Cabbage moths - cheap solutions?
Watching our vegetable garden grow is so fun. :-)
After the initial period of turning the earth and lugging bags of dirt around, it's so relaxing to just have to weed, water, and generally check things out everyday. The only serious work I've had to do recently, besides resowing some things, was kind of an unpleasant surprise. The kale looked like crap on Sunday, and the cabbage (on the right), broccoli, and sprouts had some similar damage.
Yuck...looks like we won't be having any kale chips unless I figure this out. :/
Some Googling showed that there are a few insects to suspect, but this is most likely due to cabbage moths, which look like white butterflies with a black spot on each wing. Then I remembered: I saw a cute little white butterfly while I was weeding recently, and paused to think "awww." ...
Well, there are some hilarious descriptions online of gardeners doing exactly the same thing. It's a typical rookie mistake. It turns out the female cabbage moth is stopping to lay her eggs, which sit on the underside of your plants' leaves until they become caterpillars and start to ruin your life. So I checked, and I believe these pics from my garden show eggs.
Advisers online recommended removing the eggs and caterpillars from each infested plant and dropping them in cold water, then covering the plants somehow. I did this, and it took nearly two hours and wasn't the most fun job, so I'd like to make sure I have a more permanent solution. Here are some of the caterpillars I found and murdered with soap. (Look at the smallest kale leaf.)
Afterwards, I was pretty sure the plants were clear of eggs and caterpillars, but needed a quick way to protect the garden from the moths, so I just threw some deer netting on top of the whole garden and used twist ties on the perimeter.
I know it looks kind of pitiful. Don't judge me. Anyway, it was raining so I went inside for a while, and when I came back later to check, there was a white moth inside the net! I opened the net and started shooing it away and cursing at it. This net just made things worse! What if they get in and get stuck now? Will they just lay eggs until they die?
So, if any of you have advice, please let me know. There is a lot online, but I don't want to spend very much money and I prefer not to use pesticides. I'm fine with removing the eggs and caterpillars one more time but don't want to do it over and over. I plan to get a sprinkler this week with a sensor, and while I think that'll help with birds, I don't think it can defend against this pesky little moth.
Is there something organic you can spray on plants to keep the moth away? Maybe some homemade, nontoxic solutions that actually work?
General comments are cool too. Sorry for all the complaining. ;)
Nice looking garden. If you want to try something organic you can use water, hot pepper sauce or chili powder, and garlic with soap\oil. Spray that on the leaves and the capsaicin is supposed to run them off. I use that and diatomacious earth powder instead of poisoning my future food. It works ok, but you have to spray it every few days and after rains. Don't forget to leave a cup of beer out for the slugs too.
How did you get the pictures to post side by side?
Nice! I guess I just need the biodegradable soap. I never thought about whether capsaicin or anything else spicy would bother bugs, but that makes sense. Thank you :-)
I have been separating the pictures by a space, like this:  
They're also not that large of pictures.
Cool, I will try that. Good luck fighting the butterflys!
Thanks!
I use a time-tested tool: in 3 litr of water add pharmaceutical vial of valerian and 1 tbsp. l. liquid soap.
A month before harvest cabbage heads on cabbage storage sprinkle ammonia. To do this, 1 vial of liquid ammonia (40 ml) should be poured into a 5-liter bucket of water and add a couple of tablespoons of liquid soap. After this treatment will not be any pests.
Interesting. I'm adding this to my research!
And that is why I run frantically around my yard, hot pink butterfly net in hand, chasing what some of you call "cute", much to the amusement of my neighbors.
Hi summersolstice- nice pics :-) bad problem :-(
The woman I work with is a very experienced vegetable gardener. I'll ask her tomorrow if she has any advice about the moths!
Hi. :-) Yes, the moths suck. That would be great! She probably knows what works. Thank you!
Perhaps this has some helpful info : http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/garden-pests/cabbageworm-control/
Those are good suggestions on that page. Your local garden center or nursery should have a spray with BT in it also. It's a harmless bacteria called bacillus thuringiensis. It naturally occurs in the soil and we eat it all the time in smaller amounts on our fruits and veggies (similar to the stuff in yogurt). Spraying leaves with it will eliminate any worms or larvae stage insects, because the bacteria attacks them...not us. Perfectly organic.
Yes, it looks like there are a lot of good options there, and I like the BT idea.
Sorry.. accidentally down-voted.
It happens. Thanks for letting me know it was an accident.