[jax8008]

Hello everybody
Its my first post and am in need of some help.
Firstly, my sprouts have been covered in caterpillars that I am constantly taking off by hand, will they do any damage other than that which I can see in that the leaves are very holey.
Secondly, on the biggest of the plants the sprouts are opening up and I wonder what could be causing this.
I would appreciate any help with this as this is my first year in growing sprouts.
Many thanks
Jackie

[AlotArds]

Hi, I am a first year student lotty holder, I also have probs with caterpillers, I have been using a weak mix of washing up liquid on them and it has slowed the wee eating thingy'mebobs down. try that, I am sure someone else will be along soon with there tips

[peterjf]

bug off , try it or other bug spray , just follow instructions

[Kristen]

You can net them - using scaffolder's debris netting. Pictures of how I did mine on My Blog

I don't think the caterpillars carry any disease (unlike Aphid etc. which may infect plants whilst eating them ) so its only the damage that you can see.

If you are removing them by hand then rub off any clumps of eggs you see - that will prevent the new comers hatching and eating more leaves before you can get to them.

If your sprouts are "blown" already then the most likely cause is that the soil wasn't rock hard to start with.  Brassicas like it well trampled down (dunno how they force their roots through concrete, but that's how they like it

Staking them so they don;t rock in the wind may help.

[Sadgit]

Nice netting Kristen. I keep meaning to it mine properly like this..

[maxie]

Just squash the caterpillars     they cant do any more damage with their guts bust open 
Its always late august when these hordes of caterpillars arrive,the plants can cope with one or two of the green ones but the darker ones are like locusts.
Like kristen says if the brussels are blown its probably too soft grouns and theres not much you can do,mine would always do this as i have light soil so this year i didnt dig the brussel patch,just planted into hard ground and they are a lot better.

[beansticks]

Apart from eating the leaves,they also leave their droppings everywhere,not very appertising.

[Lulu]

i lost my entire sprout crop last year due to caterpillars.  the sprouts I did get were to small to eat.  This year I netted them and so far so good.

It is hard when you see something else eating your hard work - little blighters 

good luck

[Rangerkris]

My sprouts so far are another crop that is not doing very well for us at the moment   might be there postion there in thats not woring for them.

[NigelB]

I'm having exactly the same problems as you jax8008.
Leaves looking like green paper doilies and sprouts that are trying to look like roses.
It's a right b****r, especially after they've been in the ground for so long. I think maybe two out of six plants are ok, the rest 'blown', as they say.
Ah well, next year will be different....(As I seem to be telling myself a lot nowadays)
.... Fingers crossed one of them stays ok, I promised the missus our own sprouts for Christmas dinner,........ 

[plum crumble]

What great netting Kristen!! i have exactly the same problem - terrible devastation of my brassicas. If I net now, do you know if the plants will recover? I shall look for that Debris netting now on ebay. thanks!

[Pete C]

Blown Sprouts is more often than not caused by lack of nutrients. Strip blown sprouts from the bottom of the plant and use a feed high in Nitrogen. This will help sprouts higher up form properly

[Jonajo]

I had a load of caterpillars and then netted thoroughy a month or so ago. I still get the odd caterpillar from the eggs laid originally but there are very few of them now although each week I get under the netting and squash any I see.

My sprouts are forming ok - it is just the top and outer leaves of the plants that are nibbled but I think once the caterpillars die off the plants will recover.

[lovemyveg]

You can net them - using scaffolder's debris netting. Pictures of how I did mine on My Blog

I thought I had tricked the white cabbage butterfly hatching eggs on my brussels by netting the plants.  But instead they took over my salad leaves, I fleeced these hoping they had not already laid eggs, but they had and they ate most of the leaves, except the red leaves, so perhaps this is the way forward, grow all dark red leaves?

 

[Jonajo]

Kristen, where did you get your scaffolding netting from?

I used the 7mm which has now almost done the trick but your netting looks much better
Thanks