trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs

jazzymaddy 2/25/2012, 9:46 pm

Those three bugs really got me down last year. What companion plants can I grow that will repel these bugs? And how close do I have to plant said companions? Somewhere in the garden, or in the next square over?

Thanks y'all!
Tracy in SC

**walshevak** 2/25/2012, 10:13 pm

Start checking out row covers as well.

Kay

**camprn** 2/25/2012, 10:24 pm

Barriers like tulle over your brassicas are helpful. Keep in mind the cabbage worm has 3 maybe 4 generations in a growing season, so you may want to use tulle all season. For the horn worms, for me, daily visual inspection and hand picking are what has worked. Squash bug were also a daily battle, as was keeping an eye out for the squash vine borer. Any eggs seen on squash get squished. HERE is a write up about organic control of squash bugs.
I am going to try something different this year. in the past I have direct sown squash into the garden. this year I think I will grow in pots and set out later then hopefully avoid the squash bugs. I need to do a bit more research on this.

littlejo 2/25/2012, 10:38 pm

Thinking back to last yr. I use lots of onions, and planted them sort of on the line between squares of tomatoes. I had no problem with the hornworms at all.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7941314_organic-hornworm-repellent.html

or

http://www.ehow.com/how_8211049_control-hornworms-hot-pepper.html

jazzymaddy 2/25/2012, 11:28 pm

Thank you all! This is so helpful. I think I will line my tomato squares with dill and basil and onions. And I'll keep my non-trellised box covered with my tulle. Glad I bought the drip irrigation system. Watering last year with the tulle was kind of a pain. Smile

Any other ideas are still welcome!

Thanks!

**walshevak** 2/26/2012, 6:58 am

don't forget the marigolds. Their odor is supposed to help with bugs. Besides they make a bed cheerful. I try to tuck one in or near every bed.

Kay

abeyerl 2/27/2012, 11:19 am

I too live in South Carolina and have had to deal with all the pests you have. I tried row covers but once the blossoms set you have to take them off. The squash bugs just waited around until the row covers came off and then moved in. I have heard that Nasturtiums planted near the squash will help. I have not tried that yet. What did work better was to plant the squash late in the year and the squash bugs had already run their course. There were still some but not nearly as many. Best of luck!

FamilyGardening 3/24/2012, 7:19 pm

hubby just finished two new raised beds in our back garden area.....he put hoops on them and on one of my SFG bed.....we bought tulle to put over them to keep out the cabbage moth this year..... Very Happy

the tulle we bought had to be cut into two seperate sections....to fit the hoops.....how do you all attach the telle to the hoops?
has anyone tried velcro?
thanks

hugs

rose

**walshevak** 3/24/2012, 7:36 pm

FamilyGardening wrote:hubby just finished two new raised beds in our back garden area.....he put hoops on them and on one of my SFG bed.....we bought tulle to put over them to keep out the cabbage moth this year.....

the tulle we bought had to be cut into two seperate sections....to fit the hoops.....how do you all attach the telle to the hoops?
has anyone tried velcro?
thanks

hugs

rose

1" binder clips from the office store is the easiest to get hold of right away. Boffer makes clips from pvc. The kind Boffer makes are sold at a greenhouse supply. Can't remember where I saw them.

Kay

found some at Territorial Seed http://www.territorialseed.com/product/1657/171

jazzymaddy 3/24/2012, 8:59 pm

I bought the fancy PVC clips last year, and when I tried to fit them over the hoops, I kept ripping little holes in the tulle. So I got the 1" binder clips, and they are perfect. My tulle may be weaker than others, so I wouldn't discourage trying them out if that sounds good to you.

A question for abeyerl: when do you find that the squash bugs are finished for the most part?

Thanks.

FamilyGardening 3/24/2012, 9:47 pm

thanks

i like the idea of the binder clips....see what hubby thinks Very Happy

sounds like it would make it easier to open and close Very Happy

hugs

rose

shannon1 3/25/2012, 2:03 am

Binder clips brillant! trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs 3170584802

capatl 3/25/2012, 5:05 am

Binder clips are a good idea. I used hair clips, the big rounded ones slip perfectly around the pvc pipes Smile

And got them from The Dollar Tree, 3 per pack!

shannon1 3/25/2012, 6:35 am

Nice, you guys are great at thinking outside the box. LOL

abeyerl 3/25/2012, 3:43 pm

For jazzymaddy, I found that starting seeds in pots in mid-May then transplanting them to the garden in late June worked better. I still covered them with row covers until they set blossoms. I may wait even later this year.

