slugs

[marcros]

I have been looking through the various garden catalogues. Has anybody used nematodes for keeping the slugs down? I would like to get away from using slug pellets. any thoughts?

 

[RoofTops]

I've looked at it but the cost was very high.

 

[jean]

I have loads of slugs that devour my new crops. This year as I had a lot of wood ash, I circled the plants with this, and not a single bit of slug damage. Of course, it means having a wood burner and saving your winter's ash, but it DOES work.

 

[Midgey]

I've used nematodes and I think that they work well.

 

[GingerNut]

I have used nematodes for two years now and both years I have ended up going back to pellets

I won't be trying them again.

I have found some pellets that don't make the slugs explode all over the garden, but they inhibit their eating, and they are supposed to go underground and die.

This means that animals that eat slug shouldn't be poisioned

I have to say there is less evidence of dead slugs all over the place Yet the slugs have definitely diminished

Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Success-Advanced-Slug-Killer/dp/B000TASRH4 - B&Q also sell them.

Yours Roy

 

[hedgerow pete]

heres an idea try these

slug kebabs, my ducks love themView attachment 912

 

[Widdershins]

We ALWAYS have slug and snail infestations...its difficult to know what to do for the best....any I find, I throw to the Chickens - they love them!!
However, this year, after many a crop being devoured by the slimy suckers, I have resorted to Beer Traps. In the past, Ive thought of them as 1) a gimmic and 2) a waste of beer.

It Works. Amazingly so! Ive had to empty the container out each morning, and the chickens now look forward to the 'Beer Slugs'.

Its worth a try, honestly!!!!!

 

[roche]

So do you have a lot of inebriate hens?

We use nematodes and the seem to work, but you need to be pretty religious about not letting the soil get too dry and preventing any bridge between the treated area and the untreated area...

 

[PaleoPerson]

Slug Pellets

I have seen these slug pellets on sale, but where do you buy the guns to fire them from?

 

[Geoff]

Groan.......

 

[Geoff]

I heard or read a quote somewhere
"You dont have a slug problem, you have a duck deficit"
If you don't like using pellets because of wildlife or pets there are organic pellets that are quite safe.
I have also heard that slugs don't like bracken so next year I am going to put bracken round the strawberries instead of plastic or straw. I did use bark mulch round hostas and the hostas were never touched. I don't whether it was the acids in the conifer mulch that put them off

 

[JCBrum]

I've been told that slugs don't like coffee. Apparently the caffeine severely disrupts their nervous system. It was suggested that used coffee grounds around the hive stand feet would be an impenetrable barrier. Maybe I'll have a word with Starbucks.

 

[shonabee]

A guy I work with gets used coffee grounds from Starbucks to put round his strawbs.

 

[hedgerow pete]

most of the posh coffee shops give them away free if you ask they can do without the hassel of binning them

 

[Busy Bee]

A copper pipe hammered flat and nailed to a timber border slugs won't travel over it.
Sand border slugs won't travel over it.
Spray all borders weeds and espically grass elimates slugs to no end (no where to live).

Busy Bee

 

[JCBrum]

A copper pipe hammered flat and nailed to a timber border slugs won't travel over it. Sand border slugs won't travel over it.

Hmmm, tried that, didn't work for me.

 

[oliver90owner]

They sell copper wire netting/tubes and that is supposed to work (copper blocker on the Lee Valley site (I love browsing in Lee Valley, Ottawa). I have thought of knitting some on one of our sock knitting machines, but not got around to sourcing the fine bare copper wire - the last time I considered it was when scrap prices were rising at an exponential rate.

Regards, RAB

 

[hedgerow pete]

if i was to put anything copper any where outside the slugs would weigh it in or the locas would complete waste of time, also my i point out that slugs will travel over crushed glass, nails, razor blades and carpet gripper rod, and you think egg shells are sharp and pointy , dont belive the tv gardeners, just like bee books they all speak the same old dribble with no new ideas for themsevles, one of the oldest ways to kill slugs is salt water, either spray it one several hours before it rains so it wash away or at any time as a weeker solution, anmd before some twit says salt water kills every thing, may i just point out i am on about spraying the soil not the plant unless its a cabbage or brassicas they love salt water because they are a sea shore plant

 

[Stiffy]

Warning on slug pellets

I have been looking through the various garden catalogues. Has anybody used nematodes for keeping the slugs down? I would like to get away from using slug pellets. any thoughts?

I have a small holding with an electric fence around which keep foxes out from my chickens and rabbits away from my veggies. I used slug pellets on my veg patch earlier this year for the first time. While digging spuds I noticed my Parson Russell (long legged Jack) eating the pellets. I politely (shouted) at him and he stopped, all was well for an hour or two but then he went into spasm and started foaming at the mouth. Realizing that the pellets were the problem we contacted our vet who advised we should get him into the surgery asap. Upshot was he was treated and put on a drip over-night. Thankfully he made a complete recovery but the vet advised that a teaspoon can kill a large dog!
As you can imagine we no longer use pellets but a friend advised that copper pipe works well, the slugs apparently wont cross it.....it seems to work.
Luckily the electric fence surrounding the field also acts as a deterrent for light fingered gxxts.

Hope this helps, Oh and the dog ate the pellets late on a Sunday and it cost £200 in vets bills, expensive slugs!

Cheers
Stiffy

 

[shonabee]

I let my chickens into each veg patch when it's empty - I have 3 teeny veg patches and 4 chickens - but they're great at de-slugging, they'll get the baby ones overwintering in the soil, which at least brings the numbers right down though it won't reamin competely slug free for months afterward it means they're at a level where most plants can cope.