[kibiza]

I have some lovely PSB plants that are surrounded by cabbage whites all of the time. I have also noticed eggs under the leaves. Don't really have the money to net them all as they are huge! any ideas of how to get rid of the eggs organically and keep the cabbage whites off.

Thanks

[SnooziSuzi]

squish em!

Seriously, when you see any eggs just rub them off with your thumb or squish the caterpillars otherwise you'll just be growing veggies for them, not for you.

THe small white caterpillar is more difficult to see than the large white one.  The small is almost the same colour green as the host veg and they usually only come in one's or twos, but you will be able to tell if you have one because you'll see their caterpillar poo all over; dark green balls at the base of the leaves inside.

If you have the Large White caterpillars then if you don't get rid you are in trouble; they lay their eggs about 30-40 at a time and they will strip your plants bare.  the caterpillar istelf is black and yellow and about an inch and a half long.

If you don't want to squish them you could always blast them off with a jet of soapy water from a squirter bottle, but that way you are leaving them alive to reinfest your plants.

Netting doesn't have to be expensive.  if you have a builders yard or building site nearby they might have some of the green safety netting they use on scaffolding; alternatively, go to the pound shops and they often have some in.  It's plastic so you can use it year after year so for the initial outlay of a few pounds you will have years of protection.

Hope this helps

[out4nowt]

I pick the caterpillars off and also blast the eggs off with the hosepipe and it seems to keep them at bay. I do it every few days.

[corynsboy]

I remember seeing Terry Walton on TV (The Big Dig?) anyway; he had a barrel full of water that he had rhubarb leaves fermenting in.  He used to spray his cabbage in spring with his foul smelling soup and he reckons it deters the cabbage whites at they don't recognise the "smell" of the cabbage over the "smell" of the rhubarb.

It's definitely organic but the cost of barrels (if you don't have free access to them) and the space they take up, and the fact that you've got to keep spraying in between watering and the rain washes the spray away...... Nope.  Give me netting every time.

[Ropster]

must remember to make sure the net is fine enough though, small whites can fly right through 10mm net, i know as i have watched them do it

[Mike.white]

I remember seeing Terry Walton on TV (The Big Dig?) anyway; he had a barrel full of water that he had rhubarb leaves fermenting in.  He used to spray his cabbage in spring with his foul smelling soup and he reckons it deters the cabbage whites at they don't recognise the "smell" of the cabbage over the "smell" of the rhubarb.

It's definitely organic but the cost of barrels (if you don't have free access to them) and the space they take up, and the fact that you've got to keep spraying in between watering and the rain washes the spray away...... Nope.  Give me netting every time.

Hmm... I heard the same with garlic.... tried it but it didn't work, sadly...

[Yorkie]

also sadly no longer permitted / legal as a pesticide, I'm afraid 

[mumofstig]

But if you spray the garlic on to deter them from laying eggs it is not a pesticide, is it?

[Ice]

I use 10mm net from Homebase and have watched cabbage whites try to get through and fail.

If you don't have the time to inspect and rub off the eggs then you might need to use a proprietary spray, I usr Provado Ultimate and it lasts for weeks.  I would never spray if I expected to harvest less than two weeks away.

[nemie]

Mine have only just gone in the ground, but seem to be doing well, i got some 10mm netting as i could not find anything smaller.

Before i planted them i noticed yellow eggs on about 6 of them, which i just rubbed off with my fingers.

Last week i went out late to check for snails and two white butterflies flew off my baby cabbages, so i guess this is the cabbage white.

[Dreadmeister]

Scuse me kibiza,Yorkie are you talking about rhubarb leaf brewing being illegal? As i have intentions of having a crack at trying it out over next year if i can sort it!?

[corynsboy]

It turns out that all sorts of pesticides that were previously used by gardeners have been banned over the last few years.  I think the term is "previously allowed substances are now outside the law".  It's all about active ingredients.  Some active ingredients are found in high to deadly concentrations in nature. 

Example: Rhubarb leaves are deadly to all humans they contain high concentrations of some nasty acid that affects heart function.  I'm not sure I want to put that on my cabbages.

As usual the RHS have a typically sensible, no nonsense approach to the subject on their site.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/chemicals.asp

[Sadgit]

cover them in fleece.. I've had no problems with CWs since I started doing this...

[slugtrap]

Interplant some marigolds as they are deterred by the smell they give off and they attract useful predators.

[hamstergbert]

You could always try the classic Marty Feldman "100 percent guaranteed caterpillar killer, absolutely guaranteed never to fail".

I think it went along the lines of:  "place the caterpillar on brick A.   Raise brick B..."  can't quite remember what it was after that.....