Cabbage ?

[CrazyFeathers]

What if anything do you all put on or around your cabbage plants to prevent bugs, slugs, and whatever other critters eat them?
Something ate the top leaves off of my small bean plants, will the live or should I replant some more quick? Thanks

 

[digitS']

I saw Benjamin Bunny for the first time, yesterday.

If he ventures far from the neighbor's raspberry jungle, he will surely find the broccoli. It seems to be a favorite.

The cabbage has so much trouble with aphids about 50% of the seasons, I'd just as soon stop growing it. The only way I can think of killing aphids on the inner leaves of cabbage is to poison the plant!

Cabbage loopers are dealt with by Bt spray.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

I think a bean plant will regrow leaves if it has not been bitten off below the "joints" where a leaf would grow out of. If all that is left is the stalk, no joints, I would poke more seeds in the ground near them, and hope for the best.
I dust my cabbage with BT powder, and also hand pick cabbage loopers.

 

[CrazyFeathers]

Thank you

 

[CrazyFeathers]

BT Powder?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Bacillus Thuringiensis. No I did not spell that from memory, I looked it up. You can see why we just say BT.

BT is an accepted organic pesticide. It's a biological disease that gives the target a tummy ache so bad they quit eating and starve to death. It won't bother humans.

There are different strains of BT, one for caterpillars, a different one for mosquitoes, and even a different one for some beetles. You need to get the one for your specific problem. BT is not going to kill the bug the instant it touches it, since it starves it to death it takes time. And since it is species specific it will not cross over and harm other more beneficial insects like most insecticides.

Here's a write-up form Colorado State on it.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05556.html

 

[lesa]

Assuming you have a fence around your garden? I have never had a problem with anything eating my cabbage. You always remove a few outer leaves anyway- so a little damage on the outside won't cause trouble.

 

[CrazyFeathers]

Thanks for the information Lesa and Ridgerunner. I will read about BT now, thanks for the link.

 

[CrazyFeathers]

I didn't read anything about being safe for animals. My chickens love cabbage.

 

[so lucky]

If you are going to give them the cabbage after you harvest it, I think by then the rain/watering will have washed off the Bt. If you are giving them the trimmings, maybe a quick wash with a hose sprayer would get off any remaining powder. According to all research I have seen, Bt only affects the caterpillar. It is not systemic, as far as I know. If the chickens have access to your garden.....good luck. (My chickens love green tomatoes, even more than red ones. That's why I have my garden fenced in.)