Brassica Collars

[Python15]

When should Brassica collars be put around your plants? The Brassica collars I've bought feel really really stiff and I'm worried they'll damage young stems.

[Jungle Jane]

Do the collars you have,have a little cross in the middle,where the stem goes? I gently bend that cross bit to allow access for the stem,so it doesn't really touch if I can. Hope that makes sense? If you've made your own collars,cut a cross bit in the middle,that can gently place round the stem?

[Penellype]

I bought some brassica collars that were supposed to be impregnated with copper, as I thought this would help with slugs. I carefully put them around my seedlings, with the cross in the middle round the stems. Then it was windy, and the collars did a great job of decapitating the seedlings as they blew away

I tried again weighting them down with stones, which worked a bit better, but I can't say they stopped the slugs. Copper tape on rings cut from plastic bottles worked better.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I put mine on when the plants have 4 true leaves.

[Alison]

I cover all my brassicas with enviromesh therefore don't need collars

[Bren In Pots]

I stopped using collars after seeing how many slugs hide under them so now I mesh instead.

[Mr Bones]

I make collars from rhubarb leaves.

[Jungle Jane]

I raise the soil over the edge of the circumference of the collar a little,so nothing can go under it.

[Python15]

It seems I've had the same problem as Penelyppe. As soon as I put my cabbages out I put collars round them. This is when the wind decided it was not going to drop below 30 Knots for the entirety of May. I now have 10 stumps and a corner of the garden full of little black discs. Epic fail!

[Penellype]

Yep, that was my experience exactly, even when the plants were under veggiemesh, which you would think would have acted as some sort of windbreak.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Yep must admit I lost a cabbage to the wind, though it is the first one ever.

[Alison]

Yep, that was my experience exactly, even when the plants were under veggiemesh, which you would think would have acted as some sort of windbreak.

If they're under fine mesh then there is no need for additional protection from root fly as the mesh will stop them

[Penellype]

Yes, I don't have a huge problem with root fly. My collars were copper impregnated and were an attempt to prevent slug and snail damage. Not very successful!

[Python15]

The reason I went for the collars was that a few years ago I planted out a whole load of brassica's. Sprouts, cabbage. cauli's and calabresse and boy did they set off. After a month or so they looked beautiful. Then one morning I got up and every single plant was dying. I pulled one up and they were riddled with cabbage root grubs. I was gutted. Now the winds taken over from the flies!

[CaptainBurrito]

I bought some brassica collars that were supposed to be impregnated with copper, as I thought this would help with slugs. I carefully put them around my seedlings, with the cross in the middle round the stems. Then it was windy, and the collars did a great job of decapitating the seedlings as they blew away

I tried again weighting them down with stones, which worked a bit better, but I can't say they stopped the slugs. Copper tape on rings cut from plastic bottles worked better.

I was hoping to use those collars for the same purpose... including places some at the feet of my big wooden container so no slugs could get in them. Seems a waste of time then.

How do you keep the plastic bottles in place? Do you just make them deeper and bury some of it? I find they end up blowing away alot.