Description, treatment and control of cauliflower diseases
Diseases of cauliflower interfere with the ripening of large, tasty fruits in the garden. They are different depending on the degree of infection and on its type. Every gardener should know how to protect the cauliflower crop outdoors and in greenhouses from diseases and pests. It is necessary to know all the signs of the disease in order to properly fight them. It is best to take all preventive measures in advance in order to protect cabbage from pests and diseases, than then try to get rid of them.
What harmful insects attack
Cauliflower pests are especially damaging to the crop. They settle there, while still being larvae, and suck all the juices from the vegetable.
Major insect pests:
- Aphid. Because of the larvae, the leaves on the cauliflower curl. They eat all the juice, stopping the growth of the heads of cabbage. Often, aphids attack in flocks.
- Flea. They gnaw the leaves of young seedlings. Because of the attack, the cabbage dies and dries up.
- Slugs. Snails and slugs are the main enemies of the vegetable. They prevent fruit from developing.
- Caterpillars. The scoop butterfly lays eggs on the leaves. Caterpillars emerge from them, gnawing leaves, then settling in heads of cabbage.
- Bed bugs. Their saliva is harmful to greenery. They suck out the juices of cabbage leaves, stopping the development of fruits.
- Leaf beetles. Large holes are left on the leaves.
- Mole. Lays eggs in spring. It hides deeply, damaging the growing point of the vegetable, eats up all the juice of the plant, depriving gardeners of productivity.
- Fly. Lays eggs on stems, attacks in flocks.
Knowing what harmful insects look like, you can prepare solutions for their destruction.
How to deal with insects
If larvae, eggs or insects themselves are seen, then measures should be taken to save the cabbage from pests. The fight against them should be aimed at driving out uninvited guests, and improving foliage and fruits.
The very first treatment should be before the pests appear. If you spray a healthy plant for prophylaxis with special solutions bought in a garden store, then there is a chance to prevent them from appearing in the beds.
If fly eggs are found, then the cabbage is treated with thiophos. This drug is diluted in water according to the written instructions. The mole is destroyed with chlorophos, calcium arsenate, or anabasine sulfate solution. Aphids are also destroyed by the same means.
Slugs and caterpillars are collected by hand, then incinerated. Then the foliage is treated with Bazudin, Aktellik or Diazinon.
Flea beetles, bugs and leaf beetles do not withstand strong chemical solutions of Actellik and Bankol.
There are known methods of getting rid of pests with folk remedies.They are passed down from generation to generation. For example, tobacco leaves are boiled for several hours, filtered, diluted with soap and sprinkled on greens. You can also sprinkle with mothballs and sand, or sprinkle with slaked lime, ash is also good.
Fungal diseases
A common cause of infection with fungal diseases is the appearance of a fungus due to too high humidity or acidity of the soil. These include the following diseases.
- Blackleg. The stems of the affected plant dry out and the roots become thinner. The entire root system turns black.
- Fusarium. Cabbage leaves turn red and are often orange in color. They dry up, can curl, become wilted.
- Keela. The fungus attacks the root. The plant becomes dead, growth stops. Brown growths appear on the roots, which interfere with normal nutrition and development.
- Mosaic. The foliage is stained, dark in outline, and must be removed. They dry quickly, so it is no longer possible to eat them.
- Gray rot. Dark spots and rot appear on cabbage.
- White rot. Mucous discharge appears on the vegetable, the leaves turn yellow. Sick heads of cabbage are best thrown away or burned immediately.
It is necessary to take care of the culture in advance so that you do not have to throw away all the fruits. As soon as suspicious leaves or stems are noticed, it is immediately necessary to buy medicines for unwanted diseases. If it is reliably protected, there will be a wonderful harvest.
Bacterial diseases
Knowing what bacterial and viral diseases exist, you can save cauliflower from them.
Quite often, cabbage can get sick with vascular bacteriosis. Infected cabbage has purple leaves and yellowness towards the middle of the leaf. It begins to curl, the mesh on it becomes dark lilac. If the infection occurs at the beginning of ripening, then it does not allow the fruit to form. They dry before our eyes. Such a plant is very fragile, it dries quickly, withers. This infection is mainly caused by insects. That is why the fight against them and against diseases at the same time is necessary for high-quality crop cultivation.
If the cabbage turns purple, a slimy rot with an unpleasant odor has appeared on it, and there is wet mucus on the foliage, then this is a slimy bacteriosis. The disease occurs during the flowering period. First, the leaf is affected, it curls, darkens, becomes covered with rotten traces. Then the disease gradually passes to the root and head of cabbage. All of this is watery and smells bad. Such a vegetable cannot be eaten, so it is immediately thrown away and measures are taken to destroy the remnants of the infection, that is, they treat the soil. It is necessary to monitor for pests: flies, aphids. Since they can also participate in the transmission of the virus. Alirin and Gamair are the best remedies for this disease. You can also spray with copper sulfate for prevention.
How to distinguish between lesions on cabbage
You need to be able to determine why cauliflower is not growing the right size. The leaves of cabbage curl, they turn yellow.
If the cauliflower turns pink, it may be from too strong sunlight, or from a fungal infection on it. It is worth noting this in time to start the fight against the disease.
If an aphid, leaf beetle, bug or slug sits on a vegetable, then the leaf immediately withers, becomes dry and not juicy. This is due to the fact that insects eat all the juice from the plant, and it can no longer grow normally. If the leaves are folded, then this is definitely a sign of the appearance of pests.
Indeed, with fungal and bacterial diseases, spots mainly appear, the color and smell of the foliage change.
What to do if cabbage is often sick
By the way a given crop yields a harvest from year to year, you can determine whether cabbage often gets sick.What to do if you can't get a decent harvest, the lower leaves constantly wither, the head turns yellow, caterpillars and flies attack.
Experienced summer residents are constantly fighting for their harvest, avoiding mistakes in cultivation. Cauliflower should not be planted where infected plants have been for the next five years. Deep processing of the soil, burning, and rest of the earth is necessary.
If cabbage leaves turn yellow quite often, then this is a sign that either there is not enough vitamins, or it is suffering from some kind of fungal disease. Carry out measures to identify the problem, and fix it by visiting a specialized store.
Prevention measures that gardeners should take
In order to prevent the death of cauliflower, all gardeners need to take note of preventive measures. They should always know how to treat or spray a given crop.
It is necessary to plant in the garden those varieties that are least susceptible to various diseases, have persistent immunity. Such varieties will not be afraid of aphids, slugs, caterpillars. In order to prevent the spread of aphids, caterpillars, fungal diseases, you need to know from what to spray this or that remedy. The peculiarity of white cauliflower is that its infections are transmitted not by seeds, but through harmful insects and soil.
That is why careful cultivation of the land is so important. It must be loosened more often, weeds removed, and the species of larvae in the ground that are unnecessary to be burned must be monitored. Do not forget to inspect the foliage of the cauliflower as often as possible. The onset of the disease is always easier to prevent than to throw away the spoiled fruit later.
Every gardener should know about diseases and pests of cauliflower. If the plants are properly processed, then the cabbage becomes protected from environmental influences. And then an excellent harvest and excellent delicious dishes from this vegetable are guaranteed.
