Dave Newell Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Okay, as a few of you may remember I have a tiny back garden and built a raised bed for veg a few years ago. This year because of other commitments I decided not to bother with much gardening but I had 5 cabbage plants in since last September. Pigeons decimated them just before Christmas but I netted them over and they've come back well. We just take a couple of leaves when we want some. We just got back from a holiday in Ireland and have discovered an infestation of catdrpillars who have been feasting on them. Does anyone know of a non chemical treatment to get rid of cabbage munching caterpillars? These cabbages are three feet tall and some of the leaves were like elephant ears but none of them have been bitter or tough. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 What variety of cabbage did you plant Dave?............As they usually heart up in to a round ball, unless its the Chinese type.........Not that it matters as the only way to get rid of the Caterpillars is to pick them off by hand if you don't want to use chemicals:D..........I get Sue to do it(lol)...........Just spent the morning digging up my spuds, not a very good crop this year as I have had the blight:-(..................If we're still here next year I'll do some more raised beds:DThe biggest problem is motorhoming and growing veg don't mix too well:-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 I've just checked and they are Savoy, I can only assume its a combination of the hard winter and the weather we've had since that have caused the odd growth. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Dave Newell - 2011-08-07 4:25 PMI've just checked and they are Savoy, I can only assume its a combination of the hard winter and the weather we've had since that have caused the odd growth.D.I suspect your right there Dave, September is a bit late for planting cabbage I'd of thought:D.......But your getting a crop of tasty leaves which is more than I ever get(lol)........Brassicas and me don't mix:D.......Although I don't do bad with Purple Sprouting;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul- Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 The best way is to pick them off, but next time you buy netting go for butterfly nets it also keeps the pigeons off ;-) The cabbages are probably going to seed so you my find flower shoots too & they're also good eating Our spuds are very good to say we haven't had much rain, everything is bone dry so no blight here Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Savoy cabbages do not usually grow 3 ft tall, they are ground hugging plants and when ready for the table have a solid and hard round ball shape to them. To check if they really are Savoy’s the leaves have a crinkly pattern, not smooth. Having said that there was a warm weather spell early in the year, then a cool spell, this caused an unbalanced growth in many plants, causing them to become distorted in size and shape away from their normal pattern of growth. Caterpillars hatch from the eggs of the butterfly ‘Small White’ (Pieris rapae) (female) commonly known as the ‘Cabbage White’, the male is known as the Large White. All cabbage plants unless covered with close mesh netting will attract white butterflies. Yellow eggs will be laid on the underside of the middle sized leaves in tidy patterns of about 100. They will require checking under EVERY leaf every three days WITHOUT FAIL!! To destroy them simply squeeze the yellow grouped eggs between thumb and fingers, one each side of the leaf. The caterpillars will grow to about 40mm. If allowed to grow more than 15mm, they will spread everywhere and to every cabbage you have and will be a devil to catch!! When squashing the big ones the same thumb and finger applies, but make sure the caterpillar body is pointing away from as you its guts can burst like a jet from a water pistol or a spurt from a seagull's arse. Next time you go away check for eggs on the cabbages before you leave and immediately after returning, one week of butterfly eggs is manageable. 5 is an easy number to cope with. I have about 80 plants and they are checked every two days If you are lucky and have an active wasp nest nearby, they will remove many of the small caterpillars. Continuous checking is successful if you really want good cabbages. Pidgeons and Caterpillars, like all wild life are pests to anyone trying to grow food !! art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Dave, you have brought back a few childhood memories. My late father was a gardner by trade and secretary of the village horticultural show. He hated the cabbage white butterfly and its voracious caterpillar ( B****y maskalls). Strange to relate one of the most closely contested classes in the show was for the child with the biggest collection of dead CWs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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