So 3 of my brocolli plants had growth stunted and the roots had all been ate. No vine beetles because there was nothing feeding on the leaves only slugs.
Now i see there's yellow eggs on another one. Anyone have solutions to these please before they all die. my first time growing brocolli
by Technical_Place_4497
3 Comments
Broccoli is a cool weather plant and does not tolerate extremely hot weather well.
They may not die completely if you take some steps like watering frequently and mulching to protect them. Well draining soil, and sprinkle irrigation are strategies to help. Mesh and cloth coverage is recommended if they are in direct sun.
They may still bolt and yield smaller crops due being triggered by the intense heat flower early.
For the ones already nibbled id earth them up more for support and put in a stake to tie them to if they need it. Best way to protect brassicas is with some netting, won’t help with slugs but will keep other pests away. Make sure the netting isn’t touching the leaves as butterflies will be able to lay their eggs still.
For slugs you just have to do night time patrols but with the weather we’re having hopefully you’ll have a few nights without.
What I do sometimes is remove the lower leaves and place them about a foot away from the plant making a perimeter. This way the slugs will eat them first and when you come out you can catch them before they get to your plants
I’m nearly 100% sure the roots becoming basically non existent and the plants pulling straight out of the ground all wilted is cabbage root fly, their larvae feed on brassica roots. Pretty simple to solve with something called cabbage collars, I started using them a couple of years ago and have no issues with that particular pest anymore, look them up. I make my own nowadays with weed control membrane, and a 2.5l paint bucket as a stencil, then cut around with a Stanley blade, super cheap.
Butterfly netting will solve the cabbage white butterfly problem, that’s what those caterpillar eggs are, I hold mine up with bamboo canes with 500ml bottles upside down on top to keep it up. Brassicas are easy to grow but suffer from a lot of pest problems unfortunately, the warm weather seems to bring them out in droves. All the best 👍🏻