It’s not only gardeners that love broccoli. A number of creatures including cabbage worms, rats, squirrels, rabbits and deer like to dine on it.
What could be eating my broccoli leaves?
The most common are the imported cabbage worm, the cabbage looper, and the diamondback moths. I would like to include a fourth, the cross-striped cabbage worm, because it is particularly problematic for me. These pests are often called “cabbage worms” even though they are actually caterpillars.
Do rats eat broccoli plants?
When someone uses the word “decapitate” I think of rats. I have had a similar problem at my community plot, where broccoli plants have been eaten off right in the center, up from the ground about 6-8 inches.
Do squirrels eat broccoli leaves?
Squirrels will also eat other delicious veggies such as tomatoes, radishes, corn, squash, beans, corn, peas, root vegetables, greens (such as beet greens and the greens of any root vegetables), okra, eggplant, brusssell sprouts, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, celery, cauliflower, cabbage, leeks–basically
What is eating my broccoli and cauliflower leaves?
If your broccoli leaves or heads are being eaten, you’ve got an insect problem. It could be cabbage moths, which are very common. It could also be diamondback moths or flea beetles. However, these insects can be easily thwarted with insecticide, by handpicking, or with row covers.
What is eating my broccoli leaves at night?
The pests that are eating your broccoli leaves at night are called “cutworms.” In appearance, cutworms are smooth that come with tiny hairs. They are about two inches in length, and when they feel threatened, they curl themselves up.
What animal is eating my plants at night?
Wildlife that feed at night include rabbits, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, voles, woodchucks, groundhogs, and skunks. They do a lot of damage.
Do birds eat broccoli plants?
Birds do indeed eat broccoli. If you do decide to grow broccoli in your garden, birds can become a problem as they try to eat your crops entirely before you get the chance to harvest. Birds can be a common agricultural and horticultural pest when growing broccoli and other related members of the Brassica plant family.
What animals eat broccoli stalks?
It’s not only gardeners that love broccoli. A number of creatures including cabbage worms, rats, squirrels, rabbits and deer like to dine on it.
What’s eating my cabbage and broccoli?
Caterpillars, the immature larval stage of butterflies and moths, are the most significant pests of brassica crops (collards, kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard, turnips, and others). Other pests that cause occasional damage include aphids, whiteflies, harlequin bugs, and flea beetles.
How do you keep squirrels from eating broccoli?
Hardware cloth, plastic bird netting, chicken wire, and summer weight row covers all provide effective protection. To guard an individual plant, create a cage using hardware cloth or chicken wire topped with plastic bird netting; use clothespins to hold netting in place.
What is a GREY squirrels Favourite food?
Squirrel’s favourite foods
Bark, twigs and soil are a good source of minerals and roughage but squirrels love dried corn on the cob. Whilst squirrels are mainly herbivores, if seasonal conditions are difficult they do also feed on a variety of insects including caterpillars, crickets and larvae.
What deters squirrels from gardens?
Try sprinkling cayenne pepper, ground chili peppers, pepper flakes, and/or garlic pepper on and around your plants when they are ready to bloom. After getting a taste, squirrels won’t dare eat anything with cayenne—which you can often buy in bulk.
Do rabbits eat broccoli plants?
Rabbits prefer young, tender shoots and are particularly fond of lettuce, beans, and broccoli. Flowers they like to nibble include gazanias, marigolds, pansies, and petunias.
How do I protect my broccoli plants?
The plants can be covered with hotcaps, newspaper, plastic gallon jugs (cut the bottoms and tops out), or row covers. The delicious broccoli heads are much more frost sensitive than the actual plants. Frost damage causes the florets to get mushy. If this happens, cut off the head but leave the plant in the ground.
Do rabbits eat broccoli?
Do not give broccoli to rabbits. It will give them painful gas. Never give your rabbit kale or spinach. Kale and spinach can cause health problems over time, due to the high amount of oxalates and goitrogens.
Do possums eat broccoli?
Possums are not picky eaters, and there’s very few foods they don’t eat. In terms of vegetables, they will eat anything they can get their paws on. Once they find their way in your garden, possums will eat potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, peas, beans, herbs like coriander, basil or parsley, chards, broccoli, and many more.
Why do my broccoli leaves have holes?
Flea beetles – These tiny, black insects leave numerous small holes in the foliage. Continued feeding can kill seedlings and reduce the yield of mature plants. Use an insecticide labeled for use against flea beetles. They overwinter in the soil, and good end-of-season cleanup can reduce their numbers.
What kind of caterpillars eat broccoli leaves?
Types of Broccoli Worms
Cabbage worms, which are velvety green caterpillars (larvae of white butterflies) Cabbage loopers, which are smooth and light green (larvae of brown moths) Diamondback worms, which are smaller in size and pale green in color (larvae of gray moths with diamond shape on back)
What is eating my vegetable leaves?
If you see holes or ragged chunks of leaves disappearing and the damage has been occurring slowly, with a little feeding each night, beetles, caterpillars, earwigs or slugs may be the culprits.
What can I use to keep animals from eating my plants?
Spray them away.
Commercial products like Deer-Off (based on eggs, hot peppers, and garlic) or Plantskydd (a blood-meal solution) are sprayed directly on plants to render them unpalatable. Other products contain predator scents like coyote urine that can be deposited strategically around the yard.