great for the aphids that were attacking my tomato plants. This is my first time hearing about the aphid mummy etc...should I just let them be? Sorry if it's strange question, this gardening hobby is really new to me.

[Lindsaylew82]

Haha! I didn't find it particularly effective on the aphids either! I did just stop doing everything to the aphids. I was pretty heavily infested. I started noticing the aphid mummies. Not very many... But then I started noticing that some of the aphids were beginning to look like they shriveled up. Like raisins. Then I looked closer and found that there were tiny maggot looking thinks that were CLEARLY sucking the life right out of the aphids. Like tiny little vampires! They quickly took the aphids down. Called Aphid Midge.

Here is a before and after:





I definitely don't think you can sit back and do nothing about the caterpillars. Cabbage worms are real jerks, and they get really numerous, really quickly. They work really quickly to make lace of your plants as well.

[rainbowgardener]

I dunno. It can be hard to tell, but the second picture looks more like slug damage to me. Slugs are the only thing that bothers my cole crops.

Cabbage worms can eat a lot, but the holes they leave are usually more jagged and they leave tell-tale poops behind:



Soapy water spray works well against aphids (which are juice suckers, not hole makers). One of my ears of corn was full of ants and aphids. I sprayed it one time with soapy water and everything curled up and died and did not come back.

[Lindsaylew82]

Cabbage worms clearly present in 2 of the pics though.

[Taiji]

Actually last year I had some cabbage being ravaged (hah, no rhyme intended!) by cabbage worms (caterpillars) and tried some neem oil at the recommended dilution with water.
A few minutes after spraying there were quite a few dead cabbage caterpillars laying around the plant on the ground. Only had to do that one time. Worked for me here; maybe a different type of worm, stronger neem oil? Maybe the worms were younger and more vulnerable?

[Peter1142]

Bt is highly effective for the cabbage worms, safe, organic, and will only harm caterpillars.

I have not had issues with aphids on my brassicas. They are present but don't seem to hurt the plants much.

[Azieboo]

Thanks everyone for the tips and information. I tired bt but unfortunately some unexpected rain washed it away so I will be applying another round tonight. Does anyone know how long the solution lasts once mixed with water? I know it doesn't last very long but how about 2-3 days??

[Peter1142]

I would replace it... don't save the diluted solution at all.

[Azieboo]

Got it! Thanks Peter!