Cover your soil

[Nicos]

I spemt 2 hrs shredding yesterday and made 6 barrow full of wood chipping mulch.
Now spread around one part of the potager.
Looking forward to seeing the difference!

[Barking Postlethwaite]

I was given a large quantity of soft woodchippings which I've used as a mulch. I suppose it has helped suppress the weeds a bit, and it will probably help the structure of my heavy clay soil as it works its way in.

It has, however, encouraged the local cats to use my plot as a litter tray and scratch up my transplanted parsnip seedlings.

I am not best pleased.

[Roeder1969]

Yea cats are a major problem i have 3 of the little gits what i have done is fence all growing beds with netting to stop them


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[Scarlet]

I always cover my soil with a mulch, I hate weeding! But if my brassicas aren't netted they get decimated by caterpillars. I've never heard of a caterpillar drowning on a leaf.

[Alison]

Alison when a plant is healthy and hydrated well a caterpillar when hatched will sink its teeth into the leaf as it does this because of the water content the leaf will excrete liquid making it difficult for the bug to eat hence many of them will drown. Bugs are only interested in fibrous material not water therefore only minimal damage will be seen on ur leaves of brassicas.
Also you have natural predators like wasps that love to take them to their nests

I agree wholeheartedly about strong plants being able to shake off predator attack, grow a lot of mine to a reasonable size before planting out for that very reason. Am struggling rather more though with the comment about them drowning, it's not a theory I've heard before and google isn't helping - any chance of some more information about this?