Soot

[teresa]

Found this the other night,
Soot from coal fires put on the garden in the autumn will deter black slugs from eating your potatoes next year.

[teresa]

[dandelion]

Yes, I heard that too. Earlier this year I used soot on my potato bed and I've had minimal slug damage. The soot is dumped by a cleaning firm behind the hut of my local horticultural society for everyone to help themselves. However, I've decided not to use it again because there is no way I can know what was burnt in the fires and what chemicals the soot may or may not contain...

I do use wood ashes (as a fertiliser and to raise the PH of thre soil slightly), but the ashes are from my own fire so I know exactly what it's made of!

[okra]

Wood ash ia apparently great for alliums.

[kt.]

I got a bag of soot prior to xmas adn told it was good on the plot. Is it too late to put down now where spuds are gonna go??

[Froglegs]

I'm with Dandelion ,not many coal fires out there now days ,we get soot left by a cleaning firm but you never get two lots that look the  same  and some time's it just don't smell right,  :-\ god knows what's in it. :o

[RSJK]

I have about 12 bags of it years old I think, smells good and I read the other day that it deters carrot root fly if spread between the rows, so i am guessing it should do the same for cabbage root fly, going to give it a go anyway. I think I remember my Father telling me that you do not have to use to much of it but forgot now what "to much" is.

[Simon05]

my dad puts it in the bottom of the row then puts the seed potato on top of the soot, dont use fresh soot as it burns, wait about a year then its ready. stops the black slugs.