One way of minimizing the number of pests in your cabbage patch is to plant the cabbage with companion plants. Hyssop, peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme and southernwood all help repel the moths and butterflies that lay the larvae that eat the cabbage.
Do I need to cover my cabbage plants?
Cabbage plants are easy to care for but watch out for pigeons and the caterpillars of small and large white butterflies, known as ‘cabbage whites’. Cover over your plants with a fine mesh netting to deter caterpillars, and string up some old CDs to deter birds.
When should you cover cabbage plants?
The optimum soil temperature for growth is 60 to 65°F. Young plants exposed to temperatures below 45°F for a period of time may bolt or form loose heads. Cover plants if cold weather is expected.
How do I protect my cabbage?
For a more in-depth infestation, make a repellent spray by mixing one tablespoon of dish soap with one cup of vegetable oil and one cup of water and spray down the entire plant, especially the underside of the leaves, where worms and other pests like to hide out.
Should you trim outer leaves of cabbage?
You can prune the leaves any time you want so long as a head has started forming. Prior to that, the plant needs those outer leaves to feed the roots and the forming head. You can remove diseased or pest-damaged leaves at any old time, of course, to keep your crop healthy.
What should not be planted near cabbage?
Cabbage should never be planted near tomatoes, beans, peppers or strawberries. In fact, this holds true for all plants in the brassica family, such as broccoli, kale, and cauliflower.
How do I keep caterpillars off my cabbage?
Non-pesticide control
- Where possible tolerate populations as cabbage caterpillars are food for many other creatures including parasitoid and social wasps and birds.
- Growing brassicas under fine netting or horticultural fleece can exclude adult butterflies and moths from laying eggs on the crop.
Does cabbage regrow after cutting?
“Most types of cabbage, if you do cut off the bottoms to regrow again, will sprout out some fresh leaves,” says Jabbour. Similar to lettuce, you can plant the cabbage once roots appear.
What is the best fertilizer for cabbage?
Best Fertilizer for Cabbage Reviews
- Dr. Earth Premium Gold All Purpose Fertilizer 4-4-4.
- JR Peters Classic Fertilizer 20-20-20.
- Triple 10 All Purpose Liquid Fertilizer 10-10-10.
- Jobe’s Organics Plant Food for Vegetables 2-5-3.
- Fox Farm Grow Big Liquid Fertilizer 6-4-4.
- Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Plus 15-9-12.
How many cabbages will one plant produce?
The plant will send up as many as 6 new heads – harvest when about tennis ball-size. Begin harvesting leaf cabbage about a month after planting by harvesting the outer leaves using the cut-and-come-again method.
What kills bugs on cabbage plants?
Neem oil is a wonderful, natural pesticide that can help kill off caterpillars and other soft-bodied pests in the garden (like aphids). It can be sprayed directly on the cabbage worms to kill them off. Neem oil can also be sprayed onto the plants to help repel the moths and butterflies from laying eggs.
What is attacking my cabbage plants?
A Cabbage root fly (Delia radicum) is a common cabbage-family pest. Its cream-coloured larvae feed on cabbage roots and can destroy plants very quickly. It’s especially bad where many cabbage-family plants are grown – on allotments or near fields of oilseed rape, for example.
What is attacking my cabbage?
Cutworms, imported cabbageworm, cabbage looper, diamondback moth larvae, and cross-striped cabbage worm can be each cause substantial damage to cabbage. These pests can cause serious damage to young transplants as well as causing serious leaf feeding damage to older plants.
How do I grow bigger cabbage?
When planting, make sure to give each seedling a plot that is large enough to grow the size heads that you want to cultivate. Two weeks after planting, side dress your cabbages with a high-nitrogen 20-10-10 fertilizer, as big headed cabbages will need lots of nitrogen to grow extra large.
Why are my cabbages growing tall?
What went wrong? The cabbage plants grow leggy for two reasons: The first one is that the plants are in a space that’s too dark and/or too warm. They might have been under a grow light, but probably too far away from it. This is most likely what happened to my friend’s sowing.
Why does my cabbage not form a head?
Cabbage Won’t Form a Head If It’s Not Getting Enough Water
A common reason why cabbage isn’t forming a head is that it’s not being properly watered. Water is so important for all lettuces really, but especially for cabbage, which is 92 percent water in its makeup.
Do marigolds repel cabbage moths?
MARIGOLDS- Repel Mexican bean beetles, aphids, cabbage moths, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes (if dug into soil), and maggots. CHIVES – Repels aphids and Japanese beetles.
How deep do cabbage roots go?
Root systems of vegetables can vary from shallow to extremely deep. Standard cabbage has a shallow root system, which varies from 18 to 36 inches, when compared to a deep-rooting vegetable such as an artichoke, pumpkin or tomato, which roots deeper than 48 inches.
What can you plant between cabbages?
Companion planting chart
| Companion plant 1 | Companion plant 2 |
|---|---|
| Cabbage, kale, cauliflower | Nasturtium |
| Cabbage, kale, cauliflower | Mint |
| Courgette | Calendula (English Marigold) |
| Broad beans | Summer savory |
What is eating holes in my cabbage leaves?
These small holes are telltale signs of the cabbage worm. Actually, the are several insects that cause this type of damage and are generally referred to as ‘cabbage worms’. This includes the imported cabbage worm, the diamondback caterpillar and cabbage looper.
How do you protect cabbage from butterflies?
Netting is the most effective way of keeping the butterflies away from brassica foliage, although small whites seem to be able to do a dam buster act and drop their eggs from a height with some success. Harrods Horticultural sell soft mesh butterfly netting that’s perfect at keeping them away.