I planted nappa cabbage (Chinakohl) and pak choi, from starter plants, in a raised bed with a screen cover. All good until June, when I found that overnight ‘something’ had eaten the young plants down to the roots. Everything gone. I assume it must be some kind of cabbage moth.
So - if a screen isn’t enough, how do you protect your cabbages? If any of you have tried and true tricks, I’m all ears.
Many thanks!
BTW, Is this thread the appropriate place for gardening questions as well as gorgeous pics? If not, apologies.
So sorry, meloncollie…after so much work it can be sad to see your crops damaged. I know that one cabbage moth deterrent is to plant decoy lavender nearby. They are absolutely swarming our lavender right now. Otherwise, pyrethrum?
Again the Casa Blanca lilies have massed. They have doubled in number since a couple of years ago. This arrangement is about half of what’s in the cutting garden, and the height is almost a meter (!!) We have to open the doors because the perfume is really strong.
The mopheads are suffering from the heat, but the panicle hydrangea is loving it, and so are the bees. By the end of this hot week, it will look a bit different.
Months ago I bought 6 lavender plants about 20 cm high. I gave them a home, they received the Hauertballs (all my plants luv them since I discovered them) there was nothing wrong with the weather as I have a ten year old levender plant which is happily doing it’s job (bloom, look nice, cater the bees, being healthy …).
Now, months later those six little rascals have not done a thing since their arrival. They are still the same size, still look exactly as they did then (no growing, no new leaves, not even dying signs which at least would be something). They sit tightly in the soil = they dug their roots in it. But that’s that.
Has anybody heard of/had such a situation? It is weird and I’m getting tired of this, I was expecting to have a very nice patch of them by now.
And nope, they’re not plastic. Apart from the fact that they’re from Landi I actually checked at one point
I can’t help you with lavender, but this year has been really difficult with my large number of balcony plants. It has been too hot, then too wet, then too hot again, Maybe they are just stressed.
Roxi has that right…probably too much food, too much water, and not enough blazing sun. Having said that, my patch of 50 cm x 1 m is blooming its head off (planted in the ground four years ago, courtesy of Lidl). It’s one of the easiest plants to propagate, by cuttings.
now there is a thought. I think I was extra generous
Too much water … not from me, that’s for sure. But as we remember; it rained heavily for weeks.
Now what? Wait until next year and not give them any fertilizer anymore? After all, they did make roots, when you pull on them theyre saying they want to stay.
edit: My ten year old lavender also got a ball this spring (as I said, I felt generous) and withstood the same rain but was and still is pleasing me.
@curley, this looks to be an early fall…no more food for any plants. One of my amaryllis pots is so confused (it should be winding down and ready for the cellar) that it is blooming now instead of at Christmas. Its sister still has long green leaves and looks weeks away from the cellar. This year has been strange.
Your 10yr plant is thriving so your care is probably good.
Lavender hates re-potting so by default I’d say patience is a virtue, don’t disturb them (perhaps unless you know the location of a ball and it can easily be reached).
Doubt it’s too much water. I’ve been watering my plants every day when we don’t have rain and my lavender plants are very happy. No fertilizer from me, just the water. We’ve had some heavy rain this year too, but it doesn’t seem to have bothered them.
At the moment the earth is solid so no chance to maybe find the Hauertballs. But it might rain tonight or tomorrow, I’ll try again. They’re probably half gone and too little by now anyway.
Maybe my ten year old forgave me for old friendship sake I probably should be glad that the new ones simply refused to budge instead of just dying. Maybe they plan to give me an other chance next year.
I was actually gonna transplant them but as the hate that I will just leave them alone.
Thanks folks.
one further thought…those balls contain a lot of N, almost twice the 8-10 N required. You may find that the lavender produces a lot of green growth at the expense of flowers and essential oil production (perfume). I looked them up, and they have 16-7.5-9 ratio.
My lavender produces nothing. It does not budge, look exactly as it was when I bought it, in size, shape, colour. As if it were artificial (neighbours might think that and have a laugh, would at least please someone).
You must have bought them just when they were winding down, as mine are now. They do nothing for months, then in June they put on 50cm of growth, flower, and finish in August. Then they go into mourning. Perhaps your timing was just too late…better luck next year.
I meant that in fall they start looking really sad. Then next year your same plants will perk up and flower for you. Our winters are harsh at 700m (plants in the ground, not in pots), but they’ve thrived for 4 years so far, even under mountains of snow.
yeah, they probably can’t wait for me to leave them alone
@bossybaby agreed. I will just put the subject off until next year and see what they’ll do. Specially as they show no sign of sadness now. Guess they’re just on strike, putting all their energy in trying to survive the fertilizer.
The ten year old is actually in a pot, always has been and deals well with winters.
Thanks folks. I didn’t know this vertalizer thing about lavender. In fact, after everybody shook their heads about me not using vertilizer I guess I tried to make up.
I probably should be glad that the new ones simply refused to budge instead of just dying. Maybe they plan to give me an other chance next year.