It is well known that choosing and planting seedlings of cabbage is only the first step on the way to a good harvest. The most important thing in growing cabbage is to be able to save cabbage beds from diseases and pests. Often, gardeners do not know what to do, noticing that stains appear on the leaves of the lovingly planted cabbage, and only with a grief they observe how the leaves turn yellow, turn white and twist. Than to process cabbage if leaves at it wither and twist, and why it occurs, you can learn from our article.
Why do cabbage twist the leaves?
The main reason why the leaves of cabbage begin to dry up, become covered with whitish spots and curl - the invasion of cabbage aphids. These small insects of inconspicuous greyish-white color prefer to live in large colonies, eating cabbage juice. Before the onset of winter, they lay a myriad of eggs on cabbage sticks, and on weeds growing nearby. In the spring of the overwintering eggs, larvae of aphids appear, which, after some 10-14 days, turn into adult females. Those, in turn, give a new offspring. As a result, even the most extensive cabbage beds are completely affected by cabbage aphids in a rather short time. During one season, the plant grows over 16 generations of aphids, and both larvae and adult insects use cabbage juice for nutrition. Suffered by such an invasion of cabbage rapidly loses vitality, its leaves are covered with spots, dry up and over time the cabbage dies. Cabbage cabbage, able aphids, either does not form, or forms excessively deformed. Especially active aphids reproduce in moderately wet and warm weather, so a warm rainy summer gardeners need to be especially careful.
Is it possible to save cabbage if its leaves twist and dry?
Although the fight against aphids occupation is not easy enough, but with the regular implementation of protective measures, success is quite possible. First, after harvesting, it is necessary to carefully destroy all the infected cabbage sticks and weeds on which aphid eggs can hibernate. The land on the site where the cabbage was grown should be smelled, thus leaving no aphids for eggs without a chance to survive the frosts safely.
Secondly, to reduce the number of aphids, it is possible to use its natural enemies - ladybirds, lacewings and flies.
Thirdly, if the first signs of cabbage aphids' lesions are discovered, it is necessary to start treating the site with insecticides. What can be treated with cabbage if the leaves of it are curled and dry up? For the first treatment, a mixture of 5 grams of potassium chloride and 10 grams of superphosphate extract is usually used,