[Norfolk Boy]

Hello everyone - just a quick bit of background, I moved into a new house in October last year and had enough room for a veg patch and therefore have tried my hand at vegetable gardening and on the most part it has worked pretty well.

However after having some fantastic cauliflowers, some of them appear to have been attacked, but I want to know by what!

Is this damage slugs, insects or some intelligent bird that can get under the netting?

Bad


Worse


Just to prove they weren't all horible!


Your suggestions and methods for control / cure would be much appreciated as two cauliflowers are now on the compost heap.  I would like to grow more next year but I don't want them all to suffer like this.

Thanks!

[Aunt Sally]

Yuck... is it slugs ?

Put a few pellets around the plants !

[peterjf]

deffinately slugs , also saw a few yellow leafs in your clips , dieing or dead leaves are an invite to slugs , cut them off from the cauliflower plant , dont pull them off because you might cause the cauliflowers to bolt and seed

[gobs]

Slugs. I think we even see the culprits in the first photo.

You can just cut out when it's not bad yet.

[Norfolk Boy]

Well that looks like the cause is solved then.....

Thanks for the help.  Its odd though that the other 6 or so cauliflowers didn't show any signs of slug damage and neither have the cabbages in the next row.

Is the damage likely to be small slugs as I have occasionally been out with a torch and not seen any full sized ones around?

As I mentioned above I have a row of cabbages right next to where these cauliflowers were do you think I need to take some drastic steps to protect the cabbages - if so what do you recommend?

[Aunt Sally]

Use these  :!:

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0225938

[Sheehah]

I've also had my entire crop of cauliflowers demolished by slugs and snails, but I am unsure about using slug pellets as we have a lot of frogs on the garden and I don't want them to eat a poisoned slug. Next doors cabbages look fantastic, so I am more than a little disheartened in my first attempt at growing my own.