Topic: Slugs again, again, again

[mormor]

The experts say: No bare earth!  Cover or sow green manure - red clover or whatever.  BUT slugs love hiding under any cover and come out at night to eat the green manure that is just showing. We have so many slugs here that I am considering bare earth policy! At least until the winter.  All help, tips, creative ideas are welcome.

[Digeroo]

Been very dry here so slugs not as bad as sometimes.  A couple of years ago they were hoovering  everything up.

I do use a few slug pellets.  I put them in pots which have a small hole, so the slug crawls in and dies.  This means the pellets do not get onto the soil and the hedgehogs etc do not eat poisoned slugs.  Big down is cleaning out the pots of dead slugs.  Yuk.   

Slugs do not seem to like grass clippings.  I also suggest getting to your plot at dawn and picking them off or going out in the dark with a torch.  They also like yoghurt, a smearing in a pot and then out at 11 pm to deal with them,  More yuk.

[mormor]

I’ve been picking them up in handfuls from under rhubarb, in cabbages, put them in a bucket and chop them with a spade - and then drown them  But YUK is the right word.  It’s a very wet summer here - and we had a mild winter.  And now - Slug Invasion!

[Digeroo]

Aha so you have been having all the rain.

[strawberry1]

I used nematodes very successfully last year and this year the plot is pretty clear, no pellets used this year and no nematodes

[mormor]

How many nematodes for 120 sq.metres?  And I can imagine slugs also hide in the neighbors’ plots? What’s your experience? All input welcome!