My carrots Autumn King are showing nicely but at some stage I will have to thin them. Is it advisable to net them at this stage stage against the dreaded fly. when is the time that the fly is most active.
Advice please
Brenjon
carrots
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
Hi Brenjon,
I agree with what Geoff has said and my carrots are covered with anti white fly netting immediately after sowing the seed.
On Tuesday I was listening to Woman's Hour whilst driving the car and there was this woman saying that Carrot Root Fly were such incredibly poor fliers that they couldn't fly to the height of a black bucket.
This is a total load of old B----cks. When looking for somewhere to lay their eggs they are ground hugging because that is where their eggs are laid but this is only when they have selected their target. They can fly just as well as any other fly when they are looking for a target.
There are times said that CRF are more prolific than others but it has been my experience that they will attack at almost any normal growing period of the year.
JB.
I agree with what Geoff has said and my carrots are covered with anti white fly netting immediately after sowing the seed.
On Tuesday I was listening to Woman's Hour whilst driving the car and there was this woman saying that Carrot Root Fly were such incredibly poor fliers that they couldn't fly to the height of a black bucket.
This is a total load of old B----cks. When looking for somewhere to lay their eggs they are ground hugging because that is where their eggs are laid but this is only when they have selected their target. They can fly just as well as any other fly when they are looking for a target.
There are times said that CRF are more prolific than others but it has been my experience that they will attack at almost any normal growing period of the year.
JB.
Thanks for your advice which I agree with. On gardeners world about 2 years ago Monty Don did a programme from an allotment in the midlands.
A succesful allotmenteer said that his method of dealing with CRF was to earth up his carrots to prevent the CRF from laying its eggs on them. This sounds reasonable in theory. Perhaps someone would like to comment on this method and would it work
Regards Brenjon
A succesful allotmenteer said that his method of dealing with CRF was to earth up his carrots to prevent the CRF from laying its eggs on them. This sounds reasonable in theory. Perhaps someone would like to comment on this method and would it work
Regards Brenjon
Hi, Brenjon
I saw that programme and tried it for myself. It didn't work for me!
Maybe I didn't do it right, but I won't be doing it again - I'll stick to using fleece or enviromesh, as usual.
That said, there's no harm in you experimenting, but I highly recommend that you try it with just a small part of your crop, and protect the rest some other way.
If you do decide to try it, let us know how you get on.
I saw that programme and tried it for myself. It didn't work for me!
Maybe I didn't do it right, but I won't be doing it again - I'll stick to using fleece or enviromesh, as usual.
That said, there's no harm in you experimenting, but I highly recommend that you try it with just a small part of your crop, and protect the rest some other way.
If you do decide to try it, let us know how you get on.
Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Hi Brenjon and Caz,
The Carrot Root Fly lays its egg in the soil adjacent to the carrots so the method of earthing up is simply plain stupid as you would expect from anything from a programme run by Monty Don and the BBC.
I am afraid that I have lost all faith with gardening programmes run by the BBC as they simply have tried very hard to convert all gardeners to organic. The presenter of GW has now gone back on what he said to the horticultural press prior to taking up the post. No doubt forced by those who produce the programmes. That is where the changes should be made!
In days gone by you could rely on anything said 'on air' but today they manage to try and broadcast what I classify as Organic Myth as the truth. In other words to present something that has yet to be proven, and therefore a theory, as fact.
To me this is a disservice to the young and new gardeners because they are not being told the truth and ultimately they will become disillusioned and give up the best hobby in the world.
JB.
The Carrot Root Fly lays its egg in the soil adjacent to the carrots so the method of earthing up is simply plain stupid as you would expect from anything from a programme run by Monty Don and the BBC.
I am afraid that I have lost all faith with gardening programmes run by the BBC as they simply have tried very hard to convert all gardeners to organic. The presenter of GW has now gone back on what he said to the horticultural press prior to taking up the post. No doubt forced by those who produce the programmes. That is where the changes should be made!
In days gone by you could rely on anything said 'on air' but today they manage to try and broadcast what I classify as Organic Myth as the truth. In other words to present something that has yet to be proven, and therefore a theory, as fact.
To me this is a disservice to the young and new gardeners because they are not being told the truth and ultimately they will become disillusioned and give up the best hobby in the world.
JB.
Absolutely agree JB. We stopped watching gardening programmes a long time ago for that very reason. I remember Carol Klein doing a vegetable growing programme and the only comments made every other minute, by my husband, was "What a load of b****cks". She came up with some very misleading information. I realise they can only generalise but really!! Joe Swift is another one...he did an allotment " from scratch" and I watched this, thinking it would be informative. It must have given new allotmenteers some very misguided ideas that it was easy to achieve an immaculate garden in weeks with very little effort. I can't think of one "tv gardener" who impresses me. I always recommend newbies on our site to buy the Dr. Hessayon vegetable expert book as it's good info in layman's terms. Cheers!
Happy with my lot
Hi Elaine,
The sad thing is that people like Carol Klein, who is a very experienced a and very well qualified person, as is Toby, being forced to pursue a script that is as foreign to them as it is to most of us.
Carol has a fantastic knowledge on ornamentals and is quite famous for the production of perennials. I feel that Kitchen Gardening is something that she has probably been coerced into rather than doing it from choice.
These little Hitlers at the BBC must be obeyed.
These people are for sure the ones that must be pushed aside for the truth to come out.
In real terms I have yet to see a truthful gardening programme since the good old days of 'Muck and Magic'. Now there was a programme!
JB.
The sad thing is that people like Carol Klein, who is a very experienced a and very well qualified person, as is Toby, being forced to pursue a script that is as foreign to them as it is to most of us.
Carol has a fantastic knowledge on ornamentals and is quite famous for the production of perennials. I feel that Kitchen Gardening is something that she has probably been coerced into rather than doing it from choice.
These little Hitlers at the BBC must be obeyed.
These people are for sure the ones that must be pushed aside for the truth to come out.
In real terms I have yet to see a truthful gardening programme since the good old days of 'Muck and Magic'. Now there was a programme!
JB.