This topic contains 16 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by charles 10 years ago.
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This is not good, and strange too!
I do not remember leather jacket damage when we first started growing veg here but recently the problem has become worse. We live on the Essex/Suffolk border near Colchester. When we first moved here 30 years ago, we made a list of every bird we saw in our three acre garden. The list was very long, with some unusual birds. Over the years the magpies moved in and now we have Sparrow hawks, loads of kestrels and often I see anything up to six pairs of buzzards circling over head. I do not think it is a coincidence that we now see hardly any garden birds. Starlings eat loads of leather jackets, I have not seen one of these lovely little birds for about 15 years. Nor do we have Song thrushes, wind thrushes, blackbirds or jays, the list goes on and on. We only see blue tits, grate tits, robins, pigeons and pheasants all the rest are carrion. Has anyone else found this to be the case? There must be a connection between carrion that eat the birds, young and eggs of the species that help keep grubs, caterpillars and anything else gardeners need help getting rid of.
Best regards Anne
A bit of Googling and I found out that Leatherjackets numbers are elevated and larvae size is greater in Spring when the preceding Autumn has been wet and the Winter mild, so maybe that explains their numbers this Spring – see https://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=651. I planted out a dozen Spinach plants two weeks ago and all have been decapitated. Rumaging around in the top couple of inches of soil reveals 6 or 7 Leatherjackets per square foot. I have lots of salad leaves waiting to go out and did a test planting of 5 plants. Only one plant remains a week later.
Has anyone had any success with nematodes as a control?
Darren
This is interesting Anne, similar hereabouts and I see many magpies, do have thrush and blackbirds. As Dazzerelli says, the populations of leatherjackets is off the scale in some places. The mild autumn and winter must have helped and I am wondering where I can plant lettuce and spinach.
After about the middle of June they should pupate and the problem disappears until next spring… I have bought nematodes but they are not delivered until July.
I decided to buy these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nemasys-leatherjacket-killer-lawn-pest-foxes-damage-grass-daddy-long-legs-birds-/151246148182
because they promise delivery next week.
But they are expensive (£20), worth it for my salad sales but a frustrating price for growing veg to eat. I shall use them only where growing lettuce, spinach, beetroot and chard which so far are chief victims. Alliums and brassicas look alright.
I planted 9 lettuces grown in modules, all a reasonable size, a couple of weeks ago. I surrounded each plant with Slug Gone (dried sheeps wool which has always worked for me against slugs every time) and every single lettuce has disappeared. I’m thinking that it must be leatherjackets in my case too. I was going to plant out some rocket that I’ve grown in modules, but after reading these posts, I’m wondering whether I should leave them in their modules for a while.
That sounds like leatherjackets… but they are less keen on brassicas so rocket should be alright. Pess for shoots are doing fine here.
Oh that’s good news – thank you Charles!
I suffered terribly from what I now know are leather jackets last summer. The problem started in early May for me. I’m gradually turning a field into a market garden and keep the new beds covered in permeable membranes until I plant out. That’s probably not a good idea perhaps as it stops the birds getting to the soil. Re wildlife – we have plenty of magpies, crows and kestrels, some skylarks but no other birds. Just about to plant out my first batch of lettuces but feel a bit apprehensive. When are the leather jackets visible to squash? Otherwise I’ll invest in the nematodes.
just read one of Garden Organic’s solutions for leatherjackets – if you have a fresh bit of cultivated land, before planting, place a layer of grass mowings on the surface then cover with tarpaulin or similar material. Leave for one or two days then pick off and destroy any leatherjackets that surface. Repeat, then fork the soil lightly to expose larvae that remain. Sounds good to me!
If there are many, it takes ages to find and squash them. I tried the covering method and none surfaced! (only slugs). Dig a small hole in the grass and if you see at least one, there are probably lots. But nematodes are pricey. So far I have noticed batavian lettuce like Grenoble Red to be more resistant. Grow extra pea shoots, wild rocket, sorrel, overwintered lettuce – all resist.
I planted out 20 mixed brassicas last weekend and only 5 remain now. Alliums and Peas are untouched.
I’ve applied some nematodes, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nemasys-Grow-Your-small-pack/dp/B004MLW9OI/ref=sr_1_1?s=outdoors&ie=UTF8&qid=1397208251&sr=1-1&keywords=grow+your+own+nematodes, reasonable price. Fingers crossed now.
Darren
I applied the nematodes 3 days ago (Nemasys Grow your own £5 for 60m2) and today found a Leatherjacket with lots of White pustules on the surface. I think I’ll risk planting out Lettuce now.
The Nematodes are supposed to work for Carrot fly too.
Darren
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