Homemade Clotches

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Homemade Clotches
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mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 05 10:25 pm Post subject:
Yes I do as a fox rolled around into and made it all muddy Last edited by mrutty on Fri Jan 07, 05 11:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 05 10:27 pm Post subject:
Oh

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 05 1:34 am Post subject:
It should be washed anyway, for mudsplashes, etc.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 05 9:44 am Post subject:
As people often grow crops full time under fleece (stops flea beetle for one) I would have thought it needs to be clean to let as much light through. Have people done this here and are the results good? We have suffered from cabbage root fly this year and caterpillars over the last few so I'm thinking of fleece or fine netting.

mrutty

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1578

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 05 11:20 am Post subject:
I grow my carrots under fleece and have no problems

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 1:55 pm Post subject:
Down herefleece works against all the creepy-crawlies ( except burrowing slugs, but has to be on early. The flea beetle eggs overwinter in the soil, so a fresh patch is a good idea HTH Tristan

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 2:10 pm Post subject:

Tristan wrote:

The flea beetle eggs overwinter in the soil, so a fresh patch is a good idea

Well we do have a three year rotation so we'll have to see how it goes.

We've just had the offer of some plain net curtains. No one needs them for curtains as they are old. I'll probably give them a try in place of fleece this year. Anyone tried it?

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 2:21 pm Post subject:
Do net curtains work, I have a huge ammount of them from the hotel.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 2:29 pm Post subject:
If no one's tried it I'll let you know at the end of summer. I think they will at least keep the cabbage white off (the hens do a reasonable job eating them, but then they go for the cabbages themselves ).

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 2:33 pm Post subject:
I had hens digging up potatoes last year, as quick as I was putting them in. Clipped the wings in the end!

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 2:39 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

I had hens digging up potatoes last year, as quick as I was putting them in. Clipped the wings in the end!

Ours did 'help' lift some when the potatoes were ready to be lifted. There are much easier to control though.

The hens are actually very good apart from the strawberries.

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 3:57 pm Post subject:
Mine also got the rhubarb, when the covers blew off one very windy night.

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 9:51 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

Do net curtains work, I have a huge ammount of them from the hotel.

Yes, as long as they aren't the lacy type with holes about 3mm in!
Otherwise, great way to recycle them.

Tristan

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 9:55 pm Post subject:

I use net curtains for brassicas (keeps the butterflies off) and over the currant bushes; you have to watch them on windy days, though, and make sure no birds get caught in them. Make sure they are long enough to cover the plant/bush adequately. Take care when removing from fruit bushes as they can get caught easily and snap the branches if you're not careful. Mine get washed and put away at the end of the summer ready for the next year. My friend has a cherry tree for which she made long tubes from large net curtains and she slips these over the branches to prevent the birds from getting the cherries. Looks extremely odd, but seems to work.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 05 11:13 pm Post subject:

Sarah D wrote:

My friend has a cherry tree for which she made long tubes from large net curtains and she slips these over the branches to prevent the birds from getting the cherries. Looks extremely odd, but seems to work.

I read you can do it with stockings, which must look even odder...... or you can buy a cherry tree cage from Harrod horticultural for £300. hmmmmmm - decisions, descisions

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