The biggest problem I am seeing with pak choi (which is also called Chinese cabbage although it is more like spinach or chard than our hard cabbage) is that some type of pest has been eating the edges of the leaves. I have yet to find a bug on the plant so I don’t really know what it is. It might be caterpillars or earwigs (ugly!) as I’ve seen lots of them around. What ever is eating them I’m sure is doing it at night. I’m sure if I go out there with a flashlight a few times I will find out who the culprits are.
On the subject of culprits and agricultural evil-doers, check out this tomato seedling. I noticed it was wobbly and pulled it out and found most of the roots missing. I think it might be the handiwork of the white grub (the larvae of Japanese Beatles). I have lots of these nasty fat white worms that live below soil level. Then when they turn into Japanese Beatles they eat the figs :-( Here’s a photo I copied from an ag site on the internet – next time I see a white grub here I will get my camera. Also next time photos of other scary creatures such as earwigs.
Also with tomatoes – stake them early, before they get unruly. Unruly = lots of rotting fruit and leaves hidden under the plant = lots of bugs and disease. I have been reusing these inverted pyramid wire cones (photo right) for a couple of years now and they work pretty well, although sometimes need reinforcement with wooden stakes.
Last thing about tomatoes – the three scraggily seedlings I planted about a week ago in the narrow strip along the driveway beside the sugar cane (photos left and below) are super robust now. They definitely came back from the edge of the abyss.
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1 comment:
You've got to get rid of the grubs! They eat the roots of all type of plants...and, at least here in the Northeast, grubs attract moles, as moles find grubs "yummy"!! THEN you'll have mole trails all over the place...kill the grubs or it may go from annoying bad to really bad!
Ciao!
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