If you plant vegetables in the garden, you have to reckon with pests. Broccoli, like many other types of cabbage, is particularly affected by some insect pests. To reduce the risk of pest infestation, you should pay attention to mixed cultures.
If the larvae of the cabbage white butterfly are not fought in time, things will end badly for the broccoli
Cabbage White
The moths lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves so that the larvae that hatch from them find optimal feeding conditions. Severe pitting occurs on the affected plants. Dirt in the faeces can also be seen. The caterpillars gnaw the entire leaf tissue down to the leaf veins. This skeleton feeding is typical for the small cabbage white from June onwards. Its offspring eat into the broccoli heads, causing them to die. The second generation of the greater cabbage white causes greater damage from July to September.
take countermeasures
In order to prevent an infestation, you must act before the flight times of the butterfly species. Protect the young plants with bird protection nets so that the cabbage whites cannot find an opportunity to lay their eggs. If you discover egg packets on the leaves, wipe them off with your finger.
cabbage fly
Adult flying insects lay their eggs on the root neck. The larvae eat into the root tissue, causing the broccoli to exhibit stunted growth and wilted leaves. To identify an infestation, pull the vegetable out of the ground. Depending on the stage of development, you can see white maggots, their feeding passages or the brownish pupae.
What helps
Place a plastic or corrugated collar around the root collar. When the cabbage fly lays its eggs on it, they dry out in the sun. Rock flour (€14.13) helps to prevent oviposition if you sprinkle it thickly around the root neck or pile up the young plants with soil. Close-meshed vegetable protection nets prevent the flies from reaching the substrate.
carrot fleas
The blue-black colored insects, which are up to four millimeters long, move by jumping. While the larvae cause little damage, adult flea beetles are a threat to vegetable crops. Tender broccoli leaves are on her menu. Feeding damage can be seen on young plants that have developed from no-till. A heavy infestation can lead to Heartlessness. This crop pest prefers drought.
How to protect the vegetables:
- Keep soil constantly moist
- Loosen the substrate regularly
- Mulch the beds well
- Attach nets (mesh size: 0.8 x 0.8 mm).
cabbage ringworm midge
The tiny larvae can lead to regional failures in broccoli culture. They eat into the plant tissue and cause stunted growth in the main growing point. Scabbed structures in the heart area are typical. If the pest infestation is left untreated, there is a risk of heartlessness.
How to protect the culture
Plant broccoli as late as possible and place the vegetables in wind-exposed and dry beds. Stretch crop protection nets over the plants and make sure that the nets are firmly anchored to the ground at the edges.