Carrot Fly

[sauzee]

I went down to the lottie tonight and was thinning the carrots i have in a box that is three feet high.It is made from wood and has fleece round it up to five feet tall and fleece on the top.I pulled some carrots from a rainbow mix the stems were about 18in tall but carrot was only 2in i noticed some of the foliage was yellowing and a couple of the carrots had holes.I also have a row of orange carrots which dont seem affected is this carrot fly or just something else there are flys at the top of the fleece.I dont know how i could be carrot fly as i thought the box i built was more than tall enough
If it is can i still sow more in another place

[Lotsaveg]

If the carrots have got small circular holes in them then it's likely to be the start of a carrot root fly infestation. As it progresses, you'll start to see dark red channels running across the carrots and if you're lucky you'll also spot the cream coloured culprits!

Foliage normally starts to go red when carrot fly are attacking the roots.


Having seen so many cases of carrot root fly infestations on carrots grown in high containers, I certainly don't believe in the myth that carrot fly only fly a few centimetres off the ground.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Having seen so many cases of carrot root fly infestations on carrots grown in high containers, I certainly don't believe in the myth that carrot fly only fly a few centimetres off the ground.

Absolutely correct, it is a load of cobblers. Carrots need to be completely covered but remember, you can close the little sods in as well as close them out !!

[sewer rat]

A garlic based spray is alleged to deter the little sods too - spray the foliage after thinning or weding or whenever you open the covers, and keep the crop entirely covered with either fleece or enviromesh from sowing if you are consistently troubled with this pest.

[taff]

does that mean it's never safe to leave them uncovered? I've got some in an open cloche type thing, but I was going to get some more bits of glass for the top for the aubergines so they can go outside, but if they're not safe, i can't move it or use it for them.....
being as i've only just managed to grow the damn things, i want to eat them too

[Aberdeenplotter]

just buy a bit of fleece and cover them.

[Ashaman42]

Ah mine have been uncovered for a good while as in quite a tall tub. At least the few baby thinning I've had out have been ok. Will have to molish a cover tomorrow.

Is net curtain sufficiently fine to keep the blighters out?

[Florence Fennel]

I've used voile curtain before Ash. If you're using net it had better be really fine.

[chris]

Someone once told me (can't remember who, here anyway) that regardless how high you put your barrier, if they can only flly so high (whatever that hieght is) -- they can still be blown up and over the barrier by the wind.

I grow my carrots in tall pots, but put them where it is *extremely* windy. I live pretty much on the sid eof a mountain, wind always whips down the side of our house - the carrots go there.. the foilage never gets high, and it's always bent over by the wind.. even nighttime is windy. I think this helps me grow carrot-fly free carrots.

Next year when I plant some in the lottie, I'll have them covered with fleece - loads of poeple use old windows and what not to make a barrier at the site, but I always see them chop the tops off when they harvest them. I'll just cover from the start and leave them be!

[sauzee]

Can i still sow more carrots in another part of the allotment if the other ones are infected
Thanks

[chris]

Yes, but cover them up with horticultrual fleece, viole, or similar (enviromesh).