[vron]

Hi everyone, Happy New Year to you all.

We suffered badly last year with white fly on our brassicas.
  
Has anyone ever tried or used Aromatherapy Essential Oils as a deterrent.
  
If so with what success and which oils were used and how were they used.
  
We tried using ordinary fly papers, with a little effect, but not enough.
  
I have heard that you can use the oils and the following have been mentioned.

Cedarwood, Hyssop, Tagetes, Carraway, Rosemary and Fennel.
 
But how they are applied or used I do not know.
 
An internet search has not been much use.

Any response would be most welcome.

[Lulu]

Interesting idea - I've never heard of it!  I got hit with the same little blighters last year and was wondering if Marigolds or some other companion planting would help?

any cabbage experts out there to help us

[mumofstig]

I think most of the cabbage experts growers on this site would recommend covering your brassicas with netting (holes of less than 7mm) to keep the butterflies off  Much easier I would have thought, and totally organic

[Yorkie]

Not sure if that would also work for whitefly, though.

Many of us just put up with the irrepressible little blighters 

[mumofstig]

ooops..
she repeats to herself

read the post properly............ read the post properly   

[rowlandwells]

why not try spraying with rhubarb leaves soaked in a tub for a week it smells or-sum but why not give it a go 

i  used it and i think it helped i spray in the growing season several times before maturity i also sprayed with a week solution of washing up liquid when i see those white butterflies hovering around  before infestation takes hold because if not treated they strip the plant very quickly

[Malturn]

I have heard that a mixture of garlic juice and washingup liquid  well diluted works. Dont know but I hope to try it this year.

Malcolm

[AndyRVTR]

Oh Nooooo!!!    

[DD.]

Yes indeed, Andy.

Please be aware of this posting from the site owner regarding home made pesticides.

You'll find it in the "Notice Board" which is recommended reading for all.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=65430.0

[8doubles]

The trouble with whitefly is that the little devils hide in all the nooks and crannies on the underside of the leaf where it is difficult to get at them with any kind of spray.

The water i used for pre-rottihg some rhubarb leaves before composting got 'spilled' on the ground between the brassicas rows planted for the hens this year , no caterpillars on the broccoli no white fly on the curly kale.
This may be co-incidental or due to the cold winters we have had but it is certainly not recommended .
 I really must be more careful with that bucket this year.

[asd1]

I get white fly on my chillis a lot! I used soap and garlic spray but just burnt the plants I found the best way is just a hard spray one a week with hose does the best

[NASH]

I think most of the cabbage experts growers on this site would recommend covering your brassicas with netting (holes of less than 7mm) to keep the butterflies off  Much easier I would have thought, and totally organic

I think op is on about those 2mm wide flies.

[Jono]

I've had a real white fly problems in previous years. Last year I kept all my brassicas together, and planted lots and lots of African marigolds around and in between them.

I'd read that the marigolds are really pungent and the fly doesn't like the smell. I hardly had any whitefly last year - could have been a coincedence, but I'm going to do the same this summer.

[vron]

Hi, we have 2 of our own custom made brassica cages.  

The frames are like a greenhouse, but with debris netting instead of glass.
Each wooden frame is 12' 4''L x 10'W x 6'H.  
And can easily moved each year for crop rotation.

For the past 4 years we have used rhubarb leaves and garlic steeped in
a large water butt and sprayed over, and yes it stinks.
But the blighters still manage to cause problems, but not quite so bad.
So I am looking for other natural alternatives to try, like essential oils.

The same goes for our onions, we were hit badly with Allium leaf miner (confirmed)
in 2009.  And again in 2010 but not quite so bad.

There was an article in Kitchen Garden (Jan 2011) about onion fly and that using
certain pungent spices may confuse and deter the onion fly.
These were cayenne, cinnamon, black pepper and ginger.
  
So I am going to try one or two of those dusted around our leeks and onions.
We are also netting them this year, so I hope it works on Allium leaf miner also.

[Goosegirl]

I always grow some tagetes in my greenhouse and, so far, have never had a whitefly problem.