slugs and snails.

[biglongdarren]

last year i had an awful trouble with slugs and snails around my vegetables,i didnt use anything to try and stop them,i was gonna use slugs pellets but couldnt bare the thought of the birds eating the Poisoned dead ones. does anybody use these nematodes things or what does everybody else use to fight crime against them??
Darren

 

[BeeJayBee]

We use insect mesh over a lot of our vegetables because of carrot fly, leek moth etc, and use bio slug pellets beneath the netting.

We've used nematodes for areas outside the netting, but we weren't sure how well they worked, because we seemed to catch just as many slugs in upturned grapefruit.

We're trying copper strips this year, round our hostas.

 

[alanf]

Have tried the Ferric phosphate based pellets, usually marketed as 'Organic', Growing Success is a brand that several garden centres around here stock. Contrasting the sowings that were untreated (because I ran out) and those with, they do reduce damage even when spread quite thinly.

 

[foxhill]

I've used the nematodes for the last couple of years. They seem to be reducing the number of spuds I have to throw away full of slug holes. They have more of an effect on the small slugs that live in the soil not the whoppers that you see around and about. I also use those organic slug pellets that are made from an iron compound and aren't poisonous to other wildlife. I'm hoping that a two pronged approach will eventually get rid of the problem.

 

[Luminos]

Beer traps for the slugs, and eat the snails

 

[Hombre]

Would a sprinkling of coarse copper filings on the soil be effective or cost effective?

 

[AnotherNewBee]

Most years we seem to get a few toads living amongst our veg. They seem to keep the slugs under control.

 

[countryman]

we let the chickens loose in the veg beds all through the winter not only does it get rid of the blighters but they also turn over the soil and fertilize it for us gives me more time with the ladies and then during the summer go out after dark with a torch and small long handled shovel find any and hurl them over two gardens for the nice neighbours who spike our lorry tyres, payback time lol

 

[susbees]

Have tried the Ferric phosphate based pellets, usually marketed as 'Organic', Growing Success is a brand that several garden centres around here stock. Contrasting the sowings that were untreated (because I ran out) and those with, they do reduce damage even when spread quite thinly.

They work well....but keep chickens away as they go for the pretty layers' pellets! No damage to chickens btw. They do go mouldy quite quickly in rain - but very little of that in the last year.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Would a sprinkling of coarse copper filings on the soil be effective or cost effective?

I think that if you put the filings on something to stop it mixing into the soil it might work.

The idea of the copper strips is that there's a reaction between the slugs slime and the copper, creating a mild current which deters the slugs. It isn't srong enough to kill them. The copper strips are about 2" wide, which is wide enough for almost all the slug to be in contact with it.

 

[psafloyd]

Collect your eggshells, crush them and place around young plants. Some of our broad beans have recovered over past week after i spotted damage.
I have been doing this for years and it works a treat. I never use slug pellets despite lots of snails and slugs.