Slug and Cabbage Collars are impregnated with copper to repel slugs and snails, they will also protect brassicas from cabbage root fly PLUS these collars act as a mulch reducing soil moisture loss and suppressing weeds. The female cabbage root fly lay eggs in the soil close to the brassica plant. The egg hatches and the larvae eat the finer roots leaving only a rotting stump. With a collar in place, the female lays eggs on that instead of the soil, so the larvae cannot eat the plants roots. Slug and Cabbage Collars are a vailable in 3 different sizes – 12.5cm / 5″, 28cm / 11″ and 38cm / 15″.

Cabbage root flies ( Delia radicum/Hylemya brassicae) have become problematic in my garden over the last few years. By early summer, I found myself losing at least half of my cole crop plantings to the little buggers. After doing a bit of research at the start of last season, I came up with a plan to keep cabbage root flies away from my plants, and it worked: cabbage collars. If you'd like more than 10 bags of compost please call our Customer Service team who can arrange for a bespoke competitive quote on 01480 774555 (standard network charges apply) Toilet paper roll tube – once the toilet paper is used up, just take the cardboard cylinder and use it as a cutworm collar. You might be able to cut the roll into two or three collars. However, make sure you make the collars tall enough to deter pests and keep them away from your plants.There are lots of cauliflower varieties to choose from, grouped according to harvesting time. There are faster-growing varieties for summer and autumn crops, and slower-growing varieties for harvesting in late winter and spring. If you buy several different types, you can have cauliflowers practically all year round. Cabbage worm – are the offspring of moths. Their eggs are scattered on the underside of leaves, and when hatched the worm eats into the foliage damaging the plant. Try covering plants over with netting once planted to prevent the moth from landing. Cabbage root flies overwinter in the soil as pupae. When spring arrives, they pupate into adults, feed on flower nectar, and go onto breed and lay eggs over the course of the next five to six weeks.

Typically I recommend covering cole crops with floating row cover to keep pests away, but in the case of cabbage root flies, covering them too early may actually trap newly emerged adult flies underneath the row cover, so instead I turn to making cabbage collars to protect my plants. I put a collar around each plant by late April because the first generation of adult flies typically starts to emerge in early May through June here in my Pennsylvania garden. Making Cabbage Collars What You’ll Need: Autumn varieties – sow indoors or outdoors in mid- to late spring. They are slightly slower growing than summer types and bred to withstand higher summer temperatures, although light shade in the middle of the day is beneficial. They grow best in cool autumn weather and should be harvested before the first frosts.

To do this, once the cauliflower head is the size of a golf ball, tie the outer leaves loosely over the head of the vegetable and secure them in place with twine. Leave enough room so the head can continue to grow unhindered. This will both protect it from the elements and the sun from discoloring it. You can use cardboard boxes to supply the material for your plant collars. Just flatten the boxes and cut them into pieces that are the right size for your collars. To harvest, cut the stem with a knife, taking the head and a few of the leaves beneath it, to protect the curd. Fold the circle in half to mark the center line, and then unfold it. Fold it in half in the other direction, and unfold it to mark the exact center of the circle. Use the scissors to cut down one of the lines from the outermost edge of the circle into the exact center. Step 3

Of course, plant collars will add a little extra effort to your gardening. However, it is worthwhile to protect your plants from devastating pest damage. Indoor-raised plants must be hardened off so they are acclimatised to outdoor conditions before transplanting. Unwaxed cardboard may warp slightly during the growing season. This wasn’t a problem for me, but you can use waxed cardboard for a longer-lasting cabbage collar if you find this to be problematic.Crop rotation should be practised. Otherwise cabbage root fliescan emerge from overwintered pupae in the soil under the fleece or meshcover, if host plants are grown in the same piece of ground in successive years One of the biggest challenges when growing brassicas is dealing with pests. Common pests that affect brassicas include pigeons, caterpillars, aphids and flea beetle. While pesticides can be effective, they can also harm beneficial insects and pollinators. Instead, try these organic methods to protect your brassicas instead: I mentioned a few weeks ago that not only do I have to lime my plot because our soil is so acid, but I also have to use brassica collars here to stop cabbage root fly. I have bought 180 of them this year so far and used the lot and I already had some from previous years which have been used as well. The height is 4 inches, so we would need to cut a rectangular piece of cardboard that is 4 inches by 6.28 inches. Then, we would curl the cardboard into a tube and join the ends with staples to make our collar.