|
How can I succeed with cabbages?
How can I succeed with cabbages?
Specifically - how can I best net them against butterflies? -- Chris |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
How can I succeed with cabbages?
Specifically - how can I best net them against butterflies? -- Chris We had success by simply draping a large 1cm net over the young cabbages and holding down the edges with rocks. As the plants grew we just slackened off the nets periodically. It is important not to leave any gaps for them to get in. The butterflies seem to prefer to lay their eggs on the underside of leaves, so it didn't seem to matter that the net rested on the top of the cabbages. Unfortunately we didn't get around to netting the brassicas this year, busy with too much else due to moving house (and country!), so the caterpillars are having a feast. -- David .... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk .... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/ |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 10:36:29 +0100, Chris ] wrote:
How can I succeed with cabbages? Specifically - how can I best net them against butterflies? Make a netting cage but putting canes in the ground, putting yogurt pots on each cane and draping the net over that. Pam in Bristol |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
Pam Moore wrote: On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 10:36:29 +0100, Chris ] wrote: How can I succeed with cabbages? Specifically - how can I best net them against butterflies? Make a netting cage but putting canes in the ground, putting yogurt pots on each cane and draping the net over that. I've never done it, but I think I've heard it said that old net curtains would do the job: you could stock up very cheaply at jumble sales! Not sure they'd withstand UV well in the open air, but they could be cheap enough for that not to matter. -- Mike. |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
"Chris" ] wrote in message ]... : How can I succeed with cabbages? : Specifically - how can I best net them against butterflies? : : -- : Chris For the general question, you need a well limed, site that is well firmed down before planting to enable the cabbages to heart up properly. I always net against pigeons and depending on the size of the net, these may help keep out the butterflies but not all of them, so every week or so, after the first site of the caterpillars, I pull back the nets and squash them all. www.rraa.moonfruit.com |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
"Robert" wrote in message ... "Chris" ] wrote in message ]... : How can I succeed with cabbages? : Specifically - how can I best net them against butterflies? : : -- : Chris For the general question, you need a well limed, site that is well firmed down before planting to enable the cabbages to heart up properly. I always net against pigeons and depending on the size of the net, these may help keep out the butterflies but not all of them, so every week or so, after the first site of the caterpillars, I pull back the nets and squash them all. www.rraa.moonfruit.com The general advice is useful, but you will need a fine and comprehensive net to keep off large white butterflies. They seem to have no problem getting into my fruit cage mesh around 15mm. A good inspection every 2 days at least is useful. The large white butterfly lays clusters of eggs which are easily spotted and the early stages of caterpillar damage also gives the game away as far as the green small white caterpillars are concerned. Brasicca pest are very active in high summer and I tend to grow other summer vegetables and save brasiccas for autumn and winter. I'm afraid last year I used a systemic insecticide for sprouting broccoli and brussel sprouts-it got both over the pest peak in the one allowed application. regards David T. |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
In article , david taylor
writes The general advice is useful, but you will need a fine and comprehensive net to keep off large white butterflies. Where can you get those little black ball things with holes in, you can build temporary netting structures with them by making a cage out of canes and use the balls to connect the canes together. Tried all year to find them. Must be putting in wrong description into search engine. janet -- Janet Tweedy Amersham Gardening Association http://www.amersham-gardening.net |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
Janet Tweedy wrote: Where can you get those little black ball things with holes in, you can build temporary netting structures with them by making a cage out of canes and use the balls to connect the canes together. Tried all year to find them. Must be putting in wrong description into search engine. What ... did you enter 'little black ball things with holes in' in the search engine? Here's the first entry for 'cabbage netting' ... http://www.fothergills.co.uk/en/garden-accessory.aspx |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
