Fall is finally here and life may look like it is slowing down in your garden, however lots of pests are busy preparing to wreak havoc. A watchful eye and a little work now will keep your fall garden healthy and even provide some help for next spring’s plantings. The seven most notorious fall pests that are waiting to snack on your hard work include:
• Aphids are tiny green or black pesky suckers that multiply fast. One day your broccoli and mustard greens look flawless, and the next they’re sticky, curled and covered in these pests. Catching them early and evicting them with a strong spray of water is key to controlling them.
• Cabbage Loopers are light green caterpillars that eat irregular holes in leaves and blend in perfectly with the leaves of brassicas like kale and collards. Check the undersides of leaves often and handpick to control or spray with BT (bacillus thuringiensis).
• Slugs and snails hide under mulch, rocks and pots during the day, then slither out at night to feast on tender greens. Beer traps, crushed eggshells or early morning handpicking can control them.
• Cutworms are fat grayish caterpillars that hide in the soil during the day and sneak out at night to “cut down” tender plants. To stop them, try collars made of cardboard around seedlings or tilling the soil to disturb their hiding spots before planting.
• Spider mites are tiny pests that suck nutrients out of plants and leave behind fine webbing and yellowing leaves. Neem oil can control them.
• Whiteflies thrive in the warm start of fall and feed on plant sap. Disturb your pea plants and if a tiny white cloud flutters up, you’ve got whiteflies. Yellow sticky traps or insecticidal soap are your best bet to control them.
• Root maggots are tiny white larvae that attack the roots of vegetables like turnips, radishes and carrots. They prefer cool, moist soil, making fall their prime season to thrive. Floating row covers and crop rotation can be effective in controlling them.
Check your plants regularly and act fast when you spot trouble so you can enjoy your garden well into the season without sharing it with every creepy crawler in town.
An excellent and comprehensive reference to identify and manage pests in gardens and landscapes can be found at: https//ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape.
If you have further questions about the bugs in your garden, stop by the Three Sisters Garden, located behind Madera Community College, 30277 Ave. 12, Madera any Tuesday morning when Master Gardeners are there to answer your questions.
Happy Fall Gardening!