Author Topic: slugs versus me (Read 2485 times)

tomatoada · « **on:** June 20, 2007, 17:56:55 »

Does anyone else feel they are not winning the fight with slugs this year. I have lost several runner beans, 3 out of 10 courgettes and I have given up with the dahlias. This in spite of spending more on pellets . I have not lost so much in previous years.

quizzical1 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 20, 2007, 18:52:06 »

We didn't see any slugs or snails early in the year when the weather was particularly dry. I'd guess they were still in hibernation, but when the wet weather arrived, they started to attack with a vengance.
I have even found them at the top of my dahlias, eating the stem just below flower buds.
About the only thing in the garden that hasn't been attacked is the lettuces, and they are in polystyrene boxes, on top of some racking, on a raised deck, so are about 7 ft off the ground.

kenkew · « **Reply #2 on:** June 20, 2007, 18:54:19 »

Not so many slugs here, but certainly more snails...

cornykev · « **Reply #3 on:** June 20, 2007, 19:12:02 »

Slugs >:( are my biggest enemy Ada, I decided no slug pellets this year but the barstards were eating me out of house and home >:(, so I decided enough is enough and I got the pellets out in big quantity's, over 2/3 days I slaughtered about 30 of them and about 7 snails ;D. Them I went for a second wave weeks later and got about another 12 or so ;D, I saw one cheeky bugger on Monday trying it on when I was there at the plot, the little sod got a green stick straight through it, cheeky git. ;D ;D ;D

greenscrump · « **Reply #4 on:** June 20, 2007, 19:25:33 »

out of the 18 sunflowers I germinated only 3 left thanks to the slimies >:( Didn't realise sunflowers are slug magnets.........

quizzical1 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 20, 2007, 19:27:14 »

Any slugs or snails I find up at the lottie get promptly cut in half with the secateurs, or scissors. Might not beat them but it sure makes me feel better.

cornykev · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2007, 19:33:42 »

Good for you quiz, but drowning is a slower death, one of my favourites is to throw them in the park and watch the birds feast. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D 8)

quizzical1 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 20, 2007, 19:38:33 »

cornykev, at home in the garden we have an old paint kettle half full of salty water, just for that purpose, but it's not so far to get to from anywhere in the garden, whereas up at the lottie it could be nearly 40 yards away.
I have found that the slimy b******s can climb out if it's just fresh water, but the salt has them. Mind you it has to be emptied quite frequently as they stink after a short while.

Tee Gee · « **Reply #8 on:** June 20, 2007, 19:52:44 »

I still say it is the method and quantity of pellets used that is key.

I don't spread the pellets I just trickle a few around the bed and this seems to keep them off (in the main)

But best of all is to find where the lurk during the day and put a line of pellets down between here and the plants you are protecting this gets them on the way out and also on their return.

The other thing is timing!! get them while they are quite young i.e. before they lay their eggs then next year there are fewer.

My biggest problem is the two plots either side of mine are badly maintained. They are very weedy so I run a line of pellets up either side of my plot to get the slugs/snails leaving/entering this ideal home for slugs& snail.

cleo · « **Reply #9 on:** June 20, 2007, 20:04:16 »

I got fed up as well so got some of those organic ones-this morning it was carnage. I`m a wild life lover most of the time but slugs/snails and grass snakes(they eat all the frogs in the village) are not welcome

cornykev · « **Reply #10 on:** June 20, 2007, 21:15:13 »

I use cheap beer quere they don't get out once there in, it's a bit like a lock in. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

*Joanne* · « **Reply #11 on:** June 20, 2007, 21:30:03 »

Slug are killing loads in my garden.I can pick a 100 off at night.Trying to look at a nice way of killing them but think i will stick with putting them on the field for now.Anybody know a slug killer that is not pellets i wont use them due to the danger to birds and hedgehogs.

sand · « **Reply #12 on:** June 20, 2007, 22:47:11 »

On the BBC blog they recommend using coffee grounds sprinkled thinly in 3-5" tracks around the veg. They seem to be getting good results.

Might be worth calling into your local Starbucks (if only we had one up here in the sticks).

Sand

sand · « **Reply #13 on:** June 20, 2007, 22:54:29 »

Last week popped down to Ipswich to visit sister-in-law and give her a helping hand with her veg patch which had got away a bit.

Her runners had all been reduced to stalks.

After a long day digging and planting seeds and plants we retired to the Pernod and bottles of wine. Later we ventured out to admire our handiwork and found an army of snails emerging from some pipes that are pushed vertically into the ground to water the beans.

We attacked with pellets in the pipe and then giggling like the fools that we are wrapped the end of the pipes with clingfilm and returned triumphant to the wine. Darkness came and we just had to stagger out again with torches to watch.

Watering down the pipes should be interesting in a week or two when the clingfilm comes off :o

Sand

Kea · « **Reply #14 on:** June 21, 2007, 17:22:36 »

The slugs seem really bad this year I was trying not to use the pellets but I have had to put down the organic ones (not sure how well they work??). After I was left with two rows of stalks instead of French beans. One of my squash was eaten right through the stem.

gerbera · « **Reply #15 on:** June 21, 2007, 20:55:57 »

My gardening friend thought I'd gone mad when she came round to share a bottle (or 2!) of wine the other day. I had run out of slug pellets (and local shops had sold out). >:(

When she arrived, I was scattering the contents of a jar of cheap coffee around my crops in the garden. I'd heard of slugs dislike of coffee....and I must say....it did seem to work. :D

Just a bloooody expensive treatment! :o

(wonder if my veg will grow quicker due to caffiene injection!?!) ???

frogdoctor · « **Reply #16 on:** June 21, 2007, 21:41:20 »

Not many slugs on my plot, both plots either side are badly run or over run should I say, loads of weeds etc and loads of slugs, but they seem content to stay where they are ??? I`ve put down a few pellets here and there and caught a couple, but thats it, maybe they like their weed infested plots better.

Amazin · « **Reply #17 on:** June 21, 2007, 23:21:07 »

Has anyone else noticed a change in dietary habits of this year's slimeys?

Normally, in my garden, I can expect to find great feasting on the usual banquet of hostas, sunflowers and other delicacies. However, barely a morsel of these has been touched beyond a nibble. Instead, I've caught them gorging on geraniums, munching on monarda and picking off the primulas... if only I could persuade them to graze on the grass, I'd be laughing!

I'm not the only one to have spotted this phenomenon - but is it just a southern/ London thing?

???

quizzical1 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 22, 2007, 01:05:19 »

Northampton here.
My hostas and sunflowers too are virtually unscathed so far, just the odd little hole here and there, but the hostas are in containers. They are munching away at 50% of the dahlias though. Why they are leaving the others alone is baffling.
I was actually wondering if some of the holes in the hostas weren't being caused by lily beetles, or some such thing, as they are only tiny holes.

coznbob · « **Reply #19 on:** June 22, 2007, 09:54:22 »

Now all my marigolds and dahlias have been slugged >:(

The peas have also been decimated, can pick 20/30 snails off at a time in my garden.

Even in my limited experience, haven't known them to be quite so bad. Am sending in the kids at the weekend to find all their hidey holes with a bucket if salt water.

News:

Author Topic: slugs versus me (Read 2485 times)