# Need some help with cabbage



## crafty2002 (Aug 23, 2006)

My chickens have gotten into the garden a few times and they love my cabbage but I got to looking today and they are in worse shape than when the chickens got them.
There are round holes in the leaves and some are big enough to stick my thumb in.
Will seven dust take care of what ever it is or is there any other thing I can use??? 
It was almost dark when I saw it so I haven't had a chance to check everything else but it stood out on the cabbage plants bad. 

I wasn't really worried about it at the time because a ----ed black snake bit me but I am alright and getting back to working on it now.
At least it wasn't a cotton mouth this time.

Anyone have any idea what may be attacking the cabbage??? I live in south central Va. if that helps. 
Thanks for any help.
Dennis


----------



## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i prefer to use rotenone on stuff like cabbage and broccoli and such. it kills many bugs but is safe enough for people. you may have slugs. take a look at night and see what you find. DE works good for slugs, but it is a pain to have to keep applying it after it rains.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Some people use clean wood ashes on cabbage. I would use the rotenone.


----------



## Mysticdream44 (Dec 29, 2004)

It sounds like cabbage worms to me attacking your plants. I'm not sure what to tell you to use.

But I do have a tip for you. You know how sometimes the cabbage gets just big enough and then it rains or something and the head will burst? Well I learned this from a friend of mines father when I was a girl. Dust your cabbage with garden lime and that won't happen. They always had the most beautiful big cabbages I've ever seen. Once they gave us a head of cabbage that weighted 18 lbs. There was never any worms or anything in them so maybe the lime would help with that too.


----------



## Chele (Dec 1, 2005)

I have always used Sevin on my cabbage plants. It's probably not the safest route to go, but it takes care of all the little attacking critters. I've noticed that when there are cabbage worms there are also little white butterflies fluttering about the garden. That's how I know if I can't find any actual worms. I've also had problems with little tiny black bugs on my cabbage family plants. They look like fleas. The Sevin takes care of those too.


----------



## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

Sounds like cabbage caterpillars to me. They attack most anything in the cole crop family -- cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. They are the larvae of the little white or yellowish moths you see flying around your plants. You will also see pellets and clumps of dark greenish material inbetween the leaves -- this is their waste.

We have always used B.t. for this. It's a bacteria that only affects caterpillars -- they eat it, stop eating, and die. It ONLY affects them; it's VERY safe to use. And it really works! Some brand names I can think of are Dipel and Thuricide.

We start spraying it as soon as we see the moths flying around.

One friend paid her kids to go out and net the moths . . . perhaps your family would like to try that method!


----------



## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

Marcia in MT said:


> Sounds like cabbage caterpillars to me. They attack most anything in the cole crop family -- cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. They are the larvae of the little white or yellowish moths you see flying around your plants. You will also see pellets and clumps of dark greenish material inbetween the leaves -- this is their waste.
> 
> We have always used B.t. for this. It's a bacteria that only affects caterpillars -- they eat it, stop eating, and die. It ONLY affects them; it's VERY safe to use. And it really works! Some brand names I can think of are Dipel and Thuricide.
> 
> ...


:goodjob:
I will second what marcia says. BT is very safe and effective against cabbage moth caterpillars. Sevin also works well, but, maybe not as safe.


----------



## crafty2002 (Aug 23, 2006)

Thanks fr the answers. Maybe they will help on round two. Round one was a knock out and the ground hog won. 
I am getting sick of watching this stuff grow and then disapear over night or even while I make a trip to the store during the day. :flame: 

I will be clad when I can afford to fence it in. This is breaking my heart. 

Thanks again
Dennis


----------



## Humburger (Sep 13, 2007)

Yes. I agree. Use BT. Very safe and works very well for me. Also, it wouldn't hurt to get used to having a LITTLE damage to your cabbages. Not a lot, but a little won't hurt. I always recommend BT. :-D


----------



## crafty2002 (Aug 23, 2006)

I just made a post, and have no idea why I started a new thread except lack of better sense, but I got one of the ground hogs that ate my cabbage. He wondered into the trap wanting the apple,......

This is probably a stupid question but what is BT????? I have never heard of it.

fishhead, i still have a bucket of ashes from the winter. What do you do, just sprinkle it on the plant??? Even that I wonder about using because I made some heavy duty lye useing ashed this winter. 
I could sift it and put it on with my duster I use for sevin dust. I have some more seeds started for cabbage already that should be breaking ground in a day or so, so I may as well learn this now before I get attacked again. 

Once again, any more help will be appriciated.
Dennis


----------



## Humburger (Sep 13, 2007)

BT = Bacillus thuringiensis

It comes in a few different brand names. It is an organic virus/bacteria/(?) that causes sickness in the larvae of moths and butterflies; i.e., cabbage worms. It works really well and it is not a poison. There are other similar products, too. I think it may come in a dust, but I usually use the liquid and my pump sprayer.


----------



## Kim_NC (Sep 5, 2007)

Dennis....a common brand of BT in this part of the country is "Worm Whipper". It's sold as a powder/dust. Works like a charm. It's probably available in southern VA too.


----------



## EDDIE BUCK (Jul 17, 2005)

Another common name "DIPEL"


----------



## How Do I (Feb 11, 2008)

Our cabbage got hit by both Imported Cabbageworm & Cross-Striped Cabbageworm this year. I've picked off all of the imported cabbageworms, but the cross-striped seem to keep coming from nowhere. I've turned over _every leaf_ and by their waste I only seem to have one plant left with a culprit or two. I may try the lime before resorting to bt, since they seem to be now isolated to one last plant.


----------



## crafty2002 (Aug 23, 2006)

Thanks for the answers. 
Now does anyone have an outside air conditioner for sale, LOL. An hour out there and everything turns white. I wasn't sure I would get back up here last shot and I still din't feel like getting back at it. The pain meds says avoid direct sun light and I think they really mean it too. Well, I will wait until it gets back down below 80 degrees again. 
I'll call Southern States and see what they have as far as BT goes, but until I get some more up again I won't need anything. Yahoo, yahoo, After I said that I thought I needed to check the trays to see if they needed watering and everything is popping up already. 
Cabbage, squash, 3 types of tomatoes, and peppers too, but the okra hasn't broke the ground yet. Give it time. Maybe it will. 
Thanks again.
Dennis


----------



## mark68 (Oct 31, 2007)

i spray hot sauce diluted at 1 part water to 2 parts hotsauce, spray it on weekly before worms are present, i use it on my tomatoes, peppers, corn, etc. i usually have pretty good luck with it, but i would rather put up with a couple worms than digest all the chemicals that getted absorbed into the plant, such as seven.


----------



## crafty2002 (Aug 23, 2006)

mark68 said:


> i spray hot sauce diluted at 1 part water to 2 parts hotsauce, spray it on weekly before worms are present, i use it on my tomatoes, peppers, corn, etc. i usually have pretty good luck with it, but i would rather put up with a couple worms than digest all the chemicals that getted absorbed into the plant, such as seven.


I am just asking here so don't take it wrong, but are you sure you said that right??? One part water to 2 parts hot sause. 

I am thinking of making a mixtyre of eggs yokes, hot sause, vingar, and water. Any thought about this concoction???
Thanks, Dennis


----------

