Managing Cabbage Root Fly

Описание: Cabbage root fly larvae eat the roots of brassica (cabbage family) plants including cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and turnip although some suffer less than others. With kale, for example, I find Italian kale is a problem while Russian or curly kale usually emerges unscathed.

Root fly can be an issue at any time of the season but it is more of a problem in spring and early summer when cabbage family plants are young. Older plants usually survive an attack because they have developed large root systems so can afford to loose a few but young seedlings will almost certainly succumb.

The tell tale signs of a problem are blueish wilted leaves; if you tug the plant it will easily pull free of the soil revealing very few fine roots and little white maggots (cabbage root fly larvae).

Cabbage root fly can be effectively controlled using a mesh, laid directly or on a support. The reason, by the way, that you can't just use the fleece you used earlier in the year to protect from frost is it traps too much heat in summer while the mesh provides ventilation.

The other alternative is to use a cabbage collar either supplied in packs or home made from roofing felt or another suitable material. The idea here is that the root fly can't find suitable terrain around the root to lay eggs and, if she does, they can't burrow through the material down to the roots.

You probably have a tray of brassicas on the go now. It's a good idea to cover the tray of seedlings with insect protection mesh, just in case.

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