kohlrabi and kale leaves are being chewed

[Anton]

Help please,

My kohlrabi and kale leaves are being chewed to bits.

I started off putting down slug pellets. No good. I looked for caterpillars. No sign of them. Two days ago I covered them with fleece in case it is bird damage. I can still see the centre of the kale plants, so they are not totally destroyed. Not sure about the kohlrabis but they are still standing at least.

Any ideas please?

Anton

[Scarlet]

I would still be tempted to say slugs or snails. Have you got any photos that you could upload? You wont see the slugs until late evening, go out later with a torch maybe?

[PyreneesPlot]

Rabbits? Are you rural or urban?
Flea beetles - they can destroy young plants down here in a matter of hours
I'd reckon probably slugs/snails, too. - I go out from dusk and my plants are usually heaving with them.

[Anton]

Thanks for the answers so far. I will take picture late on if I have time.
The allotment is in the suburbs not very far from a forest but I have never ever seen any rabbits here in my eight years on the allotment.

Anton

[Hazel at the Hill]

If the damage was done before you netted them, I would have said pigeons. But flea beetle would get my vote if the young plants are netted and still getting damaged.

[mothhawk]

If the centre of the plants is there then the damage is not caused by rabbits, which munch the tender heart leaves and leave the tough outer leaves till last.

Slugs tend to make holes in leaves,


Pigeons peck round the edge giving the leaves a "holly" look and will peck the leaf right to the mid-rib.


Caterpillars also make holes, but are more thorough than slugs and munch right to the ribs or veins of the leaf


Forgot to say, welcome to the vine, Anton

[Martin H]

Great pictures, MH, spot on!

[Anton]

Thanks a lot for all your replies (and greetings). I got sidetracked by work and did not have time to post my picture. But here it is now.

Anton

[Scarlet]

Hello Anton, welcome to the vine sorry I seemed to forgot my manners on my earlier post!
I think it looks like pigeon damage - I think Mothhawks photos back me up

[Hazel at the Hill]

Yep - another vote for pigeon damage - keep them netted and they will soon come back.

[Anton]

Thanks a lot for the advice.

Anton

[ancee]

I've had the same problem for the first time this year. Perhaps I shouldn't have encouraged wood pigeons in retrospect we have 8 that visit. and no cauliflowers, broccoli of cabbages left!

[Jarz]

Hi all,

Sorry not posted much before now.

A lot of us on my site use the scaffolding (debris) netting. While a lot of plot holders source their own, I got our trading shed (well, I AM on the committee and rota) to order some from online, and it sold very well, initially. (Unfortunately our source has also sold out but our own sales have calmed down.)

I have a 6 metre length on my raised bed and the stuff underneath it has grown well, in that my cabbages were exceptionally good, my cauli plants remain untouched (but the curds don't seem to be forming - may be my own fault somehow), and I also tucked in my strawberries. In addition, I bought some more which I wrapped around my jostaberry bush so I have far more berries this year than I actually need at the moment. I know there was one year I looked at the berries and thought, hmmm, you're ready to pick. Yet they were gone before I had the time to do it.

So in a nutshell, this netting is brilliant! So easy watering through it.

I've now transplanted my kohl rabies from the greenhouse, where they grew in pots - copper tape put round - but when I cooked one wasn't happy with the texture. It was weird. As I was given some more plants by someone I put these out in raised bed under the netting to give them a good start off in life.