Posted by Alan \(BigAl\) on July 18, 2011, 12:26 pm
I grew a row of turnips this year. They have a lovely healthy top to them,
and I have been delighted by the way they have developed from marble to golf
ball to tennis ball and bigger. I thought I would sample one today, as they
will benefit from thinning anyway.
http://s1102.photobucket.com/albums/g444/bigalinsk/?action=view¤t=PICT3032.jpg
On washing and peeling it, I was dismayed to find that it was unusable, as
it had been attacked by a series of small grubs that had bored into it and
introduced a network of brown rotten trails through it.
I have not checked the rest of the row, but if it is the turnip equivalent
of carrot fly, I suspect that I may as well rip them all out and chuck them
in the compost bin.
Any thoughts please? Am I too late to do anything to rescue some crop?
cheers
Alan
Posted by <vicky on July 18, 2011, 12:33 pm
> On washing and peeling it, I was dismayed to find that it was unusable, as
> it had been attacked by a series of small grubs that had bored into it and
> introduced a network of brown rotten trails through it.
I'm not going to be much help, as my only response is that exactly the same
happened to me the only time I ever succeeded in growing a turnip or two.
My dad did manage to cut away enough from each one to make a very small
amount of soup, though!
Posted by Alan \(BigAl\) on July 18, 2011, 1:09 pm
>> On washing and peeling it, I was dismayed to find that it was unusable,
>> as
>> it had been attacked by a series of small grubs that had bored into it
>> and
>> introduced a network of brown rotten trails through it.
> I'm not going to be much help, as my only response is that exactly the
> same
> happened to me the only time I ever succeeded in growing a turnip or two.
> My dad did manage to cut away enough from each one to make a very small
> amount of soup, though!
Using Google, I have now found a good deal of advice from an American web
page.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5632827_rid-root-maggots-turnips.html
Scrupulous garden hygiene,
Mechanical barriers to prevent the fly gaining access to the root
Do not compost the infected plants
Expensive insecticides - if you can find one you trust not to poison the
family.
And I thought in my innocence, that I could just pop a few seeds in and with
a little water and weeding enjoy nice flavourful stews in the Autumn. Wrong
again!
Not so easy this gardening lark, is it?
Alan
Posted by Rod on July 18, 2011, 1:38 pm
> >> On washing and peeling it, I was dismayed to find that it was unusable,
> >> as
> >> it had been attacked by a series of small grubs that had bored into it
> >> and
> >> introduced a network of brown rotten trails through it.
> > I'm not going to be much help, as my only response is that exactly the
> > same
> > happened to me the only time I ever succeeded in growing a turnip or two.
> > My dad did manage to cut away enough from each one to make a very small
> > amount of soup, though!
> Using Google, I have now found a good deal of advice from an American web
> page.http://www.ehow.com/how_5632827_rid-root-maggots-turnips.html
> Scrupulous garden hygiene,
> Mechanical barriers to prevent the fly gaining access to the root
> Do not compost the infected plants
> Expensive insecticides - if you can find one you trust not to poison the
> family.
> And I thought in my innocence, that I could just pop a few seeds in and with
> a little water and weeding enjoy nice flavourful stews in the Autumn. Wrong
> again!
> Not so easy this gardening lark, is it?
> Alan
Sow some more now, the seed's cheap - 'Milan Purple top' away from
your damaged ones. If the late summer monsoon happens you might just
get some nice turnips. The fly has more than one brood and you can
sometimes get a crop between broods.
Posted by Chris Hogg on July 18, 2011, 2:53 pm
wrote:
>I grew a row of turnips this year. They have a lovely healthy top to them,
>and I have been delighted by the way they have developed from marble to golf
>ball to tennis ball and bigger. I thought I would sample one today, as they
>will benefit from thinning anyway.
>http://s1102.photobucket.com/albums/g444/bigalinsk/?action=view¤t=PICT3032.jpg
>On washing and peeling it, I was dismayed to find that it was unusable, as
>it had been attacked by a series of small grubs that had bored into it and
>introduced a network of brown rotten trails through it.
>I have not checked the rest of the row, but if it is the turnip equivalent
>of carrot fly, I suspect that I may as well rip them all out and chuck them
>in the compost bin.
>Any thoughts please? Am I too late to do anything to rescue some crop?
>cheers
>Alan
Turnip root fly, Delia floralis? See
http://www.sac.ac.uk/mainrep/pdfs/tn551swedesturnipspests.pdf
half way down page 2, 1st column
--
Chris
Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales
XML site map
> it had been attacked by a series of small grubs that had bored into it and
> introduced a network of brown rotten trails through it.