In reply to La Puce ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say : Janet Tweedy wrote: Where can you get those little black ball things with holes in, you can build temporary netting structures with them by making a cage out of canes and use the balls to connect the canes together. Tried all year to find them. Must be putting in wrong description into search engine. What ... did you enter 'little black ball things with holes in' in the search engine? Here's the first entry for 'cabbage netting' ... http://www.fothergills.co.uk/en/garden-accessory.aspx Indeed ... http://www.fothergills.co.uk/en/build-a-ball-5814.aspx As opposed to http://www.docsmachine.com/nonPB/mortar02.jpg , which is the best you get for little black ball things with holes in. Mind you, it looks a good option, although a bit overkill just for caterpillars. |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
Uncle Marvo wrote: As opposed to http://www.docsmachine.com/nonPB/mortar02.jpg , which is the best you get for little black ball things with holes in. Mind you, it looks a good option, although a bit overkill just for caterpillars. :o))) Oh I don't know. If the caterpillar's got a toothache or something and is in a bad mood ... |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
"Janet Tweedy" wrote Where can you get those little black ball things with holes in, you can build temporary netting structures with them by making a cage out of canes and use the balls to connect the canes together. Tried all year to find them. Must be putting in wrong description into search engine. They're marketed as 'Build a ball'. Several online sites sell them in packs. www.fothergills.co.uk/en/build-a-ball-5814.aspx www.ferndale-lodge.co.uk/pd_558079.htm http://www.gardensupplydirect.co.uk/...CategoryID=113 -- Sue |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
In article , Uncle Marvo
writes Indeed ... http://www.fothergills.co.uk/en/build-a-ball-5814.aspx As opposed to http://www.docsmachine.com/nonPB/mortar02.jpg , which is the best you get for little black ball things with holes in. Mind you, it looks a good option, although a bit overkill just for caterpillars. Ah but you could use it with fleece to stop carrot fly I assume and anything is better than letting the pigeons AND magpies eat my Brussels sprouts and calabrese as they have this year. Thanks I've ordered two sets. Janet -- Janet Tweedy Dalmatian Telegraph http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
The message
from Janet Tweedy contains these words: In article , david taylor writes The general advice is useful, but you will need a fine and comprehensive net to keep off large white butterflies. Where can you get those little black ball things with holes in, you can build temporary netting structures with them by making a cage out of canes and use the balls to connect the canes together. Tried all year to find them. Must be putting in wrong description into search engine. janet I've used Harrod Horticultural which seemed to be surprisingly reasonable and have a good range of fine-mesh netting in useful widths. It does make a huge difference to brassicas if you can net them effectively. The annual erection of my brussel sprout cage is a ritual second only to the building of the runner bean supports. Janet G |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
In article , david taylor
writes "Chris" ] wrote in message ]... : How can I succeed with cabbages? : Specifically - how can I best net them against butterflies? The general advice is useful, but you will need a fine and comprehensive net to keep off large white butterflies. They seem to have no problem getting into my fruit cage mesh around 15mm. Can you suggest a specification for the netting? Brasicca pest are very active in high summer and I tend to grow other summer vegetables and save brasiccas for autumn and winter. Would it be safe to plant out unprotected cabbages now? Or when would it be OK? I'm afraid last year I used a systemic insecticide for sprouting broccoli and brussel sprouts-it got both over the pest peak in the one allowed application. Which insecticide would you recommend? (I haven't used chemicals up-to now ... but am willing to do so.) Also - I have found by experiment that broccoli needs no protection at all. You just let the caterpillars eat all the leaves. The plants recover in time for the harvest in Spring. -- Chris |
How can I succeed with cabbages?
The message ]
from Chris ] contains these words: In article , david taylor writes "Chris" ] wrote in message ]... : How can I succeed with cabbages? : Specifically - how can I best net them against butterflies? The general advice is useful, but you will need a fine and comprehensive net to keep off large white butterflies. They seem to have no problem getting into my fruit cage mesh around 15mm. Can you suggest a specification for the netting? 10 mm netting is fine See http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/H...ect%20Netting/ Also - I have found by experiment that broccoli needs no protection at all. You just let the caterpillars eat all the leaves. The plants recover in time for the harvest in Spring. I've also wondered whether to take this laissez-faire approach as I agree that the plants seem to recover well. I have wondered though whether they are slightly weakened by losing most of their leaves and so I've never had the courage to leave them completely. Presumably you have had good results - so I'll take that as evidence that it's OK to relax with purple sprouting! |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:07 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter