Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: hubballi on April 23, 2012, 17:21

Title: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: hubballi on April 23, 2012, 17:21

Last year my onions were infested (Sets and seed sewn) with maggots from onion fly. They even got into ones in small pots. Never had it before but as they may still be in the soil I would prefer to take steps this time to prevent another disaster.

If I plant the sets with some form of cheap weed protective black fiber with the onions poking through, would that be enough to stop it ?

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: shokkyy on April 23, 2012, 17:28

Enviromesh or Veggiemesh is supposed to stop it.

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: hubballi on April 23, 2012, 20:30

Not cheap though.  >:(

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: catweazle on April 23, 2012, 21:02

what about fleece?

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: leeks r us on April 23, 2012, 23:19

it is a step in the right direction but you also need to crop rotate!

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: mumofstig on April 24, 2012, 08:40

you have to plant somewhere else, as the pupae may still be in the soil, then cover with fleece or enviromesh type netting to keep the flies out.

it's the only way.

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: AmandaLouise on April 24, 2012, 20:08

Following on from this as a newbie, should precautions be taken to cover my onion bed with protection , Its my first year and dont actually know what the ground is like.  Other plot holders dont seem to have any protection on. 

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: hubballi on April 30, 2012, 17:25

I have moved the soil around as well as add old compost from containers to the soil so no need to rotate. What I have done is made individual collars for each set from that black fiber cloth. That will stop the eggs hatching into the soil.

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: mumofstig on April 30, 2012, 17:36

If they're already in the soil how will the black plastic help?   :unsure:

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: hubballi on May 01, 2012, 19:30

Fly hatches out of soil. Lays eggs on soil surface. Eggs hatch. Grubs appear and cannot burrow into the matting between them and the soil.

Title: Re: Preventing Onion Fly
Post by: LilacSandy on May 01, 2012, 20:16

Quote from: AmandaLouise on April 24, 2012, 20:08

Following on from this as a newbie, should precautions be taken to cover my onion bed with protection , Its my first year and dont actually know what the ground is like.  Other plot holders dont seem to have any protection on. 

I do not use any covering but we do not have any problem with fly on our plots, but there is no telling if we will get them this year.

However we are plagued with carrot root fly instead so you cannot win.