Grow Your Own Magazine

Like most of you I'm having problems with cabbage white buuterflies. I've tried netting, chicken wire and net curtain but they seem to relish the challenge of trying to get through. However, I've heard a covering of a liquid made from placing rhubarb leaves in a bucket and covering with water and leaving for a few weeks does the trick even better. It smells putrid apparently.

On a recent break in the Peaks I came across an allottment and none of theire cabbages were covered at all. Did they have any pests? Had they used the rhubarb leaf brew? I couldn't find anyone to ask but was disgruntled when I returned home and removed my netting to find a couple of catterpillars, loads of muck and eggs!

Has anyone tried this brew? Does it work?

Glenn

I would like to find out as I am having a big problem with them this year.

I saw this method being used on 'The Big Dig' allotment programme that was on BBC2 on Sunday mornings. As far I could tell, a man just put all the rhubard leaves in an old dustbin filled with water and then every so often he would fill up a watering can from the dustbin and water over the cabbage leaves. He did say it smelled disgusting but apparently did the trick. They filmed a butterfly flying over the cabbages and everytime it went to land it flew off again.

We've had the same problem with our cabbages and cauliflowers, but unfortunately we don't have any rhubarb!

I wonder what the cabbages taste like though?

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Looking through one of my books (for something else admittedly) it was suggested that the shoots pinched out from tomatoes can do the trick as the smell confuses the butterflies. Haven't tried it so can't vouch for it.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Ooooh! Have never heard of that one before. Sounds plausible though. I'm going to give it a try.
I wonder if plonking some of my pot growing toms amongst them woukld have the same effect?

I'm sure I read somewhere that you boil thhe rhubarb leaves and make a strong cordial which you bottle and just keeep adding to a watering can.

Surely putting leaves in a barrel with water will cause it to rot and rotten leaves will always stink!

Oxalic acid is the active ingredient and I am experimenting with small pieces put in the planting hole when planting out my brassicas to try and give me some respite from clubroot

If you notice, rhubarb is found at the bottom of all old allotments so those old gardeners maybe knew something we don't

Snadger

Could you just place the rhubarb leaves mulch-like around the base of the plants?

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

I thought i read some where that rhubarb leaves are poisnous, would this brew be harmful applied to cabbage etc.

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flobadob

I am trying rhubarb leaves against clubroot which is a soil borne fungal disease, hence the need to bury the leaves next to the roots, under the ground. I have heard of boiled rhibarb leaf juice being used as a pesticide, though I have'nt tried it. Is derris not an organic insecticde made from nettles or something? No doubt someone more learned may be able to cast a bit more light on the issue. I don't think a rhubarb leaf mulch would be any good against clubroot but would definately deter cabbage root fly, trouble is it may poison the land!

a 2to 1 mix of leaves left in water for a couple of weeks makes a strong killer of most undesirable bugs /caterpillers,not taken in by the host plant,nor harmfull to the ground,as its a contact killer .as with all incecticides dont drink it nor use it as a body lotion.just spray it on cabb/white/catterpillers & watch them DIE

has anyone tried spraying with salt water .as a new grower i have been advised that it worksbut not sure if it would harm the soil any thoughts anyone

I'm planning ahead for next year. My first proper year at my lotty. I would like to make some cages for each bed (with Cabbages in etc) to stop the pests getting in (mainly the butterflys).
I was looking at garden netting but the holes looked really big. Then I looked at Windbreaker netting but this was really expensive. Has anyone used dress netting? (what goes under a bride / bridesmaid dress). Does this work? Will it get to damaged in bad weather?
Also when can you think about taking the netting off? i.e When do the bloody butterflys go away or die?

I have this years eddie. I grow 18 brussel plants each year & they get murdered. This year I sprayed with salt water & I think 2 of them have been affected.

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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

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Silverfox, enviromesh should do the trick and would be cheaper stronger than dress net

U can use Enviromesh or alternatively, keep your crops covered with a lightweight horticultural fleece - just ensure that there are no gaps where it hits the ground and leave enough slack to allow comfortable growth for your crops - carrots are often grown under fleece until nearly ready for harvest.

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

As a slight aside, Nick, what sort of yield do you get from your sprouts - per plant? Looking for crops to provide revenue over the winter months and sprouts are an obvious starter to look at.

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

Dunno the bloody caterpllars have got them every other year

wellington are about 2ft 6in high at the moment & fairly short jointed. The buttons are about 10-15 mm at the minute & I guess they should end up around 25mm & are supposed to crop from about October till christmas.

Bridgette are around 18" tall & are again short jointed & should crop from December till around March if I remember right. Not much used to you I guess but it's my first year with any success!

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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

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Eddie - there is another thread I think entitled something worse than slugs where we discussed our success or otherwiseof spraying with salt water. Didn't work for me, but I did use an organic spray called Natural Pest Control, pulled off all the affected leaves and covered with enviromesh. Now my broccoli heads are starting to grow.

Hope this helps.

thanks gang for the comments spraying seems to be working for me .but building cages for next season reading g.y.o today gave me somthing else to worry about .cabbage moth ..should i take same precautions as for our white enemy cheers eddie

Hi
I was reading the back of a seed packet today for some sweet marjoram and it said it helps deter cabbage whites - I know its not much use for immediately but it may help for next year.
Clare

Hey Snadger, if you are trying to stop clubroot, have you tried cornmeal ? Supposedly it has very potent anti-fungal properties, it's a well known folk remedy poulitice for athletes foot, dandruff and all sorts in America.... Only in America.

A few years back, completely by accident I planted florence fennel in with some of my cabbage family. the cabbages with the florence fennel had no problem with cabbage butterflies.
In fact you could watch the butterflies head downto the bed with the cabbages/florence fennel and then fly off to the bed with no florence fennel.
From then on in we have always planted our cabbage family with the fennel.
You also have the added bonus of the fennel to eat, if you like it of course!!
We do also net them i have to say but we do have problems with pigeons too.
The bloke next door to us on his allotment has his cabbages netted and they have still been devastated by the butterflies.
Hope this is of help.

I was recomended to use a salt solution 60gr to 4.5ltr. When I sprayed it on the caterpillars they reared on their rear ends as if to say thanks for salting our food. I still have caterpillars I will use derris next year.