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Radishes are a relatively trouble free vegetable to grow and with their easy to handle seeds and rapid growth are excellent for starting kids out in gardening. But radishes do attract some insects pests.
Root maggots bore tunnels through the roots. Leaves and stems go limp and the radishes appear to die back. Root maggots are the larva of a kind of fly. There is no need to spray or use any harsh chemicals to deal with this insect. Simply use our floating row cover to block the fly from laying its eggs at the base of the radish. The cover allows light, air and water to the radish while denying access to the fly. Problem solved!
Flea beetles are another common insect attracted to radishes. Flea beetles are very small beetles that jump like fleas when disturbed. They make many tiny little holes in the leaves of the radishes and can set root growth back when the plant is young. Flea beetles can be treated by turning the soil over in the spring before planting to kill the overwintering larva. Our floating row cover, if used before the flea beetles move in, is excellent at preventing an infestation. Providing shade for the radishes until they are big enough to withstand flea beetle damage is another technique.
Remember to practice crop rotation. Our predatory nematodes are excellent at knocking back both root maggots and flea beetles early in the spring when they can do the most harm to your radish crop.
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