Washing up liquid vs netting

[lmayhow]

Chatting to an allotment holder today I mentioned my intent of buying LOTS of butterfly netting to cover my brassicas this year after a caterpillar hunt last year

It was then that they told me not to spend the money on netting and use an washing up liquid and water mix to spray over and ta dah problem solved....

Before I spend money out on 10 meters of netting has anyone else heard of this way of protecting from butterflies?

Thank you

[Potstubsdustbins]

Nope not as a preventative and in my opinion you can't beat netting.

No need to spend lots of money I bought some Wilko's own brand pond netting 3 years ago and it is still going strong.

This pond netting not butterfly netting and has smaller apertures about 7mm if I remember correctly.

[roitelet]

I haven't tried this but saw on 'tintèrent that if you mix bicarbonate of soda with flour, about 50/50 and dust the cabbages with it the caterpillars will eat it and it is supposed to kill them.

Anyone fancy giving it a try?

[Snadger]

The washing up liquid will kill the bugs but the pigeons will annihilate the brassicas!

[lmayhow]

Thank you for responses being new to the veg game I had not heard of spray or powder ideas... Always interesting to talk to long standing allotment holders. Was thinking once spent this year it can be used again and again so worth the cost....

Thank you!

[Martin H]

If you use scaffold debris netting it's really not very expensive and lasts for years. Good luck!

[Jay-ell]

I find that blue scaffold netting works best

[Penellype]

Agree with the above - you need netting, not just for butterflies but pigeons too. I find the standard butterfly netting doesn't do the job - I've watched the butterflies carefully fold back their wings and squeeze through it. Finer mesh such as debris netting keeps them out and will also protect against smaller pests like cabbage moth and cabbage root fly.

Remember to keep any net clear of the leaves - butterflies are good at sticking their bottoms through the holes and laying eggs on any leaf that is near enough!

[burnie]

I use netting, works for me, installed mine yesterday

[Snadger]

I'm not too worried about butterfly's or cabbage root flies. I've just palnted out some Calabrese with chicken wire over them to stop flying rats and wabbits from munching them.!

[Jay-ell]

Flying wabbits

[Florence Fennel]

Pigeons in my area don't touch the cabbages, I think they're used to kebabs and burgers

[Lumpy]

I throw anything and everything at my amount of stuff growing (very small so can't afford to feed the wildlife).

Enviromesh, sprays of washing up liquid and or garlic, wildlife friendly beer traps, orange skins, copper wire...............blah blah blah!

[lmayhow]

So we got netting and have put the start of it up... pur allotment store had butterfly netting cheaper than debris online.... looking forward to not picking off caterpillars this year, just need some bloody rain!!!

[ESBkevin]

Washing up liquid works but you need to replace it after any rain although it's cheap enough. Another idea is neem oil which is more expensive but has a better resilience to weathering (though again not a down pour).
I find a multipronged attack on the problem is best, so nets and coating with a wary eye too.