Carrot Root Fly.
If you have grown carrots you almost certainly will have met this pest. It is difficult to eliminate 100%.
Carrot root fly is a fly about 8 mm in length, with a red head and orange legs. The fly is not often seen and does not do the damage directly. The fly lays its eggs in the soil near the carrot. The hatched eggs produce a small cream larvae about a week later, they grows to about 1 cm in length and becomes a new fly after about three months. The maggot eats the root hairs and also burrows into the carrot leaving tunnels in the carrot. If a really bad infestation then the carrot is not usable. The larvae pupates into a new fly.
The pupae or larvae can over-winter in the soil, or carrot if left in the ground.
There are two main broods a year, the first brood peaks around the time that you thin your carrots in April, and the second one around July. It has been reported that the fly can smell carrots up to a mile way!
The larvae will move from carrot to carrot spoiing more carrots. Visable symptoms are wilting and a reddish/yellow discolouration of the outer leaves and plants stunted, or dirty looking tunnels in the roots.
Control:
It used to be possible to use Bromophos to control the fly however that has a long time been banned from use. You are left with just a few control methods, none perfect.
1 Raise the carrot container up at least two feet 60 cm. The fly, flies close to the ground and is said to be a weak flyer. This is not 100% effective, but a good approach. If you get an attack consider a replacement of the compost it can over-winter in the soil.
2 Use a fine netting like environmesh and cover the plants. They should be covered from the seed stage through to harvesting. Bury the edge in the soil so that there are no gaps. If the pupae have overwintered in the soil you can trap the fly under the netting.
3 Sow thinly to avoid thinning the carrots. IF you have to thin then do so in the evening and water well afterwards to disguise the carrot smell. Dispose of the thinning's away from the carrots.
4 Companion planting. Sow alongside onions. The onion smell disguises the smell of the carrots.
5 Sow carrot root fly resistant varieties. These varieties have low levels of chlorogenic acid, which the carrot fly larvae need for survival. This makes the carrot unattractive to the fly. The larvae will soon die.
6 Crop rotation as the pupae over-winters in the soil and larvae in any carrots left in the soil. So fresh ground may be cleaner to start with.
I personally for the last two seasons have grown the majority of my carrots under debris netting from sowing the seed to harvest using different locations. I sow very thinly so that I do not have to thin the carrots. This also helps the carrots grow to a decent size and grow straight. I only weed when the carrots are small seedlings and not near the carrot foliage. I let the weeds grow when the carrots are larger. Being no dig I get fewer weeds anyway. The biggest danger time seems to be once you start harvesting as you disturb the foliage. This has worked well for me
Squashes Planting:
When planting squashes the main vine will grow in the opposite direction to the first true leaf. Maximize your pumpkin growing space by knowing which way the plant will grow, I plant my pumpkin next to my path and let them grow across the full width of the plot using this method.
Things to sow in August
You should be reusing the space from harvesting your crops. Last month and this month should give you the opertunity to obtain a second crop from your ground. Soil does not like to be bare! The plants roots in the soil reduces erosion and also the plant has a symbiotic relationship with the the bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. The plant feed them sugars in exchange for nutrients and water. Keep the soil food web ticking over by sowing something and benefit from a second harvest. Most crops are half year crops.
You can sow:
Spring Cabbage, these overwinter to give you an early crop of cabbage with no caterpillars to contend with and no watering overwintering! Plant some closer together to get some spring greens early around March time, before the cabbage matures. Net the cabbages, pigeons get hungry in the winter.
Carrots, sow an early variety, If you have a cloche then you can extend their growing season when the weather gets colder in a few months time.
Kohl Rabi
Spring Onions
Oriental leaves
Winter radishes
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips, very fast growing, net against pigeons.
If there are any topics you would like me to cover just reply to this email or ask me
Kevin
If you have grown carrots you almost certainly will have met this pest. It is difficult to eliminate 100%.
Carrot root fly is a fly about 8 mm in length, with a red head and orange legs. The fly is not often seen and does not do the damage directly. The fly lays its eggs in the soil near the carrot. The hatched eggs produce a small cream larvae about a week later, they grows to about 1 cm in length and becomes a new fly after about three months. The maggot eats the root hairs and also burrows into the carrot leaving tunnels in the carrot. If a really bad infestation then the carrot is not usable. The larvae pupates into a new fly.
The pupae or larvae can over-winter in the soil, or carrot if left in the ground.
There are two main broods a year, the first brood peaks around the time that you thin your carrots in April, and the second one around July. It has been reported that the fly can smell carrots up to a mile way!
The larvae will move from carrot to carrot spoiing more carrots. Visable symptoms are wilting and a reddish/yellow discolouration of the outer leaves and plants stunted, or dirty looking tunnels in the roots.
Control:
It used to be possible to use Bromophos to control the fly however that has a long time been banned from use. You are left with just a few control methods, none perfect.
1 Raise the carrot container up at least two feet 60 cm. The fly, flies close to the ground and is said to be a weak flyer. This is not 100% effective, but a good approach. If you get an attack consider a replacement of the compost it can over-winter in the soil.
2 Use a fine netting like environmesh and cover the plants. They should be covered from the seed stage through to harvesting. Bury the edge in the soil so that there are no gaps. If the pupae have overwintered in the soil you can trap the fly under the netting.
3 Sow thinly to avoid thinning the carrots. IF you have to thin then do so in the evening and water well afterwards to disguise the carrot smell. Dispose of the thinning's away from the carrots.
4 Companion planting. Sow alongside onions. The onion smell disguises the smell of the carrots.
5 Sow carrot root fly resistant varieties. These varieties have low levels of chlorogenic acid, which the carrot fly larvae need for survival. This makes the carrot unattractive to the fly. The larvae will soon die.
6 Crop rotation as the pupae over-winters in the soil and larvae in any carrots left in the soil. So fresh ground may be cleaner to start with.
I personally for the last two seasons have grown the majority of my carrots under debris netting from sowing the seed to harvest using different locations. I sow very thinly so that I do not have to thin the carrots. This also helps the carrots grow to a decent size and grow straight. I only weed when the carrots are small seedlings and not near the carrot foliage. I let the weeds grow when the carrots are larger. Being no dig I get fewer weeds anyway. The biggest danger time seems to be once you start harvesting as you disturb the foliage. This has worked well for me
Squashes Planting:
When planting squashes the main vine will grow in the opposite direction to the first true leaf. Maximize your pumpkin growing space by knowing which way the plant will grow, I plant my pumpkin next to my path and let them grow across the full width of the plot using this method.
Things to sow in August
You should be reusing the space from harvesting your crops. Last month and this month should give you the opertunity to obtain a second crop from your ground. Soil does not like to be bare! The plants roots in the soil reduces erosion and also the plant has a symbiotic relationship with the the bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. The plant feed them sugars in exchange for nutrients and water. Keep the soil food web ticking over by sowing something and benefit from a second harvest. Most crops are half year crops.
You can sow:
Spring Cabbage, these overwinter to give you an early crop of cabbage with no caterpillars to contend with and no watering overwintering! Plant some closer together to get some spring greens early around March time, before the cabbage matures. Net the cabbages, pigeons get hungry in the winter.
Carrots, sow an early variety, If you have a cloche then you can extend their growing season when the weather gets colder in a few months time.
Kohl Rabi
Spring Onions
Oriental leaves
Winter radishes
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips, very fast growing, net against pigeons.
If there are any topics you would like me to cover just reply to this email or ask me
Kevin