The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: mcginty on September 03, 2013, 11:51:32 pm

Title: leaf eating pest
Post by: mcginty on September 03, 2013, 11:51:32 pm: Help! something is eating the veg. in the polytunnel.
I don't think its slugs, could be some kind of fly,
started on the red cabbage and now moved on to the newly planted lettuce.
Anything with a large leaf
Any suggestions what it could be and how to control it.

Cheers Mcg.
Title: Re: leaf eating pest
Post by: Pasture Farm on September 04, 2013, 04:25:39 pm: any sign of caterpillars? we had an outbreak of cabbage whites dessimated the brassicas in the tunnel after SOMEONE left the door open.....the net door.... >:( sprayed squished and hopefully on top of......lots of losses tho
Title: Re: leaf eating pest
Post by: hexhammeasure on September 05, 2013, 06:52:41 pm: slugs can leave round holes and look like flea beetle, flea beetle seem to be bad this year along with cabbage whites. if the leaves have little bumbs on the underside it could be catapillers, look for them. lots of dark green wet pellets could be slugs or catapillers
Title: Re: leaf eating pest
Post by: Backinwellies on September 06, 2013, 08:18:14 am: really bad year for cabbage white ........... I have some lovely skeleton cabbage plants ... very pretty but not quite what I wanted............ recycling now and feeding caterpillars to my hens! I suspect that is your problem.
Title: Re: leaf eating pest
Post by: ballingall on September 06, 2013, 09:18:13 am: Caterpillars are a nightmare- decimating my broccoli despite me picking, squishing and spraying. Next year I need butterfly netting :-(

Beth
Title: Re: leaf eating pest
Post by: hexhammeasure on September 06, 2013, 04:09:14 pm: its not that effective.. I have 150 metres of the stuff - hate it, and on occasions there has been as many under the net as outside. although I concede that the attacks are less harmful its not attack free
Title: Re: leaf eating pest
Post by: ballingall on September 07, 2013, 01:53:56 pm: Quote from: hexhammeasure on September 06, 2013, 04:09:14 pm
its not that effective.. I have 150 metres of the stuff - hate it, and on occasions there has been as many under the net as outside. although I concede that the attacks are less harmful its not attack free

:(

I think the caterpillars are winning at the moment
Title: Re: leaf eating pest
Post by: sabrina on September 08, 2013, 08:57:56 pm: I was wondering if it was the jenny longlegs as there seems to be a lot this year around my plants and something is eating the leaves.