Allotments 4 All

This is my first year in allotmenting. I've  had some successes but haven't managed to grow rocket (which I was told to plant to help fight off insects) and lettuce from seed.  As soon as the leaves appear they are covered with tiny holes I can't see any insects or caterpillars.  I tried garlic spray without any luck. Has anyone any idea what it could be? I've started to cover seed beds with netting... not sure how this helps though.
lilly

if you look closely, you will find hopping beetles - those are flee beetles. they love the tender young leaves.
apart from the holes, they dont do any damage to the plant as such and you can safely eat the leaves regardless.

you can control them with derris powder - personally, i was happy to share my rocket as i grew too much anyways  ;)

svea

I've also just lost a row of rocket in the same way (they were too small to survive the holes). Looked it up in books and decided it was flea bettle (nice to have it confirmed here too!). The suggested cures were either to fleece the crop (or use a very fine net I suppose), or put grease on a bit of wood/paper and run it across the top of the crop; the beetles jump upwards when disturbed (hence name "flea bettle"), and get stuck to the grease...

I'm having such a bad time with the flea beetles this year they are actually eating the bindweed!!

Brassicas, turnips, rocket, canary creeper, radish, pak/bok choi the lot all eaten to the point of death.

Is it just me?

Rosie
::)

Big Sigh.

No, it's not just you...

They don't seem to have any stomach for spinach beet, courgette leaves, or carrot foliage. Hoo..Ray. I am only growing the above for the rest of the family, so the flea beetles are vindictive.

Flea beetles can jump!! My rocket is in boxes on top of my coal bunker, 3ft up and they still helped themselves.

They have also devastated the radish crop. So many holes = no leaves = plants died.

Least i know what the little buggers are now.

You've got to use fleece to keep them off which is quite easy if you have a small area to cover but the bigger areas are a bit more problematic unless you're a bit good at DIY.  I've got some small boxes to put the flea beetle food in so it's easier to cover up with the fleece.  You've got to try and stay one step ahead  ;D  I think later sowings of rocket (say nowish) will miss the f beetle.  I'm going to have a go at sowing some but I'm waiting for a drop of rain first as they bolt in hot weather.

Sorry Wardy,

Still sowing rocket and they are at the seedlings almost before before they are up.

Fleece doesn't work for me, they seem to get through the soil under neath.

But there are always compensations elsewhere, the chard, spinach and beet are better than ever before

Rosie

My rocket box is about a metre square so easy to wrap up in fleece.  I love my rocket and was determined not to share it with any flamin beetles.  I pinned the lot down with pegs and then the overlap was weighed down with bricks and bottles of water so no beetle could pass.  It was like the Krypton factor but it worked.  I have two of these link-a-bord boxes and grew radish and lettuce too in the same way and had great results.  I'm hoping my next sowings shouldn't need all this paraphernalia.  Fingers crossed  :)

Birds especial pidgeon's love fresh young leaves

Flea beetles love hot dry weather, try watering every day, they will move somewhere else, mine did!.

Is this what's been eating my mint and oregano?  I have a few herbs in containers growing together and have had to move these two because of the damage.  I can only assume they don't like basil and parsley then, because these are untouched.

M.

Any ideas how to keep the annoying flee beetle off larger areas?  We have them on all of our brassicas and my one lonely pak choi plant!