Grow Your Own Magazine

Can't remember which thread I cam across it in but some bright spark claimed to buy fishing maggots and then let them develop into blowflies to pollinate his (or her ) greenhouse/polytunnel.

1. Has anyone done this?

2. Has it worked?

3. Would your wife go anywhere near the polytunnel?

Might be worth a go then

that's just gross. why not open the greenhouse and let the hoverflies/bees do the pollinating?

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Not as much fun!!!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Blowflies are one of the recommended ways of pollinating crops in isolation cages for seed production according to Sue Stickland's book, so I should think it would work, but how pleasant a process it is..... no idea Maggots, yeeuukk

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All at once I hear your voice
And time just slips away
Bonnie Rait

you don't need maggots just the "casters" MD. The reason you use them Two sheds is that you are trying to restrict cross pollenation so you grow the crop in a small "tent" ov enviromesh and leave the pollenating to the flies. It is also used by HRI ( Horticultural Research Institute) at wellsbourne as they run a seed bank

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

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