Let's save cabbage from pests with simple vinegar

Protecting cabbage from insect attacks is very difficult. Insecticides and acaricides offered to gardeners by specialty stores are often simply ineffective against the pests. Moreover, chemicals are very harmful even after their expiration date. You can provide reliable protection for cabbage using ordinary vinegar.

Processing cabbage with vinegar

You can protect your cabbage beds by treating them with table vinegar, which is harmless to both human health and the vegetable. A properly prepared solution will help combat:

• cabbage white butterfly;
• turnip;
• cabbage moth;
• female aphids;
• cruciferous flea beetle;
• thrips;
• cruciferous bugs;
• slugs;
• cabbage fly.

Caterpillar control

Cabbage white, turnip, and cutworm larvae are serious pests of cabbage. In late spring, the parasites lay eggs in the soil or on the lower leaves of the vegetable. At temperatures between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius, the cabbage-eating caterpillars hatch from the eggs. They feed intensively on the cabbage pulp around the clock, causing crop failure within 5-10 days. A vinegar solution can help eliminate these voracious pests without the use of chemicals.

Preparation of solution:

• pour warm water into a 10 liter container;
• add 250 ml of table vinegar and 3 tablespoons of sugar;
• mix the solution and pour it into a spray bottle;
• treat the plant in the evening, making sure that the solution thoroughly wets the lower part of the leaves;
• Spraying should be carried out once every three days.

Treatment against aphids

A sucking parasite that inhabits the undersides of young cabbage leaves. In early spring, ants carry the pest larvae from nearby cruciferous plants, infesting the entire plot. In June and July, the numerous aphid broods mature into female aphids, which lay eggs. During this period, intensified pest control is necessary, and vinegar can be used to control the pest.

Preparation of solution:

• pour hot water into a 5-liter container;
• add 100 ml of table vinegar and 1 cap of dishwashing liquid;
• stir the liquid;
• treatment should be carried out early in the morning or in the evening with a broom or a sprayer;
• Spray plants once every five days.

Treatment for cruciferous flea beetles and bedbugs

Cruciferous bugs and flea beetles damage the leaves of all cabbage dicotyledonous plants by sucking out their milky juices. In the first days of spring, as soon as the soil warms up, the pests begin attacking cabbage. The leaves of the cabbage heads change their natural color, the plant stops growing, and eventually dies. Chemical pest control is often ineffective. Daily spraying with acetic acid will help gardeners preserve the harvest and get rid of the pests.

Preparation of solution:

• pour water into a 6 liter container;
• add 200 ml of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of ground hot pepper, 3 tablespoons of sugar;
• stir the solution until the components are completely dissolved;
• Treatment should be carried out every day after sunset using a spray bottle.

From slugs

Snails and slugs, which have proliferated in large numbers in garden plots, cause irreparable damage to crops. By rapidly devouring cabbage leaves, they deprive the plants of the ability to photosynthesise. And the gnawed and slimy heads of cabbage are an unpleasant and annoying sight. Chemical pest control is very difficult. Therefore, using vinegar is an effective method for eliminating these pests.

Preparation of solution:

• In a 6 liter container, place: 200 g of mint, 2 teaspoons of ground red pepper;
• Pour water over the ingredients, bring to a boil, and set aside until completely cool;
• strain the resulting broth through cheesecloth;
• add 150 ml of table vinegar to the prepared solution and stir;
• water the lower part of the cabbage with the concentrate, using 0.5 liters of liquid for each plant;
• The treatment should be carried out once a week throughout the entire vegetable growing season.

Adviсe

By following these tips and recommendations for controlling insect pests, you can not only protect your cabbage from damage but also get a decent harvest.

1. When planting cabbage beds, plant parsley around their perimeter. This repellent plant will repel cabbage bugs and slugs with its spicy aroma.
2. To ensure that cabbage is exposed to pest attacks as little as possible throughout the season, soak the roots of the plants in Aktara when planting seedlings.
3. To minimize damage to cabbage from caterpillar infestations, prevent weeds or fragrant flowers from blooming around the cabbage beds. Early-emerging cutworms, cabbage whites, and cabbage turnips will settle on flowering plants, spreading further to the cabbage.

Reviews

Gardeners who have used vinegar as a defense against pests share their experiences.

Love, Ozersk, Chelyabinsk region

I haven't grown cabbage in my garden for several years now. Flea beetles destroy the plant early in its development. I recently read about a method for killing the pest using vinegar. I tried it this year. It was a lot of work, as I had to treat the cabbage every other day. But the results were worth it! For the first time in five years, I harvested early cabbage.

Marina, Moscow

My husband and I have been growing cabbage for a long time. But since last year, we haven't been able to get rid of the caterpillars, which eat almost the entire harvest. We don't want to use chemicals too often—we grow cabbage for the whole family. We want it to be organic. We decided to start treating our plants with regular vinegar. At first, there was no effect: the voracious cabbage beetles didn't die. However, just 10 days after we started spraying, my husband and I began to notice a decrease in the number of caterpillars. And after another two weeks, they had completely disappeared.

 

Table vinegar is a reliable protector for cabbage against pest infestations. Its advantage is the ease of preparation, and many gardeners consider it the most effective remedy.