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Re: Maggots and Brussels Sprouts

Michael D. Cook wrote:
> 
---snip
> Hi, Rene.  Yes, I get those moth caterpillars, but they're easy to pick
> off, so I don't worry about them.  The worms I was talking about are some
> kind of a maggot that attacks the roots - I know when my broccoli has them,
> because the plants wither and die, one at a time, in such a way as to
> suggest the maggots infest one plant's roots, then move on to its neighbor.

Sheila,

Unless the plants are extremely close together in extremely loose soil,
each plant will have it's own population of maggots.  The mother fly
lays her eggs based on the size of the juvenile plant, so the plants
that grow large soonest will have the earliest and most maggots, whereas
the slower growing plants will get the maggots later, or may escape them
entirely.

Steve 

>  I believe these are called cabbage maggots, but I'm not sure.  I am going
> to try coffee grounds; it will be better than the diazanon I used last year
> - at harvest time, I threw away the broccoli because I was afraid to eat it.
> 

Also try sawdust about an inch thick around each plant.  I've never had
it prevent maggot infestation but it may reduce it.  Then put the coffee
grounds on top of the sawdust.  The idea here is that you are trying to
confuse the mother fly as to where to lay her eggs by hiding the soil
surface and confusing the odors.

Steve

> When the end of the season is nearing, say mid-late September in Zone 5,
> pinch off the growing tip of your brussels sprout stalks.  The rest of the
> time the plant is growing, its energy will go into the sprouts instead of
> the stalk.  I read that somewhere, tried it, and it works.

This works very well in climates with cold winters where you are not
likely to have much harvest after Dec 1.  Those of use in the south and
west of North America should leave the tops on in order to continue
harvest into winter, especially those of us in areas with heavy winter
rains.  The leaves help protect the sprouts from rotting in the rain.


Steve

> 
> Thanks for your help with the worms!
> 
> Sheila Smith
> mikecook@pipeline.com
> Z 5/6
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