This week it is on Broccoli and how to keep pesky pests out of your plants. Included also is a link to why growing broccoli is a great way to maintain your health. Enjoy!
Growing Broccoli whilst minimising pest problems will mean following some sort of crop rotation plan.
This simply means not growing vegetables of the same family in the same piece of earth year after year...it encourages pest build up in the soil. For Broccoli this also means - Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Turnip, Cauliflower.
Cabbage Root Fly can be a problem so use protective discs at the base of the growing Broccoli as they lay their eggs in the soil at this point and when they hatch the little maggots burrow down and feed on the roots.These discs can be made from old bits of hession backed carpet, underlay or roofing felt - use your imagination, or purchase them ready made from a garden nursery or DIY store.
Also cover with gardening fleece when the plants are young. Fleece is a great friend to the gardener, it allows rain and light through but insulates against frost and deters pests.
Keep a watchfull eye for the appearance of Caterpillars as left unattended they will devastate your growing Broccoli plants. They feed on the underside of the leaves and the best answere is to just pick them off and... squish `em.
They also lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves too so look for yellow clusters aannndddd... squish `em. If you you haven't the time to keep squishing - or the stomach, then use `Just Caterpillar`. It uses nematodes to provide an environmentally safe and efficient treatment which can be watered straight onto edible plants.
Use `Just Caterpillar` once they are seen on the plant, preferably whilst they are still small, and the nematodes will quickly seek out the caterpillar and kill it. Get it from your garden centre.
It`s a blood thirsty game learning how to grow Broccoli - the carnage is terrible. ;0)
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| Aphids are a serious pest, weakening your growing Broccoli plants and introducing viruses which further weaken plants. Spray with Derris if infestation is serious. | Eggs of the Large White butterfly. Caterpillars can defoliate a plant quickly so watch out for them. Inspect the underside of the leaves for clusters and squish them. Practice your tennis strokes when the butterfly is about | Caterpillar of the Small White butterfly. Defoliates plants quickly, watch out for them. Pick off and destroy, use a nematode spray or spray with Derris. Eggs are laid under leaves in a random way, not in clusters, nor are they brightly coloured. |
Club Root is a fungus and all brassicas (thats the family umberalla for Broccoli along with Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Turnip, Cauliflower) can be affected.
The roots of your young growing Broccoli become stubby and swollen. Leaves become yellow and wilt causing severe stunting of growth. This causes swelling and reduces the flow of water and nutrients to the plant. Spores are produced and can survive in the soil for up to five years.
Prevent club root by practicing crop rotation and take extreme care if you buy in seedlings from outside as this is often the way this fungus is introduced.
Reducing the acidity of the soil by adding lime will help.
Aphids can be a serious pest by weakening your growing Broccoli plants and introducing viruses. Try planting Marigolds or Tagetes plants among the crop. They attract beneficial insects like hover flies and ladybirds which feed on the Aphids and will help reduce the infestation.
Knowing how nature operates helps us understand how to grow Broccoli and other vegetables in a way that helps your environment positively. But spraying is the only way to make a real impact on badly infested plants.
Get advice from your garden center for sprays that can be used - they change so regularly as new legislation takes effect.
Flea Beatles are tiny beetles that can make sieves out of your brassica leaves. When you touch the Broccoli leaves they ping off just like regular fleas, only these won't bite you! To deter them:
- Use horticultural fleece placed over your broccoli, as soon as you transplant them outside; a floating row cover.
- Lightly hoe over the soil regularly to destroy eggs and larvae and expose them to predators.
- Give your plants a mid-day shower with the hose (not in full sun though), as they're most active then and they don`t like wet conditions.
- Try `Companion Planting`, to attract the beneficial insects.
Vast changes have taken place in the UK and Europe concerning the availability of pesticides during recent years to the extent that most have been removed from retailers shelves. Visit your garden centre or nursery and seek their advice as what to use.
When your learning how to grow Broccoli, it is important to be able to recognise the pests from the goodies - you don`t want to kill the goodies if you can help it. So observation is the way to to become knowledgeable... it all adds to the enjoyment.
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