|
Wed, Dec 19, 12 at 19:01
| I have an outbreak of small caterpillars on my oriental greens and turnips. They're somewhat transparent and have brownish heads, and look nothing like the typical cole crop caterpillar pest that I normally deal with in spring and summer (loopers, imported cabbageworms, etc.). At their largest, they're less than 3/8" long and quite plump. The plants are in a bed that's been under an Agribon row cover since mid-October. The bed also includes various lettuces, kohlrabi, and arugula, none of which have been affected -- just turnips and oriental greens. Any ideas? |
This post was edited by shazaam on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 12:56
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| please post pictures |
|
| I've finally got around to uploading a photo. Do these caterpillars look familiar to anyone? |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 13:11
| young cutworms ????? .... brown or dirt colored when a bit older one of the earliest for me.. ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
|
| Maybe? I did a little reading, and there are cutworm species that feed on foliage, which these guys certainly do. They do extensive damage to the leaves, and I suspect that they're nocturnal, because, during the day, I find them hiding out at the base of the stems. They seem to be endless in supply -- they've been doing damage for six or eight weeks, and I continue to see teeny tiny ones as well as the larger ones as in my photo. |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 18:31
| sevin works on them ... i dont know about organic solutions ... since you are working on edibles.. i think .... lol research what they turn into.. and go after those later in the season ... eh???? ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: change search to cutworm moth .. bet you see a lot of them around..
|
| handpicking works, too |
|
| Oops. Meant to add that you could cage a plant or two, allow the critters to grow to adults, then post more pictures. |
|
| I'm a long-time hand-picker. :) I'd rather spend 30 minutes picking cabbageworm eggs and caterpillars off of leaves than spend 5 minutes spraying the same leaves with bt. I really, really dislike spraying anything. That being said, these guys are virtually impossible to remove by hand because of their numbers and the fact that they start out so small and tuck themselves away so securely. At this point, I've resorted to spraying with an insecticidal soap. I'll evaluate my progress this weekend, and I may try bt, as well. The suggestion to isolate a couple of plants and let them grow is a good idea. |
This post was edited by shazaam on Fri, Jan 11, 13 at 21:22
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Garden Clinic Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.