Chicken or egg?

[MollyBloom]

I've just read a comment by Monty Don (steady, now) to the effect that slugs & snails prefer damaged plants to strong ones. Therefore (he claims) we should be concentrating on growing healthy plants rather than getting rif of slugs & snails. Is it me? Am I being thick? How do I grow healthy plants if I make no attempt to keep pests off them...?

[MollyBloom]

[Robert_Brenchley]

I think most pests will go for weak plants. I certainly get most slug problems with newly transplanted seedlings.

[Svea]

maybe he means let darwin's law take care of it, let the snalis sort the men from the boys...?

my interpretation of 'survival of the fittest' still means squashing them when i see them because i can ;)

[Motherwoman]

I think slugs and snails will go for the lushest,tastiest biggest leaves they can lay their slime trails on...well,wouldn't you?

[Tee Gee]

To a point I wouldn't question what he says in so far as damaged weak plants are generally softer than healthy plants, particularly at the point of damage.

But one just needs to think of a young seedling emerging from the compost and before it has had much chance to see the light of day, these are at there softest stage and therefore at their most vulnerable stage.

So I think he should have clarified is that what he was saying applied more to mature plants.

Sorry Monty!!!! thats my opinion ;)

[MollyBloom]

I haven't really noticed any particular preference among slugs as to the health of the plants they'll eat. I've seen them eating bird and hedgehog poo, so I'll accept that they like to eat rotting matter. However, I've noticed that they will also go for young, tender, healthy seedlings, so what I really meant was: how can I do as Monty says, making slug control of secondary importance to nurturing my plants, if the slugs eat the seedlings before they can even turn into adult plants (healthy or sick)? Maybe he just had a couple of column inches to fill quickly and wrote the first thing that came into his head... ;)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Grow plants thart suit your conditions, in a nice rich soil and not on loads of chemicals. That doesn't, of course, explain how to keep slugs off plants like Hostas, which slugs love.

[teresa]

Well some of his ideas are interesting must say and then their are other things that come out of his mouth and I wonder if he has read his script before going on air?
Why not encourage wildlife into the garden frogs/toads do a good job for slugs and for snails I have thrushes etc throw the snails on conservoty roof and down come the birds I am sure they watch me in the garden to see what I am doing next.
Thought that man was organic? perhaps I am wrong?

[growmore]

Where does he get all his pearls of wisdom from? You can't grow healthy plants if your overrun with slugs and snails . They wil eat them....  Cheers ..Jim

[Tee Gee]

Quote;I wonder if he has read his script before going on air?

In fairness to Monty, I think it is the producer that is more likely to be at fault, these programmes are as I see it; firstly for entertainment and then educational if time allows.

[teresa]

Tee Gee, you could be right.
A lot of young gardeners to be watch his programs and believe it word for word as if God had spoken.
AT brought the entertainment into gardening, yes gardening should be fun  we all need a sence of humer when our seedlings fail and we have to start again.
All I have to say is bring back Percy Thrower ( showing my age 21 and a bit ha ha ) but I loved that chap pipe and all.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I think the contrast between Monty's writing and his TV programmes tells it all; it's mainly down to the producer, though he's surely got enough standing by now to put his foot down to some extent if he wanted to. I'd have thought there would be room for one regular gardening programme with some depth to it, at least, and then it would be easier to forgive the rest.

[MollyBloom]

This was a comment written in Gardeners' World Magazine, not something I heard on TV. On the other hand, maybe Mr Don is really The Gardening Brain of Britain and his editors just over-write his copy... (Oooh, pig just flew past!)

[Robert_Brenchley]

More likely they don't give him enough space to explain everything! I think the comment is actually on the right lines; it just needs a bit of unpacking.

[teresa]

Ok who is brave enough to go on the beeb site and ask him the question I believe he or his producers frequent the site?
spades at dawn hee hee.

[MollyBloom]

"who is brave enough to go on the beeb site and ask him the question"
Well yes, exactly - there you have it in a nutshell. I figure that if someone's earning Big Bucks as a professional communicator, then he should write clearly enough so that nobody responds with, "What the....?" The problem with catchy little comments which need "unpacking" is that different people will find different things inside the parcel - fine if he's writing poetry, not so helpful if he's giving practical advice! Ho hum, and so it goes...