Cabbage Whites and Wild Rocket

[Chantal]

My wild rocket is covered in cabbage white caterpillars. This hasn't happened before, is it ususal?

[oldherbaceous]

Good morning Chantal, on this dark and bleak morning.

I have noticed them on Rocket this year too, and also tunips and swede, but i suppose they are all related to the brassica family.
There is a real glut of caterpillars this year.

[Chantal]

Is rocket a brassica? I hadn't realised that. I'm used to caterpillars on the swedes and turnips, but they get over it. I protect the cabbages and kale but have only ever had flea beetle problems with the rocket before.

Maybe my caterpillars are short of cabbages as I have them covered.

[Parsons Jack]

Hi Chantal,

Cabbage White's will lay their eggs on any of the Cruciferae family, of which Rocket is a member. They prefer brassicas, but as yours are covered over, they have had to see what else is around You just can't win can you

[Chantal]

Thanks PJ, I might have known there was another way for the b*****ds to grind me down

[Granny]

I got them on my rocket for the first time this year, too. I thought they'd crawled back from where I'd thrown them but then saw a leaf full of very tiny ones which must have just hatched. Every year there's something new to watch out for, just as you think you've more or less got it cracked. I look on it as character building.
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Granny