Cabbage whites

[Spunky]

Hello all my broccoli is starting to outgrow its insect netting, if I take it off is there a good chance it will get massacred from cabbage whites? There isn't any broccoli formed and I haven't seen that many cabbage whites so far this year, what would you do?

[Bill HH]

Raise the netting somehow, the cabbage whites will be along shortly.

[Spunky]

I can't bill it really is either they get squished under the netting or take it off

[DannyRam]

I can't bill it really is either they get squished under the netting or take it off

The alternative is to do what I had to do last year. I inspected the plants as often as possible and wiped the eggs off. After they hatched, I got rid of what few caterpillars there were. It proved to be very successful. A bit time intensive, but I have plenty of that!!!

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Spunky!

I found myself in the said same predicament last year after being promised a cage which never arrived!

But I found that the "Cabbage White" were really only interested in the cabbage!

I left the Broccoli/calabrese, sprouts n swede un-covered, with minimal damage,





But as soon as I uncovered the cabbage, it got "Decimated"



Take from this what you will, but I'll be doing the same this year, afore mentioned stuff uncovered, cabbages netted!

After all, it's not the leaf you are wanting to eat on broccoli! So a little damage can't be that detrimental to the outcome of the "Curds"

That's just my opinion!

[AllInContainers]

Cabbage white devastated my brassicas last year as I didn't have them netted and couldn't keep up with the manual inspections. I chose not to grow brassicas again this year purely because I didn't want to be looking at "ugly" netting in my back garden. You could try things like growing sage nearby which apparantly discourages them, but a physical barrier (netting) is your best bet

[Scarlet]

I left the Broccoli/calabrese, sprouts n swede un-covered, with minimal damage.

Ah, but there's nothing worse than thinking you've got away with it and after a quick soak and a wash in the sink, you check the broccoli to see half a dozen caterpillars boiling in the water!

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Scarlet! That's very true! and the thought of that alone would put me off eating my home grown!

Which is why I soak my stuff in a sink of "Salted Water" once home! Before I "Bung it" in a pan!

Not trying to say it's a perfect solution for "Spunky's" dilemma! Just saying it's the "Avenue" I took last year faced with the same situation!

[Scarlet]

I can't bill it really is either they get squished under the netting or take it off

If the broccoli is touching the netting the butterflies will squat and lay regardless. Can't you just rig up some bamboo canes and throw the netting over that. It really doesn't have to look pretty. It's a shame after all your hard work you have nothing to show for it later on.

[snakeshack]

Yeah nothing worse than the half a caterpillar moment . Netted all my brassicas this year except the kohl Rabi which the pigeons destroyed


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[Scarlet]

I'm having huge problems with pigeons... They've even nested in my grape vine! They sit and wait for me to leave and attack my gooseberries with relish, breaking most of the branches as they go! Not a happy girl!

[Bren In Pots]

I chose not to grow brassicas again this year purely because I didn't want to be looking at "ugly" netting in my back garden. You could try things like growing sage nearby which apparantly discourages them, but a physical barrier (netting) is your best bet

AiC I use black debris netting in my garden it seems to merge in better than white or green. Nettings not ideal for a back garden but it is if I want more brassicas than the caterpillars.

[Penellype]

I left my broccoli (PSB) uncovered one year and the caterpillars ate all the leaves to skeletons despite me picking off as many as I could. Unbelievably, after leaving it "to see what happened", new shoots appeared and some edible broccoli did grow. I wouldn't recommend this method though!