I Found White Flies On My Brussels

Bob Bauer

August 26, 2017 (Last Updated: March 06, 2023) | Reading Time: 2 minutes

August 26, 2017

I found white flies on my Brussels sprouts transplants today. I've had them before on the zucchini plants at the end of the season and never thought much about them. These tender young plants were covered in them, and when I brushed the leaves it looked like a blizzard. I have soapy water in a spray bottle so that's what I used on them. I don't know if it will kill them or not but if I keep doing it they may leave..

I also found a grasshopper chewing on one of my cauliflower plants. I couldn't kill him so I picked him off and threw him over the fence. There's plenty to eat on the outside of the garden. I guess if he keeps coming back he'll just help me keep my throwing arm in shape..

August 28, 2017

The third planting of bush beans are huge. I've never had bush bean plants as tall and bushy. I ran out of straw, which I thought was mandatory for healthy bean plants, and mulched with fine compost. They loved it. I guess it broke down faster than straw giving the roots nutrients as they needed them. They are bushy enough to shade the soil now so straw mulch isn't that necessary..

I'm reminded that straw is a substitute for compost, because no one ever has enough compost to mulch everything, but plants prefer compost. I also realized that they got planted between a row of lettuce and a row of kale so they got lots more water than usual. Another example of my under watering everything. Old habits die hard..

August 29, 2017

My Brussels sprouts transplants did not like being sprayed with soapy water. They are pouting. The leaves have wilted and have tan and brown spots. I rinsed them off to get rid of the stuck on white flies but I guess it wasn't soon enough. I think the mixture was too strong because I just used what I had in the spray bottle from the squash bugs on the zucchini. I didn't measure but just squirted in soap and added water..

What's worse is that the white flies are returning. I could dilute the mixture and spray again but the plants look too woebegone. I tried misting with water but the flies come right back. I think I'll try the occilating fan that I used on the frost. Five minutes every couple hours might disperse them..

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