576 Views | Rating
|
Does your cabbage look like this? Look for caterpillars.This is the time that cabbage caterpillars feast on the leaves of cabbage and its relatives--broccoli, collards, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts. If the leaves of your plants look anything like this, kill the pests before they ruin your harvest!
The worst pests to chew up cabbage are cabbageworms. If you look very carefully at this picture, you will see two green imported cabbageworms to the right of center. See this pest and other cabbageworms by clicking the link. The pests camouflage themselves so well that it is a bit like "finding Waldo." To control the pests, use Dipel spray or dust, or a pyrethrin-based spray. Dipel takes a few days to kill the caterpillars; pyrethrin products kill almost instantly upon contact with the pest. Spray is better than dust for cabbage heads, because it drips down into the head where pests hide, and it is easier to apply a spray to the underside of the leaves.