I have 'summerweight' row covers installed over my brassicas because the little experience I've had gardening taught me that cabbage moths/loopers are a BIG problem.

I had high hopes for the row covers, but I'm underwhelmed with the ability for water to penetrate. It seems to pool where it can pool and shed into my paths where it can shed. All in all I feel like the row covers will limit the benefit of rain to the brassica beds. (I do have soaker hoses underneath, but the free stuff falling from the sky is not something I want to ignore.)

So my thought is to investigate some type of more open-weaved mesh or net, because the critters of concern (the pretty white butterflies that have me waving my arms around yelling "shoot them!") are fairly large.

My question to you is whether the moths/loopers (I think I might have both) can do something crazy like squeeze themselves into a tiny tube to fit through mesh (or holes in the row cover.)

Would a netting work? And if so, how small would the openings have to be to foil my flying foes?

Thanks!

~Emily

Dicot: I decided on a physical barrier for a number of reasons, some of which are: I want to stop the problem before it starts, not after; although I think Bt is great for many people, I want to avoid any pesticdes if I can; and the idea of dead caterpillars in my broccoli squicks me only slightly less than the idea of live ones. :)

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - I'm sure the tulle will work much better!

~Emily

That was unpleasant.

dicot how GROSS!

That's it, the order's going in right now.

Thanks so much, fanfortony. I would probably have tried it anyway, but now I'm sure it's going to work.

It'll be s nice to be able to see my poor little transplants again!

~Emily

http://www.bbcrafts.com/108+Inch+Fabric+Nylon+Tulle+Bolt/~67e9e2e7-c05 3-4224-8f4d-f09bdf7467f8.html

DL

This sounds like a good idea.

I bought some remay low tunnels and am determined to get some fall broccoli. I transplanted my broccoli starts 10 days ago and have been watching there progress carefully. A couple of days ago I watched one of those white cabbage moths spend maybe 5 minutes trying to access the hoop from one end - thankfully it was unsucessfu; its persistance was scary. A few days later I noted some damage to some of the plants. I pulled back the hoops and found a good old fashioned caterpillar and a giant slug under there. Crushed the catepillar, tossed the slug, put down some slug pellets and replanted some broccoli starts.

Lesson learned: The hoop is only good if there isn't anything in or on the soil when you cover the plants. Yes you can see I actually do use newspaper Pots to start my plants cost $0!!

108' wide tulle. I just bought 18 yards of it, because of the free shipping on orders over $35, that put me just over $35. So that will give me a 54 feet by 9ft piece.. that's a stinkin' big net! I'll need to figure out how to cut in in segments that I will need, especially for my squash, since eventually I will need a big piece, but at first I will just need a little. Since I am not too sure of the durability of the tulle netting under the sun, I might cut a small piece and a big piece, so I can use the small piece while the plants are small, then when the plants get bigger, replace it with the bigger piece, and hopefully I will be able to put away the smaller piece and reuse it later.

No one has yet to mention, that although it's nylon, it is washable!!!!

DO NOT put netting over a patch where you had bad bugs before. They're probably still in the soil, and the netting will just hold them in when they hatch.

Big craft stores have tulle for about $1 per yard. A big more expensive at JoAnn.

As to making a net wider than a yard, I'm sure some fabric ribbon (there's a name for that ...) can easily be used to glue (Liquid Nails) two lengths together. One long strip. Don't do it by sewing.

Coyotes moved in this winter. Sure hope they like rabbits.

I don't have rabbits, but I have loads of squirrels who like to dig holes and steal produce. (I also have barred owls, and I think they like squirrels.)

Last year, I discovered that both mamma and baby wrabbits could fit through the 2 inch holes in my fence. Still,, at this price and ease of use, I think I'll try doubleing the fabric around the base of the fence to see if it helps. With the drought last summer, there was not much for the little critters to eat or drink except in the garden. Hopefully it will be different this year.