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Protecting Brassicas

Beverley14Beverley14 Posts: 9
in Problem solving
I grew Brussels sprouts last year and had quite a reasonable harvest but had a real problem with the cabbage white butterflies and caterpillars! Can anyone advise when to erect netting, how long do you keep them protected and how high!

Thanks in advance

Posts

  • ColinAColinA Posts: 392
    I put netting over all Brassicas when they are planted out to stop pigeons, this year I bought a 50Mtr roll of scaffold netting off Amazon which is much finer to stop the butterflies laying their eggs. I have used this type of insect proof netting successfully for the last few years to completely stop carrot fly.
  • Beverley14Beverley14 Posts: 9
    Thanks for the reply. How long do you keep in netting over your brassicas?
  • Singing GardenerSinging Gardener Posts: 1,237
    I took mine down at the end of September a couple of years ago and still got a caterpillar infestation so now I just leave it on. It also protects against pigeons.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I grow my brassicas in a large netted cage, its a days work to take down, move  & re-erect but I find it worth it I can walk in & work/ pick crop  as I want.
    AB Still learning

  • Beverley14Beverley14 Posts: 9
    What's your cage frame made of?
  • Singing GardenerSinging Gardener Posts: 1,237
    I think @Allotment Boy probably has a better system than I do. I use a combination of popadomes and cages from Harrod Horticultural. They're quite expensive but easy to assemble and to access.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Mine is wooden posts with metpost spikes and wooden battens in between. It is a fiddle but was a lot cheaper than a metal cage. Netting came from Knowle nets buy it by the metere.
    AB Still learning

  • ColinAColinA Posts: 392
    Hi Beverley14
    I leave netting on all brassicas until they are harvested to stop the pigeons
  • Beverley14Beverley14 Posts: 9
    Thanks everyone for your ideas and suggestions, it has given me a wealth of ideas just hope I can put it in place.

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