So is it carrot fly?

[Storming Norman]

Can I have some ideas please?

Not having had enough land to devote to potatoes and carrots before I have no ideas what a carrot fly attack looks like.

No fly so far this year on those I have pulled earlier but I have just pulled a few carrots that have grow enormous [just amazing to me!] and they have one or two big holes in them, not eaten out as I would have expected from other posts. They are still perfectly edible.

The same sized holes were on the potatoes.

So is it slug damage on the carrots or does fly damage look the same?

No insects were in sight when I pulled these few carrots but should I get the rest out now in case the holes get worse?

Thanks for the help.

[Lazgaot]

An old boy on my site urged me to pull my potatoes because there was wire worm in the soli that would be hatching/active round about the 10th of August. Don't aske me how he knew the exact dates, but he's almost always right on it!

Some of the potatoes had been attacked already and had to be binned, some just had to be peeled more befor eating. I suspect your carrots may have succumbed to the same thing?
Oddly my carrots are fine.

[Two_Sheds]

carrots attacked by carrot root fly (the larvae, not the fly does the damage) are riddled with black tunnels.
Very unappetising. I think I've a picture in my 2008 photo album if you want to peek.

[Snadger]

Since resorting to enviromesh I've never seen a carrot fly larvae and 98% of my carrots are unblemished.

I would hazzard a guess that your damage is caused by slugs, possibly keel slugs, which are the ones that can desecrate a potato crop.

Because my carrots are covered and birds or other animals can't get at them, I use slug pellets at sowing time!

As far as I know slug pellets and washing up liquid for greenfly are my only deviations from my organic principals!

[Paulottie]

Here's a photo from RHS. they'll have black patches, leaves bronze/red yellow in bad attack. If badly infected a carrot will float. It is almost impossible to grow carrots without enviromesh.

Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Carrot Fly

As Snadger said the damage you describe is slug damage.

Lazgoat. Leave carrots on the surface of the soil in cleaned beds...an easy way to collect up wireworm and destroy.

[Redic87]

you can also tell carrot fly without pulling a carrot up. If the tips of the leaves turn red then it is likely you have carrot fly. Enviromesh stapled to a wooden frame with one face left open with Velcro sealing the mesh to the frame is a good method.

[Rocketron]

you can also tell carrot fly without pulling a carrot up. If the tips of the leaves turn red then it is likely you have carrot fly. Enviromesh stapled to a wooden frame with one face left open with Velcro sealing the mesh to the frame is a good method.

Beware though, if you are growing Purple Haze carrots.

[Storming Norman]

Ah thanks for the photo links - definitely not carrot fly then - phew.

I'd better get them out then if it is keel slugs - shame that.

All the 'old hands' at the allotment [bar one of course] say they have not seen carrot fly - very few other to net or barrier. I started fleecing but the foxes jumped all over it and ripped the fleece up.

[Two_Sheds]

you can also tell carrot fly without pulling a carrot up. If the tips of the leaves turn red then it is likely you have carrot fly.

Not always though.
None of my foliage has turned reddish, yet nearly half the crop is addled with maggots (the wind ripped my nets off several times)

[baggyman]

I know this is a bit off opic but does anyone have a picture of a wireworm please?

[Terryr]

I have been using a 2 foot high polythene barrier with some success for a couple of years but did not work well this year. I think I will try fleece next year.

Terryr