Operation Brussels Sprouts to the Dinner Table – Dealing with the Cabbage White Butterfly & Caterpillars

I’m on a mission this year to grow Brussels Sprouts and I’m pinning all my hopes on a new method of planting called ‘Hiding the plant in the greenhouse!’ Yes, I am serious.

You may say, “that’s ridiculous” or you may say “actually you might have a good idea there”. We are about to see whether my mad cap idea has worked.

Brussels Sprouts plant – a week ago

Why am I hiding the Brussels Sprouts Plant in the greenhouse?

It may not be such a far fetched idea to hide the Brussels sprouts plant in the greenhouse, I’m doing this for the following reason’s:

  • Cabbage White Butterflies – apparently they don’t like the smell of Tomatoes and there are tons of them in the greenhouse.
  • No Netting Covering Plant – I’ve done netting before and if you don’t get it right I.e. block all the holes up, the butterflies are in laying their eggs before you sit down for a cup of tea!
  • Also under the netting, you can’t see the tiny caterpillars until it’s too late and they are suddenly big caterpillars, there is a small window of opportunity for removal here. The big caterpillars are hairy and did I mention I’m allergic to those so I don’t want to see any of them!
  • I am under no illusion – There will be the determined Cabbage White Butterfly – So with no netting I’m taking a huge risk but I am remaining vigilant and checking all leaves daily and I am hoping to get ahead in the caterpillars removal.
  • No Hassle of a Cage Setup – Honestly I haven’t got enough room in the raised beds for a cage this year as I’ve grown extra onions. However I did still want to attempt to get some Brussels sprouts this year hence this alternative plan instead.
  • A Pot in the greenhouse – this is so it’s portable and not heavy to move so I can move it out of the greenhouse to search for eggs and caterpillars.

Previous Brussels Sprout Growing Attempts on Sow, Grow, Harvest…

Brussels sprouts – Year 1 – Eaten by Caterpillars

The Brassica Pest that doesn’t give up – The Cabbage White Butterfly

If anyone has grown any type of Brassica plant like Cabbages, Brussels sprouts, kohl Rabi, broccoli and any mustard plants, you will know how a Cabbage White Butterfly can smell these plants miles away and is attracted to them like a moth to a light bulb!

My information chart below, shows how the Cabbage White Butterfly takes hold of your plants and they are one of the most determined pests on the planet.

Cabbage White Butterfly Cycle

How to Check if your Brassica Plant has succumb to the Cabbage White Butterfly

  • 1. Have you seen White Butterflies? If you see Cabbage White Butterflies locally when you are out walking, they are active everywhere including your garden, start checking your plants before it’s too late. They tend to appear in July in the UK.
Cabbage White Butterfly
  • 2. Check the underside of ALL leaves for tiny clusters of bright yellow eggs. Remove them with your fingers, wear gloves if squeamish. Congrats you just saved your plants from the caterpillar attacks!
  • 3. Holes in Leaves? Black specks in centre of plant? It pains me to say, you already have caterpillars, tiny green ones approx 1-3cm long, will be hiding and blending in with the colour of the leaves.
  • The leaves will need close inspection around the veins, stem of the leaf, any part of the leaf which is curling up. Check once and then again later and squish any caterpillars wearing gloves.
  • If you can’t bear to kill the caterpillars, have some nasturtium flowers handy away from your brassicas and put them on there, they absolutely love eating them too!

What sort of holes am I looking for on my leaves?

Holes in leaves of Brussels Sprouts made caterpillars

  • 4. Keep Checking Leaves Daily – you can almost guarantee you’ll have missed one or two caterpillars that were hiding yesterday. Remember the aim here is to catch the caterpillars young before they get too big or the holes in your leaves will get bigger!

What do the tiny green Cabbage White Butterfly Caterpillars look like?

Zoomed in Tiny Green Cabbage White Caterpillar

Growing Update on Brussels Sprouts in a pot

Shortly after writing this article, I went on Holiday and took my eye off the Brussels Sprouts leaves and the Cabbage White Butterfly took advantage of my break in routine and laid its eggs which hatched into tiny caterpillars by the time I’d come back.

Brussels sprouts plant with holes in leaves

Tiny green Caterpillars have now been removed and are being removed daily again. There are not many holes in the leaves and the plant looks otherwise healthy.

We have very tiny Sprouts!

The good news is the very tiny sprouts are just starting to form in the cracks of the leaf branches.

Sprouts starting to form on plant.

Subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss the concluding part of whether I got sprouts on my dinner table or not!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gardening Queries on Mogra Plant – Why My Jasmine Plant is Not Flowering & Growing

Image
Why My Jasmine Plant is Not Flowering We are excited to introduce our new initiative – Gardening Queries , where we will answer some of the most common gardening problems faced by plant lovers. Whether you’re struggling with slow plant growth, lack of flowers, or any other gardening issue, we are here to help! Jasmine plant In this edition, we will be discussing one of the most frequently asked questions about Mogra (Arabian Jasmine) plants – Why is my Mogra plant not growing or flowering? If your plant is not thriving despite your best efforts, don’t worry! We’ve got the solutions you need. So, let’s get started: Jasmine or Mogra is one of the most beloved flowering plants known for its fragrant white blooms. However, many gardeners face issues where their Mogra plant either doesn’t grow properly or fails to flower despite proper care. If you’re struggling with this, you’re not alone! Let’s address the most common Mogra plant problems with solutions to help your plant...
Read more

Planting Onions (from seed) in a Raised Bed

Image
It’s mid April and time to plant out the Onions I grew from seed in January. It’s a fairly simple process of removing the onions from their modules and planting out in a hole in the soil. There’s a few things you should know about transplanting onions: Prepare your raised beds with compost, either a) Dig a trench and add compost into it. Onions are shallow rooted so the roots will sit in the compost. OR b) Use the No Dig method and add to the top of the soil and rake it until it’s level with no clumps. The microorganisms and rain will take the nutrients into the soil. Plant your onions by removing from their cells, placing them out on the soil to find the spacing requirements. Then dig one hole per onion seedling to plant them in. Plant them in the soil from their modules and try not to disturb the roots. Plant level with the soil and back fill around the seedling with soil. Spacing – Give your onions room to breathe, when they get larger. Onions are shallow rooted but they don...
Read more

When and How to Give Fertilizer to Jasmine Plant for Maximum Flowering

Image
When and How to Give Fertilizer to Jasmine Plant   Fertilizers are essential for providing the necessary nutrients to the soil and plants to support optimal growth. When plants require fertilizers, they exhibit various symptoms, including: 1. Dull, faded, or curled leaves. 2. Stagnant or limited plant growth. 3. Withered or deteriorating plant condition. 4. Failure to form buds. 5. Bud formation without subsequent flower development. 6. Blooming flowers that lack fragrance. Jasmine Flower For Jasmine plants, regular pruning is recommended to encourage the growth of branches, buds, and flowers. To ensure the plant’s growth aligns with the desired pace, it’s important to match the nutrient requirements. Adjusting the dosage of different fertilizers based on the plant’s various growth phases is a key practice. When and How to Give Fertilizer to Jasmine Plant   During Growing phase of the plant During Flowering Phase of the Plant A. Growing phase of the pl...
Read more