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Q: I am a little nervous at calling in to the radio so I thought I would email my problem to you. Last year was my first year of growing vegetables, however, the cabbage white butterflies desecrated my brassicas. I covered everything with netting but they still managed to get in resulting in very little produce being left for the pot. Is there any other way I can avoid this? I don’t want to spray, if I can help it, but I will if that is my only option. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Marion Wells
A: Dear Marion, you mention that you have used a net, I take it you do mean net, whereas if you had used horticultural enviromesh and pinned it to the ground each side of your brassicas this would have prevented them laying eggs on your cabbages. Remember that butterflies are around earlier than one realises, and it is wise to use enviromesh all the way through the growing period. I note that you’re not keen to spray, but something like Grazers G3 is effective protection against cabbage white butterflies and their larvae. It is safe to use on edible crops and will strengthen the plant to prevent damage from pests. Grazers sprays are organic and made with natural ingredients, so this may change your opinion around spraying to protect a crop.
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