I’m a gardening pro – I can stop greedy caterpillars from gobbling your plants but my trick is not for the faint-hearted
A GARDENER has revealed her tricks to keeping pesky caterpillars from chewing holes in your plants.
Although one of the gardener’s tips proves she definitely is not afraid to get down and dirty with the insects.
“Let’s talk caterpillars,” TikTok creator Rated Special K (@ratedspecialk) said in a video.
The gardener explained how she found caterpillars on her zucchini plants one morning.
She was not pleased because they left holes in the middle of the plant’s leaves.
“So, I started these zucchinis from seed and they’re just about the size where I like to put one on the plant covers on them like that,” she said.
“However, you can see that somebody has been eating them by the holes in the middle of the leaves which tells me it’s a caterpillar.
“And if you look around you will find them and sure as h**l there they are.”
She has a few tips on what to do when you find these pests, but one may not be for the faint-hearted.
The gardener first recommended picking the caterpillars off and then pinching them with your fingers to kill them.
“Now if you want a head start on these you can actually just pinch them and kill them between your fingers.
If that is too gruesome for you though she did recommend another trick.
The gardener then instructed people to buy Monterey BT which is a biological insecticide.
“Then you’re gonna buy BT,” she said.
“And you’re gonna mix it into one gallon sprayer according to the directions this one’s four teaspoons per gallon.
“Make sure you shake it first.
“Now BT is a naturally occurring bacteria that live in the soil, so this is completely safe for organic gardening.”
The gardener recommends spraying the plants down all the way even under the leaves for best coverage and protection.
“Spray them down completely. You’ll want to try and get the undersides of the leave too that’s where the caterpillars like to hang out.
“Now all the caterpillars will die and then I like to cover up with a plant cover and I never have to worry about it again.”
