Boo hoo im under attack :(

[newmannewy]

Im totally new to growing and my first plants are starting to show. But all of a sudden 2 days ago my leafs seems to be disapearing. I presume there some sort of aphid or mite, thats eating them. Theres little white spots underneath the leaves and half the leaves missing..

what is best way to deal with it ?.. I would prefer to use natural ways and not use pesticides etc, if it can be helped.

any advice ?





I believe the plant is califlour or cabbage.. Cannot remember as i forgot to mark them when i planted.. ( newbie mistake )

[Sanjo]

Newman, could it be pigeons? Are the plants netted? Pigeons stripped my daughter's beds last year, she didn't get a single thing. What the birds didn't get, the cabbage white did!!
If it's slugs and you want organic then Growing Success pellets will do the job. Organic, the slugs having ingested the pellet then bury themselves in the soil so nothing left for a bird to eat.
They are not as efficient as the non-organic but safer all round.
I'd certainly think of netting if I were you. Sanjo

[marialittlebzz]

the second picture looks like damage from flea beetles. My rocket look exactly the same and it took me a long time to realize it was those tiny little buggers !!

[newmannewy]

Could be pidgeons i guess. there are some nesting in the next garden in a big fir tree. Although i never see them in my garden. Will invest in some netting.. (didnt know pidgeons ate veggie plants)

Also i just checked again and noticed little white flys.. which ive read to be cabbage whitefly. And treatment "bifenthrin". Sounds nasty, gonna have to google it and see..

also done some research and thought about flea beetle.. Maybe i got 2 problems.. grr those pesky critters.


many thanks

[Hazel at the Hill]

didnt know pidgeons ate veggie plants

OHHHHHHH yes, indeedy.

In fact, it sometimes feels like every b*gger will eat your veggie plants but you!

Don't worry too much about flea beetle or spraying every little critter that comes by, though - but netting is most certainly your friend. Old net curtains from the charity shop are ideal (and cheap!)

Welcome to the vine, newmannewy.

[newmannewy]

Thanks for the welcome

Been and got some organic bug spray, and netting. gave them a spray tonight and loads of white flys came out, flapping like mad. so hopefully it will have some effect.

peace

[Two_Sheds]

You've got 3 problems there:

1) pigeons ... you MUST use netting
2) flea beetle (making the little holes) - not a serious problem
3) whitefly ... plant some French Marigolds to deter them. It does work.

and ...

4) caterpillars ... you MUST use fine netting against the cabbage white butterfly

we won't mention cabbage root fly and clubroot at this stage

[newmannewy]

Well i sprayed some stuff last night.. Checked today and cant see any signs of life.. I dont have much so i checked every plant. Rubbed off a baby caterpilair too. And placed some netting/mesh over it .. See if it helps..

Was on £1 from cheapo shop.. anybody used this stuff is it any good ?

says it lets the sunlight through and allows them to breathe etc.. I just hope when i water it, they dont collapse

[Two_Sheds]

I wouldn't water your fleece.
In fact I don't water the soil surface at all. Sink a few pop bottles in the ground, and water into those... then the water goes straight to the roots.

[newmannewy]

I wouldn't water your fleece.
In fact I don't water the soil surface at all. Sink a few pop bottles in the ground, and water into those... then the water goes straight to the roots.

I never understand this stance. Ive read it elsewhere, what does it matter if your watering the plant/ground or the roots ? Surely naturally it gets rained on the plant leaves and grround. So why would i unnaturally sink holes to water the roots. It seems very strange

[Two_Sheds]

because if you water the soil surface, a lot of it simply evaporates and is wasted. Watering the surface also encourages plant roots to grow shallowly, near the surface (where the water is). This leads to further drying out.

If, however, you encourage the roots to grow down into the soil, by deep watering, the plants fare better and you end up watering less.

[newmannewy]

Good answer

Appreciated