Caterpillars in your cabbage or tomatos or onions or lettuce or anything?

[Chuck]

Caterpillars are really a PITA. They do all kinds of damage and there isn't really any telltale sign that they are there until you see the damage and the damage is almost instant once they hatch out. Catterpillars come from moth eggs and the moths usually fly at night so you never see them or their eggs. But happily (at least in the US) they are easily controlled organically by products whose active ingredient is Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt for short. Usually the reciepie is 2 oz Bt per gallon of water and if you add 1 oz of molasses it makes it at least twice as good. Spray late in the afternoon before any sign of damage and once a week thereafter and I doubt you will ever even see a caterpillar. A caterpillar takes one bite of a leaf that has Bt on it and he stops feeding right then and there and will be DRT in about 4 hours.

 

[firelily99]

I don't have caterpillars in my cabbage because I don't grow it. However I do know people who do and they will benefit greatly from your information. I think that more people would grow organically if they had readily available info regarding chemicals.

 

[Lostvalleyguy]

Anything of the cabbage family is prone to these nasty creatures. I am always reluctant to use pesticides and so I wave steered away from cabbage and brussels sprouts as a result of having the problem. If the product is organic and available in Canada (which it likely is) I might give this family of plants another go. It is always a bit of a shame to have to limit one's plant choices because of garden pests and I am glad to see a trend towards more natural ways of controlling them.

 

[Chuck]

Anything of the cabbage family is prone to these nasty creatures. I am always reluctant to use pesticides and so I wave steered away from cabbage and brussels sprouts as a result of having the problem. If the product is organic and available in Canada (which it likely is) I might give this family of plants another go. It is always a bit of a shame to have to limit one's plant choices because of garden pests and I am glad to see a trend towards more natural ways of controlling them.

I am sure it is available. GreenLight makes it along with a bunch of others. What is good about it is the wide spectrum of insects it controls. It is all over the internet. It also has a small residual effect but nothing like pyrethrum or the numerous pyrethroids of which I do not endorse no matter if they are organic or not.

 

[headfullofbees]

Here in the UK, it's cabbage white butterflies whose caterpillars cause most damage.
They lay their yellow eggs on the underside of brassica leaves, and when they hatch, they will decimate any and all brassicas.
I check mine regularly when we have butterfly weather, and squish them with my thumb.

 

[Chuck]

Here in the UK, it's cabbage white butterflies whose caterpillars cause most damage.
They lay their yellow eggs on the underside of brassica leaves, and when they hatch, they will decimate any and all brassicas.
I check mine regularly when we have butterfly weather, and squish them with my thumb.

If you apply Bt regularly you don't have to squish them. As soon as they hatch and take the first bite they are basically DRT. Think about the ones you don't find. I Cannot stress enough how good this stuff works. It has literally made caterpillar damage a thing of the past if used correctly. The same thing with beetle larvae and stink bugs with Spinosad

 

[Pat]

I have avoided growing plants that attract caterpillars because of the damage they do to the garden. I have not heard of Bt but will find it and use it in the garden to rid it of caterpillars. Thanks for the hint.

 

[claudine]

I love butterflies, I find them beautiful. In my opinion they look like flying flowers This is why I never kill caterpillars. I'd rather let them eat some of the plants in my garden than let them die. Call me a helpless romantic, but in my opinion the world without butterflies would be sad and empty

 

[R.R.]

http://1gardening.wordpress.com

This blog tells you how to keep ants off flowering vines, vegetables and flowers.

Gets your plants to grow faster in a small amount of time.

Learn shortcuts in plant growing.

Does your blog tell you how to get rid of caterpillars? I just checked your first 19 posts, and you seem to either be posting links to your blog or to the video on Aquaponics.

 

[R.R.]

I doubt it.
My point is, you're new here but are not taking part in the conversations. You're just promoting your gardening blog. If somebody here asks a question about caterpillars, for example, they'll want the answer here. Why don't you just type your answers here, if you have any, instead of pasting the same link in every post you make?

 

[Chuck]

I doubt it.
My point is, you're new here but are not taking part in the conversations. You're just promoting your gardening blog. If somebody here asks a question about caterpillars, for example, they'll want the answer here. Why don't you just type your answers here, if you have any, instead of pasting the same link in every post you make?

Click on the sources in the blog. The "answers" are somebody elses. It is all just cut and paste

 

[R.R.]

You're right, Chuck.

 

[R.R.]

You're right, James, you're getting visits on your blog now, because of people's curiosity. Let me know how many subscribers you get, or how many of these people go back there after this is over. It's not like you have lots of useful information there.

You're new here. Play by the rules, even if they are unwritten. Get to know people, answer their questions (if you know the answer) by typing an answer here, not by sending links to your blog, which by the way doesn't talk about caterpillars that I have seen. You don't introduce yourself to a forum by pasting links to your site on your first 19 posts. Here's an idea: use the signature feature to have a permanent link there. Every single time you post, people will see the link and you won't be considered a spammer.

 

[headfullofbees]

Useful information, I am new at this.

You'll be made very welcome, and it DOES look like you have a valuable contribution to make.