Although the vegetable grows quickly and often stays on the bed for no more than a month, radishes are occasionally plagued by pests. These can lead to complete crop failure if you do not take timely action against an infestation.
Radishes infested with the cabbage fly can usually no longer be saved
Small Cabbage Fly
The five to six millimeter large turnip fly differs from the house fly not only in its smaller size, but also in its thick hair. Their larvae eat into the root tissue until they pupate. If radishes are infested with the cabbage fly, they usually die and have to be disposed of.
You can do this preventively
Stretch close-meshed culture protection nets over the bed. This will prevent the adult flies from laying their eggs on the substrate at the base of the plant. If the pupae overwinter in the ground, the measure is not effective. Therefore, loosen the soil thoroughly before planting and remove all weeds. This exposes overwintering stages so that they dry out in the air.
aphids
These plant sap suckers can be found on almost all plants. They colonize leaves and shoots and excrete sticky secretions, which form a breeding ground for sooty fungi. The affected parts of the plant show yellow discoloration and wither if the pests spread unhindered.
How to get rid of lice:
- Rinse off aphid colonies with a hard jet of water
- Spread a mixture of 70 percent water and 30 percent rapeseed oil on the plants
- Spray neem oil in high dilution to kill insects
- Spray oregano tea to deter aphids
- Sprinkle rock flour over the vegetables
flea beetles
The tiny fleas are no larger than three millimeters and can be black, blue, bronze or metallic in color. Their activity is particularly high in dry and warm conditions. Infested radishes show pitting on the leaves, which wither with increasing spread and increased suction intensity of the pests.
Here's how to get help
Keep the substrate evenly moist so flea beetles find suboptimal living conditions. The regular hooking of the bed also proves to be useful. Overwintering eggs can be harmed by stroking the area with a gas torch flame.
cutworms
The brown to gray colored owlet moths lay their eggs on the substrate so that their larvae find suitable food sources. They feed on the roots and occasionally aboveground plant parts of radishes and overwinter in the ground. Infested plants show stagnant growth or stunted if the infestation is widespread.
What helps
If you come across cutworms while weeding, you should collect them. An attractant is helpful in getting the pests that live deeper in the soil to the surface. Prepare a mixture of bran, sugar, ground bitterwood and water and spread the mixture over the bed. Treatment with SC nematodes kills even the last harmful insects.