7
votes
What is the useful life of a kale plant?
Most continuous production systems (tomatoes & peppers in greenhouses or the tropics being the major exception that comes to mind) do find it beneficial to replace old plants with young ones on a ...
- 23.2k
5
votes
Best method of using lady bugs to prevent aphids
Ladybugs like to eat two things - some insects and pollen, so if you can plant around and about with plants that they'll like, that should help to not only attract them, but keep them around, so long ...
- 132k
4
votes
Best method of using lady bugs to prevent aphids
Don't want to disuade you from trying but when a problematic bug explodes in number, they will never be quickly eradicated with a predator bug. Better to attend to conditions that caused the aphid ...
- 241
4
votes
How do I get rid of aphids on kale?
First and foremost, do confirm they are aphids. Pictures would help us confirm.
Once you have been attacked by aphids, you are probably going to see them again. The real long term solution is to ...
- 3,596
3
votes
Did I cut too much off my kale?
Not likely to kill it, since you did leave a few leaves. A less drastic approach is more typical, assuming adequate number of plants to get the amount of kale you need.
Also, I find that leaving some ...
- 23.2k
3
votes
Please help me identify these white spots/area on my kale leaves
Looks like a combination of whiteflies and early-stage white mildew
infection to me. I usually get both when I try to grow kale in Seattle, but
not this year due, I presume, to unusually hot and dry ...
- 637
2
votes
Accepted
Eradicating brassica aphids
Aphids are soft bodied easy to kill insects. You do not want to poison yourself with pesticides meant to do major devastation. NEEM is as far as anyone should go for pesticides on their vegetables. ...
- 40.2k
2
votes
Eradicating brassica aphids
Brassicaea aphids are very difficult to control because they gather on the underside of leaves.
Chemical control is, unfortunately the best and most effective.
The products to use should contain ...
- 1,192
2
votes
Redbor Kale having issues
Turns out this is related to some excessive and abnormal heat wave we had for a few days. The plant seems to have recovered, except for the few leaves that got hit with the excessive heat. In ...
- 7,894
2
votes
Best method of using lady bugs to prevent aphids
Aphids like many insects go for the weakest plant they can see. So, if you have a raised bed of differing plants, you'll find that the aphids will target the weak plants and leave the strongest alone....
- 23.1k
2
votes
Can I put mealybug-infested kale in my compost?
If your compost gets to high temperatures and you turn it over so it all gets "cooked" then it's fine. Mealy bug are tough and persistent so given the chance of reintroducing them I would not reuse ...
- 58.8k
2
votes
Green caterpillars pest on kale, what to do after finding and removing the pests?
These are probably cabbage loopers. You can use the biological control Bacillus Thuringiensis, commonly known as BT. It is a bacteria that infects many caterpillars, causing them to stop eating and ...
- 683
2
votes
Green caterpillars pest on kale, what to do after finding and removing the pests?
No point washing the plant or changing potting mix. You could look on the leaves and remove the eggs weekly (most likely on the underside of the leaves).
- 1,880
1
vote
Diagnosing white fuzz on kale. Is this powdery mildew?
Yes, it is Erysiphe cruciferarum - powdery mildew. I have not treated this myself. Bicarbonate sprays have been used successfully on moderate infections. If the plants are in pots then keep them out ...
- 1,880
1
vote
Diagnosing white fuzz on kale. Is this powdery mildew?
Yes this looks like mildew, probably because the weather has chanced and the moisture levels in the air are higher now.
I have treated mildew once, not on kale but on an oak bonsai tree. I used a mix ...
- 13.1k
1
vote
Accepted
Green caterpillars pest on kale, what to do after finding and removing the pests?
The caterpillar that you have there is from the white moth. They are all over my garden. I literally harvested some lettuce + arugula today and made a salad and found about 5-6 of those caterpillars ...
- 356
1
vote
Kale leaves turning yellow in hydroponic system
In the last image it looks like your plants are running to seed due to heat. In temperate countries kale is known for its suitability for cold conditions and in fact improves after frosts, so you need ...
- 20.4k
1
vote
Accepted
Please help me identify these white spots/area on my kale leaves
I've seen this before on plants. White flies only live on the back of leaves. Until they overpopulate, then they're on both sides. To get rid of whiteflies all you need to do is hose the leaves twice ...
- 26
1
vote
Please help me identify these white spots/area on my kale leaves
Identification starts with getting as much information using all senses. The photos are great, but we cannot tell what happens if you rub on a spot, does it come off or is it damage to the leaf? Do ...
- 20.4k
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