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Sprouts, Kale and cabbage white catapillars

TreePrettyTreePretty Posts: 24
in Fruit & veg
I stupidly neglected to net my brassicas and have been infested with cabbage white catapillars.

I am pulling all the brocoli (to the delight of the chickens) but was wondering whether the sprouts and kale were salvageable? The buds on the sprouts are barely there and there are some relatively untouched kale leaves.

I thought if I pulled all the catapillars off the sprouts and took off the worst of the kale leaves they might be ok.

Advice greatly received as I don't want to spend hours catapillar hunting if its a pointless endeavour 😒




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Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Th e sprouts and kale look perfectly salvageable.  I've had good crops from much more damaged plants than that.  Just inspect twice a day ... look out for long thin green caterpillars  hiding down along the leaf stems as well as the stripey yellow and green ones munching the leaves from the back as well as the front.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    I agree and it's also not too late to net them. Pick off all that you can find, net them and keep checking for the caterpillars, as Dove says. The green ones are exactly the colour of the kale leaves so really hard to spot until you 'get your eye in'.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • IgrowfromseedIgrowfromseed Posts: 284
    Not sure why others are not using bacillus thuriengiensis as a biological control. One spray and all existing caterpillars and any futures ones this season will be killed. 
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Igrowfromseed said:
    Not sure why others are not using bacillus thuriengiensis as a biological control. One spray and all existing caterpillars and any futures ones this season will be killed. 
    Haven't convinced myself that I need to kill butterflies. A net does the job perfectly well with far fewer unintended consequence risks
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Prevention is almost always better than the cure. 👍 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • barry islandbarry island Posts: 1,847
    Igrowfromseed said:
    Not sure why others are not using bacillus thuriengiensis as a biological control. One spray and all existing caterpillars and any futures ones this season will be killed. 
    I thought that looks interesting but read this? https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/blogs/news/beware-illegal-pesticides-available-online
  • TreePrettyTreePretty Posts: 24
    Thanks @raisingirl and @Dovefromabove - Ive pulled the brocoli today, hunted catapillars on the sprouts, kale and cauliflowers (they are younger than the brocoli so weren't as affetced) and I've pulled the worst of the leaves off the kale.

    Will get them netted on Friday - fingers crossed.

    And yes, won't be looking at the bacillus thuriengiensis - I'm trying to avoid chemicals unless necessary and it does appear to be not licensed for home use in the UK anyway!
  • WilderbeastWilderbeast Posts: 1,415
    @barry island Charles Dowding does advocate this as a method of control along with netting, I was going to try it next year as it's allowed in organic growing. Seems I'll have to rethink that now. 
  • barry islandbarry island Posts: 1,847
    Charles Dowding wouldn't advocate anything illegal so maybe that article is incorrect the interweb isn't infallible.
  • WilderbeastWilderbeast Posts: 1,415
    @barry island don't think he advocated it wrongly just maybe he's aiming at market gardeners sometimes, professional growers are allowed to use it 
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