Despite the dominance at our counters of exotic fruits, the main source of vitamin C in the winter was and remains cabbage. But to please yourself and the family with delicious sauerkraut , you first need to protect it from a lot of voracious insects. About what pests eat cabbage, and about the basic methods of struggle against them you can learn from our article.
What pests eat cabbage?Enemy number 1 - cruciferous (cabbage) flea
Season of hunting for delicate cabbage leaves opens with the first really hot days from the attack of cruciferous fleas. This small (2-3 mm in length) and quite harmless at first glance jumping insect has such an active appetite that it is capable in a few days to destroy a huge plantation of cabbage seedlings. To consume it, it prefers tender cotyledon leaves. But for a more adult plant flea is not so terrible.
Enemy number 2 - caterpillars
A small butterfly of delicate colors called cabbage is known to "in the face" almost all children. But they can not even imagine how many sorrows the cabbage leaves bring to truck farmers, laying on the back of the cabbage leaves a lot of eggs, from which voracious caterpillars hatch over time. In addition to cabbage, cabbage moth and cabbage scoop are used to feed offspring with cabbage juice.
Enemy No. 3 - aphids
Tlu by full right can be called an expert of camouflage - her body has a light green color, so that it almost merges with the surface of the cabbage leaves. Suspected the presence of this pest can be by the appearance of cabbage - its leaves are discolored and twisted, and the head stops its development.
Enemy number 4 - cabbage fly
The appearance of this pest should be expected if the summer turned out to be cold and rainy. Externally, the cabbage fly differs from its home namesake by a slightly smaller size and a yellowish coloration of the body. But the main damage to cabbage does not cause it, but its ever-hungry larvae, literally at the root of the whole crop.
Enemy No. 5 - Slugs
Lovers of night feasts, slugs are used to sit out in the afternoon between cabbage leaves, which greatly complicates the struggle with them. In addition to eating leaves, slugs are also dangerous because they carry various fungal diseases, such as mealy and gray rot .
How to scare off pests from cabbage?
Whatever kind of cabbage is not an object of pest attack, chemical preparations for fighting them can be used only in the most extreme case. Thus, to the services of a truck farmer there are many proven folk remedies. What is better to spray cabbage from pests and how to do it correctly? In the fight against fleas, you can use the stepsons of tomatoes, potato tops and garlic, which must be finely chopped and insisted for 2-3 hours in the proportion of 1 cup of the mixture per 10 liters of water. Then add soap to the infusion and sprinkle the leaves. Cure from aphids, caterpillars and slugs will help infusion of tobacco dust (1 glass), wood ash (1 glass) and mustard powder (1 tablespoon) with the addition of liquid soap (1 glass). Well show themselves and mechanical methods of fighting, such as the collection of pests and the construction of various traps. For example, you can get slugs from under the cabbage leaves if you dig a small container with beer or fermented compote on the perimeter of the bed. The butterflies of the scoop can be attracted by spreading a bright fire at night. Safely grow cabbage to inedible for the flea condition can be using any covering material, allowing the sun's rays.