Cabbage White

Hi folks. Just wanted to know, when does the season end for these blighters ? Cheers...freddy.

 

They'll keep going for a month or two yet down here in southern Hampshire.

This year, I've been experimenting with plastic netting with a 10mm mesh over my cabbages and the results so far (fingers crossed) are very good. Just a few butterflies have manged to reach through and lay their eggs on the tips of the leaves that have grown so big they touch the netting. But it's easy to spot the eggs and rub them off.

I'll definitely be using these nets again. If you try it, the size of the mesh is vital - no bigger than 10mm.

 

Hi Flinty. I also used netting (enviromesh) at the start. Thing is, they (my sprouts) are now around 3 ft tall and had outgrown their space within the mesh. I therefore had to remove the mesh to allow for more growth. Every day I go around crushing the eggs and is now getting a bit of a chore. Anyway, thanks for the reply. Cheers...freddy.

 

Is there a chemical solution that works? I have some purple sprouting broccoli coming up at present and the edible bits are not yet growing, so I have no particular objection to dosing them. I have some left over bug spray designed principally for aphids but I don't know whether that would be effective against cabbage whites.

 

Always used enviromesh over waterpipe hoops when growing for customers,

However ive been told that garlic spray works if you spray it every couple of days. Soak a garlic bulb in a pint of water overnight then spray the solution, the scent puts off the butterfly.

 

Heh, I like my garlic too much

 

Does it really work?

I have just been looking at my cabbages - they were growing very nicely but suddenly
several of them have leaves like lace although I cannot see any caterpillers.

I have been removing all eggs but obviously haven't got rid of all the little blighters.
Will have to try the mesh as well as the garlic. Can I get the net from B&Q?

 

I don't know about Enviromesh but the plastic netting that I bought was made by Tenax Rapitest. It was just called "Plant protection Net" and I seem to remember I got it in the local hardware shop which is one of the Home Hardware network.

 

Hi Flinty. Here`s the link. http://www.gardening-naturally.com/acatalog/info_Agralan_Enviromesh.html It says that the mesh size is 1.35mm and that it keeps out most pests. A bit expensive though, although it SHOULD last for years, hopefully. Cheers...freddy.