Kitchen Garden Forum

There are pin size holes in my rocket and a neighbours pak choi, she has got leaf damage and bigger holes as well which I did not get on the rocket

Any ideas?

CoMpO

the flea beetle make small holes in all the brassicas family's leafs it might be that
regards
nemo

Any idea of treatments , preferably non chemical?

CoMpO

Hi Compo,
You are not going to like this but Nicotine is the most effective treatment against Flea Beetle. To me there is nothing organic that is effective.
Nicotine was on the organic list for many many years and it is still legal to use it!
JB.

It affects radish, beetrootm turnip and seded leaves too but as it's not really the leaves that you want ot isn't a problem - I just leave them be.

I suppose the holes are not harmless in anyway, they detract from the appearance of the Rocket but I manage to hide them in amongst other leaves and the family dont even notice when they eat them. My friends Pak Choi is also snail eaten as well so she can sort that out quite simply and like me put up with the holes

CoMpo

Can the nicotine preparation be purchased JB? and does it affect the taste?
I assume it kills the pest and then is washed off?

Hi Compo,
Well I make my own Nicotine Spray because I still smoke and save all the cigarette ends but I believe Vitatax sell the product but I think you might faint at the price!
Nicotine as a spray can be lethal to many things especially Bees if used at the wrong time. I cover my plants with fleece and spray under the fleece and generally leave the spraying until the Bees have gone to bed for the night. The use of fleece is very effective and I generally get a 100% result. It does not have a systemic action and is very short lived when sprayed. Having said that, I have not had any Flea Beetles for about three years now and it is only on them and White Fly that I use it.
JB.

Johnboy wrote:Hi Compo,
Well I make my own Nicotine Spray

You've mentioned both the remedy and how to make it in the past JB.

However for those of us without access to the required quantities of dog-ends etc. I wonder if there's a chance for a small cottage industry. Have you ever thought of taking this further and making some small bottles for other gardeners?! Maybe we could put them in the seed swap area

On a more serious note, I'd be happy to use the treatment, but don't think I could ever master the manufacturing technique.

Hi Colin,
You would be asking me to break the law! I would need a licence at an exorbitant cost. End of Cottage Industry!
JB.

I'm sure that I read that as they jump up when disturbed, if you waft a piece of wood over the plants, covered with vaseline, then the beetles will jump up and get stuck. I have also had success with a fine mesh net over plants.

Hi Jojob,
I use anti white fly netting to protect my brassicas but the question was how do you get rid of Flea Beetle. You can certainly use Vaseline on a card to remove some of the flea beetle but the whole operation is fairly futile because unless you get rid of them all within days you are back with as many flea beetles again.
JB.

It is my understanding that making a pesticide from dog ends is illegal whether you sell it, or if it is just for your own use.

Geoff Hamilton's organic approach was the "fleabeetle trolley", a kind of scaled up version of the bit of wood mentioned above. A small trolley which could be wheeled down straddling the row, with a yellow inderside covered in grease. The shadow passing over the beetles makes them jump, and stick in the grease.

I would suggest to you Tony that you have never tried the method you describe. I have and I can assure you that it is nowhere near as successful as it is made out. Certainly you may catch a few but when you get an infestation there are generally several hundred flea Beetles and if you manage to nab 20% of them you would be very lucky.
I somehow agree with you that home made Nicotine spray is probably illegal but the use of Nicotine itself is not illegal so what is the difference because the preparations that you buy are very concentrated and a few dogends in water is enough to do the job.
JB.

I was just mentioning what Geoff Hamilton describes, and no, I have not tried it. I guess that at norrmal kitchen garden scales, you might have some success if you repeated it often ? I find my rocket gets peppered with holes at times, but I don't worry too much.

I think that officially, however you do it, preparing a pesticide without license is not permitted. Whether the amateur gardner should worry about his cigarette end accidentally falling into a watering can is another matter

For non smokers who want dog ends to make a niccotine spray, a quick litter-pick outside the front door of the average pub should yield a more-than-adequate yield! At least it would in this neck of the woods!