SO LUCKY!

So the plants I found with the water mold infection and collected in Utah also had aphids on some of them. It’s possible, I brought these aphids with me. they are busy keeping my test patch from going to seed. Now even larger robust plants which had no major aphids three weeks ago,  are being damaged, especially their buds including their seed pods. I’m filled with joy.

And these aphids don’t seem to be attacking any of the other mustard’s or cruciferous plants in the garden (Arugula, Sisymbrium irio, collards, radish, bok choy). But there is no sign of the water mold.

Onward Aphid Soldiers 

Below are photos showing progress. I started the test patch in November and a B tournefortii grew very fast. BT forms dense monocultural patches that contain many smaller weaker plants. Small plants became aphid hosts first. In the second half of January, my aphid soldiers moved onto the robust plants, which include several very healthy large plants. 

In these monocultural patches, nothing but BT grows and there are big emergent plants within these patches. It was these big plants that had the water mold infections. These patches suffocate all other plants, nothing but BT grows and there are big emergent plants within these patches. It was these big plants that had the water mold infections.