getting ready for the BUGS!!!

Sambucus_Nigra

Oh yeah.

Ikea nets; about £3 for 2, 2 x 3m curtains. Mine have only just got holes in them after being used for the last 2 summers constantly.

You can wash them when they are a little cruddy as well [shake as much dirt off before putting them in the machine]

Or - invest in some Enviromesh to cover your main brassicas [like your brocolli and cauli] where they do tend to hide in amongst the bits you are going to eat. Enviromesh can also be washed but lasts years and years and years.

Cabbages; grow red ones - they don't attack them as much for some reason.

And make up hot chilli spray and as soon as you see the little blighters - give them a good blasting with it. Chilli and garlic; whizz up in blender with water. Overnight and outdoors*; filter through into a spray gun; top up with more water and add a little softsoap mentioned in the first post. Then store it near where you are growing your brassicas and have it to hand. Lasts a wee while, I top it up twice when half full but after that you need to make a fresh batch.

The old boys on my plot laughed at me then the next week were all making it up themselves when they saw my nice clean brassica patch.

*if you can do this indoors, then it isn't strong enough

splodger_seedswapper

for netting - for brassicas - i got chatting to some scaffolders one day, as they were setting up on a job - and asked them for the old debris netting when it came down (anyway i took the guys a couple of bags of fresh veg as a thankyou on the day they were taking it down and to collect the bits of old net that they said i could have) and they were so impressed with the veggies - they gave me the end of the roll of netting that they had on the truck - it is fantastic for protecting the greens and it was free

never be afraid to ask for stuff like that (because of health and safety - the debris netting only has a short life on the scaffold towers) the very worst thing that can happen is that they say no

stumpycat

Is there anything particularly good for preventing gooseberry sawfly attacks? My poor bush literally disappeared in a couple of days last year. :eek:

brogusblue

I am having one hell of a nightmare battle with lily bettle this year .. i have killed lots more than last year already .. Last year i had about 60 all year .. i am way past that already .. :mad: but thats the joys of having lots of lillies in the garden i do have over a 100.. 2 daliy patrols here.. :rotfl: stocked up on provado bug spray for the baby ones..

I have also notice lots of ladybirds this year .. .. and a few harliquin ones too ..

cubegame

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

That's bizarre - as I get very few bugs in the first place after being organic for several years.

A few nets to keep cabbage whites out and I'm pretty sorted. Chilli spray for the few that make it through and bob's your uncle. Happy days.

Maybe because the local levels of control have been good?

The new EU control system is ridiculous and gardeners should not have been deprived of chemical controls. It's probably going to dramatically affect EU wide crop yields and prices so it's not good.

Sambucus_Nigra

cubegame wrote: »

Maybe because the local levels of control have been good?

The new EU control system is ridiculous and gardeners should not have been deprived of chemical controls. It's probably going to dramatically affect EU wide crop yields and prices so it's not good.

If you say so!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

You enjoy your pesticide smothered crops - and I'll enjoy my nice clean ones. Nom nom.

Sambucus_Nigra

stumpycat wrote: »

Is there anything particularly good for preventing gooseberry sawfly attacks? My poor bush literally disappeared in a couple of days last year. :eek:

It needs pruning into a goblet/bowl shape, with all the middle or crossing branches removed. I've never had gooseberry sawfly; I prune it into a bowl shape each autumn and it seems to work.

Lotus-eater

I wondered if this was going to turn into a Organic vs chemicals thread

A Badger will be along in a minute.

A._Badger

cubegame wrote: »

Maybe because the local levels of control have been good?

The new EU control system is ridiculous and gardeners should not have been deprived of chemical controls. It's probably going to dramatically affect EU wide crop yields and prices so it's not good.

Good for you. The sanctimoniousness of the organic brigade is as nauseating as any 'chemical'. If they want to play at being medieval peasants, good for them. No one else would try to force them to garden any other way.

That they can't leave the rest of us to enjoy the benefits of science tells you more about their underlying control-freakery than most of them are willing to face.

Lotus-eater

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

It needs pruning into a goblet/bowl shape, with all the middle or crossing branches removed. I've never had gooseberry sawfly; I prune it into a bowl shape each autumn and it seems to work.

That doesn't stop it. There are various organic methods out there on the net. I find letting wasp nests remain in the garden (oh boy, lets have another massive argument about that shall we :rotfl:), where they don't hurt you, helps, because they eat the caterpillars.

Other than that, picking by hand is the best natural way, but time consuming.