holes in broccoli leaves

lyndeeloo 2013-05-16, 16:05

Help, my broccoli leaves are getting holey. I don't think they were there yesterday. It seems to start with a tiny white dot and then there are holes. I looked them over carefully and can't find any insects. Any ideas? Thanks.

lyndeeloo 2013-05-16, 17:41

I did some online research and then went back to searching the plants. I found 2 little green worms. Apparently they are cabbage worms.

**camprn** 2013-05-16, 17:54

Yup they will do that. Need a tulle or someother cover for the plants and squish the worms you find.

lyndeeloo 2013-05-16, 17:59

squished em good! Mixed up some veggie oil and baby shampoo with lots of water and sprayed the broccoli, cauliflower and brussell sprouts. I hope it keeps them away.

**camprn** 2013-05-16, 18:27

lyndeeloo wrote:squished em good! Mixed up some veggie oil and baby shampoo with lots of water and sprayed the broccoli, cauliflower and brussell sprouts. I hope it keeps them away.

Nope, it wont. The best thing to do, really, is cover them so the adult female moth cannot deposit more eggs on the plant. There are several generations of cabbage worms over the summer.

**dvelten** 2013-05-16, 18:43

The little white butterflies you see fluttering around the garden are the cabbage moths. They have multiple generations in a season and will not be going away. If you want to spray you need to use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis, a toxin from a bacteria that kills caterpillars). It's available in forms approved for organic gardens, but it has to be reapplied after every rain and also degrades in sunlight The best solution is to cover the plants with floating row cover supported with hoops. Make sure to follow camprn's advice and carefully exam each plant for eggs or caterpillars before covering. It's a pain but you really need to leave these on for most of the season because the moths are always around, even long after first frost. The cover will also protect the plants from flea beetles.

lyndeeloo 2013-05-16, 18:57

Thank you both. Looks like I have a new hobby hunting for cabbage worms. I'll be looking into making some sort of cover for the plants. Only wish I'd planted them all in the same location. Well, for tonight I'm done with the worms and am going to just enjoy the first warm spring night. Almost 10pm and its still 72 degrees. Isn't life grand!

**camprn** 2013-05-16, 19:11

If you buy tulle at Joann Fabrics, (there's a 50% off one item coupon in the flier you can get in the store) you can cut it large enough to wrap around each individual plant, since they are not in a group. I too am enjoying the warmth, now that the wind has died.

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