water pipe cover

[stpaulsfc]

hello all
I'm looking to grow some carrots on my plot, however i've been told by other plot holders that carrot fly is a big problem at the site, so i thought i should make one of these nets, I've seen a fair few of them on other plots but i never see the owners to ask them this question...Where on earth do you get the blue pipe? and how much does it cost?

[Martin H]

It's MDPE water pipe. You can get it online or from places like Wickes, Screwfix, Toolstation and others. I use the 25mm stuff, expect to pay about 50p-60p per metre depending on how big a roll you get.

It seems to last forever so it's a good investment.

[Muddy_Boots]

Hi there and welcome to the vine stpaulsfc

First you need to know about the enemy in order to defeat them.

The flies lay their eggs around the developing carrots; the larvae, once hatched, burrow into the root. As female carrot flies are very low flying, the best method of prevention is to erect a barrier around the crop at least 60 cm high or 2ft in real money.

Alternatively horticultural fleece may be used as a floating mulch to cover the crop. Because the carrot fly is attracted to host plants by odour, masking the smell of the host plant by planting odoriferous companion crops such as onions, chives, and garlic can successfully deter attack. Intermixing of crops can also be a fruitful way to confuse and avoid carrot fly attack. Some plants such as Rosemary, Sage, and Marigold are also used to deter the carrot fly.

Newer varieties of carrot which claim to be resistant to carrot fly (e.g. "Flyaway") may be used. Another method of control is to use heavier, fine plastic mesh available from garden centres and over the internet made specially for the purpose. This can be in the form of a surrounding wall or a complete "cage". Some form of support framework is necessary to prevent the netting from flattening the foliage. Also the bottom of the netting needs to be in close contact or buried in the soil as it is believed that the eggs are laid on bare soil. When the maggots hatch they then crawl towards the carrots so a soil level barrier is necessary.

Commercially available beneficial nematodes (Steinernema spp.) can be applied to the soil surrounding the carrot crop, where they will infect the damaging carrot root fly larvae.

I use plant fleece over wire that's attached to garden canes at intervals that's just over 2ft high and I bury into the soil by just pushing down into the soil with the spade.

I guess you are asking about this pipe you can get from most DIY stores, here's it at B&Q:

Polypipe MDPE Pipe (Dia)25mm (L)25m | Departments | DIY at B&Q