Whitefly on Broccoli

First, if you must use slug pellets they need to be used sparingly and preferably under netted crops of seedlings to stop wildlife getting to the dead molluscs. 'bucketloads' won't help and they do leave chemical residues in the soil. The best way to collect snails is to tidy your plot and leave a couple of dustbin lids/pots for them to hide under....where you'll find them. Beer traps are helpful to some but leave a stick in there so beetles etc can climb out. hedgehogs, thrushes and frogs are your allies in the fight. It is also worth noting most slugs only feed on decaying matter. The ones that are a real pain are keel slugs and they are underground and not really affected by surface pellets. You can investigate a parasitical eelworm brand name 'Nemaslug' but it is dear, must be used in one hit and covers a lot of land... giving two months protection max. It is best to share applications with a neighbour so you can get two in a season

Really 'organic' is an overused word. It takes quite a while to achieve or discuss. But in brief you are trying to build up the residual number of predators on your plot. Thus you provide homes for them in winter and don't spray them in summer! also plant camouflaging and attracting crops etc. A buddlia nearby or a nettle patch helps. It requires some investment of faith because it doesn't happen immediately and doesn't help if neighbours are spraying etc. but you find you can tip the balance in favour of friends and away from foe and the problem does improve. Also physical barriers assist with some pests you should invest in a few, store them neatly and make them easy to use...so you will.(it is a real fag to untangle nett and so forth if your busy in spring.)


re the brocolli

Whitefly detest the smell of (particularly french) marigolds. I often plant them under brassicas. They have the added advantage of attracting hoverflies to attack the aphids. There are a few insects that parasitise whitefly -a little beetle and a small wasp (encarsia formosa) but these are not really practical or economical for outside use.

Fleece is also handy for stopping pests finding the crop (there are also rootfly and caterpillars and pigeons to consider.) It becomes a bit impractical later on though.

As you already have the whitefly, try spraying with soft soap, or diluted washing up liquid. Marigolds interplanted are supposed to deter whitefly, I'm trying that this year. If you find anything that really works, please let me know. I had loads of the little b*****s last year. They didn't affect the crop too much, but when I harvested I had to submerge the crops in a bowl of salty water to get rid of them before eating.

I had none in last summer's harvest, which was companion planted with marigolds; and had loads on this winter's harvest which had no companion planting...so you can guess what I am also going to recommend.

I've also heard that rhubarb stalks under brassicas are supposed to help deter pests [and brassicas seem to get the most out of any crop] so I bought a rhubarb crown last weekend purely for that purpose.

I also plant flax with my brassicas; they attract good bugs in to hopefully munch the bad ones...but truth be told I think they are a gorgeous flower and don't care if they provide any benefits - they are so lovely.

I'm also told that garlic and chilli spray can help, but when I tried that the nozzle go bunged up; so I'm using water soaked in cloves and chillis rather than anything whizzed up this year. Read that in my no-dig book, and like the idea of the broccoli coming ready flavoured.

I use Rhubab leaf water, problem is that after a heavy rain fall the smell is washed away, you can actualy watch the bugs try to land then move on.
Pass the leaf water through a filter like " ladies tights " or an old HGV air filter so that it pours through the rose of the watering can for longer without blocking it up.
Seen it on TV, works for me, easy to apply.
All the best to all,
FP xxx

I live in the same neck of the woods as RustyLady, and I always suffered hoards of whitefly too. Last year I grew Tagetes Minuta (mexican marigold) among my brassicas, and it ruddy well worked you know Trouble is, the plants are 6 foot tall, so this year I'm going with the diddy little French ones.

Hi All,
Thanks for the replies. Some excellent advice there.
I have planted some marrigolds & tagetes, but maybe not enough. Will try some of the sprays suggested.
I removed all of the 'infected' leaves when i found them, and i will be back up to the lottie tonight to see if the blighters are back.

I'll let you know how i got on
Cheers
Steve G

Removing the infected leaves didn't work. I had loads more of the blighters on my plants last night. Looks like it's garlic spray for me this weekend!!

You can get a sticky trap - a bit of cardboard with something on it. Never used it myself (yet) but I won some when I was Member of the Month last year!

Hecky Two Sheds. If Tagetes Minuta is 6ft tall, remind me not to try Tagetes gigantea!

the whiteflies have wings.

Apparently, tapping the plants and hoovering up the escaping whitefly works!! However, I don't have a power supply at the lottie and I have yet to find a rechargeable, portable vacuum cleaner.