Spotting a caterpillar in your garden sometimes is not a healthy sign. Some caterpillars are serious plant pests – one of the most common garden caterpillars, that of the cabbage white butterfly, for instance, can devastate brassica crops.
However, an expert has shared some interesting advice that will keep your plants safe from these tiny creatures. Nicole Burke for Gardenary.com stated that putting your wedding veil in the garden can help keep the caterpillars out of the green area. The expert claimed that she had “zero pest issues” after using the veil in her garden.
She explained: “The first time I realized that caterpillars like leafy greens was when I discovered a cabbage looper infestation in my garden.
“It was pretty gross, but it taught me the value of protecting your lettuce so that pests never have access to them in the first place.
“Sure, you can spray some chemicals, but it’s much easier to just keep your plants pest-free from the day of planting them.”
So, before planting the plants next time, Ms Burke first got a veil from a fabric shop and covered her entire garden. And the results left her shocked.
She added: “I brought the tulle home and covered my entire garden the minute after I planted all my lettuce seeds. And let me tell you, the resulting leaves were the purest, cleanest lettuce leaves ever. I had zero pest issues.
“And that’s because the moths that lay all those annoying little pests like cabbage worms and cabbage loopers never had access to my garden; they had to find somewhere else to raise their spawn.
“You can buy agricultural mesh and row covers, but tulle is a pretty inexpensive alternative if you’re looking for a way to protect your salad garden from pests but still let in light, air, and rain. Wedding veils in the garden for the win!”
According to experts from lovethegarden, most caterpillars are active in spring and summer. Large cabbage white butterfly caterpillars eat holes in the leaves of cabbages.
The experts added: “The caterpillars of the small cabbage white butterfly and the cabbage moth tend to feed at the heart of cabbages. Box tree caterpillars produce webbing over their feeding area and can strip a box plant of all its leaves.”