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The first sprouts that I planted heve been attacked by cabbage root fly. I am about to plant some more, is there anything I can do to prevent the same happening again?

Collars around your plants should stop them, you can make them yourself from old bits of carpet! (thinks to herself has been very lax this year and not put any collars round her brassicas :-\ )

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/techniques/pests/cabbage-root-fly.htm

DP

I put 4 sheets of wet newspaper around mine, plus half a plastic drinks bottle over each to discourage the slugs and finally some netting to stop the cabbage whites.
Hope it all works, never grown sprouts before.
Melanie

Whatever chemicals used to be available for cabbage root fly seem to have been withdrawn. Collars ( lino or anything heavy enough not to blow away) are the best bet. Otherwise you're into some serious money for enviromesh.

Whilst I'm on the subject, I found our local lino/carpet shop hadd books of out of date lino samples. My brassica currently have a nice range of fake wood and marble collars.

So possibly the newspaper isn't enough then :(
Melanie

Elderly chap on our site asked me today what he could use because the chemical treatment he had has now been withdrawn.

His rhumatic fingers are too bad to cut his own collars out of anything and he is not on the internet.

Has anyone any ideas which will help him?

NO I am not cutting out collars for him. Before some one suggest it.

If you made some up - rhubarb leaves left to ferment in a water butt for a few weeks.  Water the crop with this substance every 2-3 weeks or so.  They hate it apparently.  Good all round repellent for brassicas. ;)

Thanks,

I will tell him that, he has got loads of Rhubarb.

Put a 1" piece of rhubarb in the bottom of the hole and plant your brasica on top of it

why not put a rhubarb leaf instead of carpet ??

Quote from: grotbag on June 17, 2008, 20:38:16
why not put a rhubarb leaf instead of carpet ??

It dies