What kind of netting to get?

misskool

Going to plant out some brassicas etc tomorrow so presume will need some netting to protect the crops.

Lidl have some on sale but I'm not sure it's the kind I need. Can anyone tell me what sort of netting is the right one? Is there a guide?

Thanks

tanith

To keep off butterflies etc you will need 7mm butterfly netting, apparently not many places sell it but you can buy it online... I read this on a gardening website... a keen gardener I knew just used to pick off the caterpillars on a daily basis...

Lotus-eater

As tanith says, the main problem you will have is butterflies, a normal sized netting you can buy cheap from somewhere like wilkinsons will keep most of them off. If you want to spend more money and protect the plants from every insect, then go for enviromesh.
If you don't do enviromesh, make sure you put your anti cabbage rootfly collars on the seedlings when you plant them out. And get ready for the whitefly/scale insect/flea beetle population explosion Not to mention all the other things that seem to love brassicas.... everything almost
I did enviromesh for the first time last year and it was the first year I didn't spend every day worrying how the brassicas were doing. In fact I hardly thought about them at all.

Or net curtains if you can get them cheap or 2ndhand.

ALIBOBSY

I've been collecting up old net curtains. Already used them to help cover stuff in the last couple of weeks to keep frost off, but then will use them for the brassica bed.
Got some of that Lidl net and its a huge peice (2 peices actually), but the holes are big enough that I can shove a finger through (think it said 1.5cm by 1.5 cm). So may not be enough to keep butterflies off. Mine is going to keep the birds off my strawberries and other soft fruit.
Neighbour has a pigeon loft (yes I do live in the north west lol) so need to keep em off.

ali x

misskool

Lotus-eater: does enviromesh keep everything out? and stupid question, they don't need pollinating or anything do they? So I keep them covered the whole time?

:rotfl: maybe i should go and buy a gardening book

Lotus-eater

Everything, including you, because it's a pain to get the stuff off and on again, so you tend to weed alot less than usually. No, no pollination required.

http://www.vegetable-gardens.co.uk/forum/kitchen-vegetable-plot/2253-brassica-protection.html

Go and get a book, tightwad

peter_the_piper

We use a biological spray against caterpillars call DiPel( Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki) Don't know if there's a retail version though. Won't kill the butterflysbut does stop most caterpillers. Had a lot of problems with Tortrix moth which it cured quite quickly.

misskool

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Go and get a book, tightwad

Don't need a book, got you for advice on demand

Will pop out for some enviromesh, got a sharp wind out today and worried the babies are going to be too cold. Perhaps I am mollycoddling the vegetables a bit too much