gah, bugs!

kaliedra 5/20/2013, 9:19 pm

I finally put in a garden this year and after many failed attempts and mass carnage of plants in the past, its growing well but now I'm at a loss with a bug that is making a buffet out of everything. Best I can tell is they are Cabbage Loopers. I was hoping to go with something non toxic since my dogs share the yard but are things like companion planting of merigolds as effective as the info i'm finding imply? If i have to fence it off to get rid if them so be it.
Now that I've gotten things down with growing in the NW climate its amazing!

thankyou

Lemonie 5/20/2013, 11:10 pm

We've got several threads here about cabbage worms as we have all faced them at one time. Feel free to use the search engine and you'll find lots of info to help you in your battle. Best advice I have found and used so far:
1) cover your brassicas and collards w/ tulle to keep the white cabbage moths from laying their eggs.
2) sprinkle either Diatomacious Earth or a mix of flour/red pepper over infested plants (these work on all caterpillars and then some).
3) soak any harvested veggies in a diluted vinegar mix for at least 20min to kill bugs, disinfect and preserve.

So...in the future, stick w/ tip #1 and it'll save you a lot of headaches. Smile


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.

gah, bugs!

gah, bugs!

Re: gah, bugs!