AvaDGardner 4/9/2012, 5:39 pm

abeyerl wrote:I too live in South Carolina and have had to deal with all the pests you have. I tried row covers but once the blossoms set you have to take them off. The squash bugs just waited around until the row covers came off and then moved in. I have heard that Nasturtiums planted near the squash will help. I have not tried that yet. What did work better was to plant the squash late in the year and the squash bugs had already run their course. There were still some but not nearly as many. Best of luck!

Why do you have to remove the covers when the blossoms appear? Are they self-pollinating? Or do they need a pollinator?

Has anyone tried white bread bag clips as a decoy for the cabbage moth? I saw it on a video from an Aussie garden guru. I've got 4 clips so far...going to the grocery store to see if the bakery use them and will give or sell me a few...my Brussels sprout gets the most attention from the moth. (If not, I'm tempted to try and make my own from dairy containers I've previously cut for plant labels.) It has 3 clips on it now, and the moth never stopped on it while I was there, although it kept flitting around my brassicas!

They say the clips look like a moth is already on the leaf, so the real moth flies away. Territorial are they! affraid

abeyerl 4/9/2012, 7:05 pm

They are not self-pollinating so you have to remove the covers for the bees to have access. It would be nice if we could grow them in a bubble. I am worried about this year since we had virtually no cold weather to kill off the bugs lying dormant in the dirt:twisted: .

Roseinarosecity 4/9/2012, 7:28 pm

AvaDGardener,
Where can I find that Aussie garden guru video about fooling the Cabbage Butterfly? Meanwhile, I created fake white butterflies from yogurt containers and posted them on bamboo sticks. I only had yellow bread clips. I am very willing to try a non-chemical method to save my Kale.

AvaDGardner 4/10/2012, 10:37 pm

Roseinarosecity wrote:AvaDGardener,
Where can I find that Aussie garden guru video about fooling the Cabbage Butterfly? Meanwhile, I created fake white butterflies from yogurt containers and posted them on bamboo sticks. I only had yellow bread clips. I am very willing to try a non-chemical method to save my Kale.

Rose...are you in Pasadena?

Here is the idea in action with the bag clips. No cabbage moths, worms or eggs on any of the brassicas (this Brussels sprout, a broccoli in flower, a cabbage, and a yet headless cauliflower). Not claiming victory yet, as it's only been a day!
trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs 17_whi10

trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs 17_whi10

I DID find a fat cabbage worm running away from my lettuce 3 boxes over. He made the most delightful squish and green juice!

Must get more tabs to put all around the garden!

THEN I saw this...6 cabbage moths dancing in a column, 2 others on the outskirts of the dance, twisting and moving along, looking like they were on an air current (but it was still). I was amazed as I watched, almost forgot I had my camera! I took them on backdrop of the tree, but zoomed in, it looks like spots between the leaves!

Mating ritual perhaps?
trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs White_10

trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs White_10

FamilyGardening 4/11/2012, 2:44 am

great idea about the bread clips and hair clips Very Happy

thanks for the pic of the dancing moth's trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs 936924162

well....hubby put up the telle as soon as i told him that the moths were all over his collard greens trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs 53366

trying to avoid hornworms, cabbage worms and squash bugs 53366

funny thing though......i hadnt seen any moths around our broc and cauli box's.....in those two box's we planted a lot of onions and garlic.....i read that the moth will smell the onions and garlic and move on ......

went out this morning and all look very happy under their new vails.....im just waiting to find one of those pesty moths flying around under there Laughing

....i told my hubby it looked like a perfect moth aviary for those little guys What a Face

hugs

rose

Roseinarosecity 4/11/2012, 11:53 am

The picture clearly explains how you used it! Thanks for posting it. I will look for those clips next time I buy bread. Yes, Ava, I live in Pasadena. I did blast my Kale with water yesterday in the morning but as I was cutting some out for dinner I discovered small whiteflies under the Kale leaves. So obviously I didn't blast correctly under the leaves.

AvaDGardner 4/13/2012, 12:04 am

Hair clips? FamilyGardening...what did I say? (sometimes I say the dumbest things!)

Rose, I haven't tried to wash off the eggs. I just scrape them off and squish.

There were no worms on the Brussells sprout plant, but there was a tiny one on the lower leaf of the broccoli. It has no clips on it...for now! Still haven't made it to a bakery to ask for more...I'm just grabbing them off loaves we buy, and twists used for bags of potatoes.

Irony - the cabbage has no damage from the cabbage worm, but the other cole crops do!

Only bugs this afternoon were bees! Rain is on the way - maybe that is why they are confused and polinating at the wrong hours?

I noticed at the store tonight everything had a white tag, which is 'fresh bread' for Friday (tomorrow), according to Snopes.com.

Ava

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