Cabbage root fly - why do I even bother?

[kathyd]

I'm so fed up today. It feels as though as fast as I try to grow something, something else destroys it . I've had to ditch all my cauliflowers now, because the cabbage root fly got them. I don't understand how it happened because I put collars around everything as I planted them. I thought collars were supposed to protect against these flies? Or could they have laid their eggs while the plants were small and still in pots? In which case, are you supposed to collar them at the tiny seedling stage??

I had the caulis in a bed with other brassicas - is it likely the problem will have spread? As if I need to ask... Is there anything I can do about it? Some of the plants (like the caulis) are quite big, so digging them up and washing off the bugs like I did last time isn't really an option, although I could try it on some of the smaller ones if they show signs I suppose. Anything else I can do in the meantime? Pour boiling water over the soil where the caulis were planted? I just feel like giving it all up and moving to a flat with no garden at the moment ....

[Veggielot]

Don't give up, I know its frustrating but its worth perservering. Have you tried a a resistant variety. You could also try enviro mesh to stop the flies getting to thr plants.

[Nicos]

I know the feeling kathy- we had probs back in the UK with flea beetle....and just gave up on veg which were affected by them.

Part of GYO is to try to work with your environment.
Just as you would accept that you'd have problems growing crops needing light, sandy soil in a heavy clayey soil, or tropical plants in a temperate zone ( unless you have a heated greenhouse! )...maybe you need to give up on the plants which don't do well chez toi and concentrate on the ones which do!

Don't let this dishearten you. See it as a challenge for say another couple of years- then if you can't sort it, grow more of what will! It's not a failure- just a frustration.

Let's face it- they're not really expensive to buy in the shops so you'll not be going without if you fancy a cauli or cabbage in the future.
As veggielot suggests try enviro mesh and a resistant variety and see how that goes!

[Two_Sheds]

All my radishes get full of cabbage root fly maggots, so you could try sowing them as a sacrificial crop.

I grow all my brassicas under fine mesh from day one, and have never (fingers crossed) lost any to CRF yet

[kathyd]

Thx all. I had them under debris netting last year, but some of the cabbages still got attacked. So this year I decided to try the collars, but they seem useless . They're all under debris netting too, but I've not yet stitched up the holes where the pieces join - I didn't really think it'd be a problem with the collars! - but it looks like I'd better get my sewing machine out now . Hadn't thought about radishes (don't really like them), but maybe it'd be worth a try. I'm not really bothered about the caulis if I'm honest, I just don't want all the sprouting broccoli to get munched! Thx for all the advice anyway . I'll look at resistant varieties for next year.

[Potstubsdustbins]

After an attack of root fly I have used collars ever since and touch wood not had a problem.

I like to collar the plants when they are still quite small i.e. when they are potted up into 4" pots. I find then that as the stem bulks up it fills any spaces and give a nice tight fit to the collar.

All my brassica's are treated the same way.

Potty

[kathyd]

I'll give that a try then Potty - I didn't collar until planting out, so I guess I could have planted infected plants. I'm also thinking that next year I'll stick to the brassicas I know work well, and which we'll eat most of, rather than trying to do a bit of everything!

I did feel a bit better later in the day though when I dug up a few more spuds from the polytunnel, and found 3 which actually looked like potatoes instead of marbles! Shows what a difference a week or two longer in the ground can make - must remember to practice patience more often!

[Potstubsdustbins]

The gardeners greatest weapon.................patience.

I have hope for my first earlies yet.

Potty

[AkionTotocha]

At least you don't have a dog shoving her face into every fresh patch of compost/soil you touch, then dragging the plants you've just planted in said soil around the garden.

Every.

Single.

Time.

But create a space where she can play in and destroy, and add her toys and bones etc, and she couldn't care less about it.

So at least it's only root fly. At least there are methods of control for you to use/try.

And failing that, at least you can grow other things to eat besides brassica family plants.

It could be worse. *pats*

[kathyd]

It's true Akion, neither of my 2 dogs drags my plants around the garden! Although they do like to help by digging holes in the beds if I'm not careful... The chickens, cats and neighbour's goat however are a different story . Guess we all have our problems to deal with! And I do grow things than brassicas, but brassicas are some of our favourite veg, and the best for over the winter. I will perservere!

[AkionTotocha]

You can do it. "Just keep swimming"

[kathyd]

You can do it. "Just keep swimming"

Bit chilly for swimming here at the moment, but I live in hope!

[Hipster]

adult plants - do you take them out.

Hi all - this my second year as an alloter!! i have lost some smaller cauliflower and one brussel sprout to CRF .

When i went to put collars around my big healthy caulis i found them riddled with the maggots. do i take them out or let them grow on ? Or will they just rot eventually ?


I am also worried about my Cabbage. but it doesn't seem to have infected them yet ....

I will be rotating next year and also growing form seed to avoid dodgy plants from garden centres.

Thanks

Hipster

[kathyd]

Hi all - this my second year as an alloter!! i have lost some smaller cauliflower and one brussel sprout to CRF .

When i went to put collars around my big healthy caulis i found them riddled with the maggots. do i take them out or let them grow on ? Or will they just rot eventually ?


I am also worried about my Cabbage. but it doesn't seem to have infected them yet ....

I will be rotating next year and also growing form seed to avoid dodgy plants from garden centres.

Thanks

Hipster

Depressing isn't it? You definitely don't want to leave them in there with maggots in them - the maggot will hatch into the flies and the flies will just infest everything else. Last year I did manage to save some cauliflowers by digging them up, washing the roots off in a bowl of water until clear of maggots, and replanting in a different place. They were set back a few weeks but did grow on in the end - the maggots presumably hadn't had time to munch the roots right off. I poured boiling water into the holes I'd dug them out of to kill off any remaining maggots or eggs. This year however, my caulis were gonners when I found the maggots because their roots fell off as I dug them up...

The trick is to collar them as early as possible - don't wait until they're big plants. This time I've put collars on my baby sprouting broccoli as I've potted them on, as suggested by someone else on here. But definitely don't leave the infested ones in the ground!

[rustylady]

Hi Hipster - Welcome to the Vine. Could you add your location to your profile please, then it will show on your posts.

If you're going to put collars round your brassicas this needs to be done when you transplant them into the ground. The cabbage root fly lays it's eggs on the soil right next to the stem of the plant.

I doubt the plants were infested when you bought them.

As to your healthy cauliflowers - how near are they to harvest?