Black material on Broccoli?

[Sharpy]

Can anyone tell me what this is on my broccoli? It looks like excrement when I smash one between my fingers...god I hope that is not what it is...

[img]https://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc60/IamSharpy/Garden/BlackonBroc.jpg[/img]

[TZ -OH6]

Yes, it looks like frass (caterpiller poop) from the cabbage worms eating the leaves. The worms have lived their whole lives on that plant so there is nothing nasty in the material other than color and texture and a bit of left over digestive enzymes.

[applestar]

Spray the broccoli with water to rinse them off, and look under every leaf for the caterpillars. They're sometimes hard to see due to excellent color camouflage. While you're looking, also look for the tiny white or yellow eggs. Freshly laid ones will pop, older ones will roll off when rubbed. Be careful not to let them roll into leaf crevices where you can't get at them.

Pick off the caterpillars and dispose according to your inclination - I can squish tiny ones between my fingers, but I usually put larger ones in the birdfeeder.

[garden5]

Well, look at the bright side: if you scrape it off and put it at the base of the plant you will have some ready-made manure compost . Sorry, it's the only bright side I could find .

Good luck getting rid of the little critters.