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Blooming slugs are driving me crazy!!

Can anyone suggest any straight forward methods of keeping the numbers of theses critters down? They have especially been a nuicsance on my carrots. We have avoided carrot fly but the slugs have had a field day!

I've considered nematodes, which seem expensive. I intend to try and keep the weeds down more next year, as we have had to battle against very vigorous annual weeds due to the allotment being very overgrown for the last 4-5 years.

Beer traps haven't been a great success and I don't want to use pellets.

How do the commercial growers do it I wonder?

Thanks for any help!

Well, the areas that I have added sand and ashes to, are better than the other bits.

I have learned that the commercial growers use pellets, but at the rate of around 1 per sq ft.

And virtually all salad stuff in this country is grown hydroponically, so that avoids the slug problem for them!

Also though, dig the soil, especially near edges of paths etc, when it's frozen - this helps to kill the eggs- and kill any slug eggs you actually see. I also lay down pieces of tile and brick, specially for them, then collect and dispose of the blighters as they lurk!

Wardy, that sounds a great idea.  The slug pellets that I put down have all grown hairs and are deteriorating despite the fact that they are supposed to be rain proof!!  The slugs are still there too, I believe, as something is still eating my plants.  I will try your idea as it will stop the pellets getting wet and will stop the chemicals going into the ground and being taken up by lettuce roots etc.  Thank you.

Wardy, that IS a great idea.....I will give it a try!!

It's the size of the plot that is so daunting too...30' x 150' but if I could just keep the blooming things off the carrots that would be a start for next year!!

An old boy on the allotment site I use told me that if you can get hold of any soot , to spread that on the ground and the slugs do not like it,  make sure it is old soot though

Soot?

Mmmmmm, Richard, do you think wood ash may have a similar effect?

We are in the process of laying the 15' high hawthorn hedge and we have taken out loads of dead wood, 2 or 3 really big wood fires to come in the next few weeks. It will all go onto the garden anyway, perhaps I'll know by next year if it helps.

Slugs and snails hate anything fine and powdery that sticks to them. Like soot.

If you fail get the slopps from the local pub and put that down for them. Atleast they snuff it happy.

A very woefull Snail

Sorry Sexy-Snail....nothing personal  ;D

Mothy, I have had massive slug problems this year too. It drove me so mad I ended up getting slug pellets.

Over the winter I am trying to get some beer traps going - they seem to like guiness a lot! I use old 1L yoghurt pots with notches cut in to them - a bit like 'battlements' on a castle  :). I put them in to the soil up to the notch level put the lid back on to keep the rain from diluting the beer, put about an inch or two of beer in them (bitter is better than lager apparently??) and then have been emptying and topping up every week. They emptying is a bit gross but I've gotten over it when I see how many dead sluggies there are! Oh and I wear gloves  :)

I am also going to try either adding sand to the carrot patch, or making a wall of sand around the bed, to keep them out.

I have an agreement with my local landlady to leave some containers there and she will fill them with Bateman's slops.

I'll just ensure that the slop trays are full by making sure I get plenty of top ups.

I'm down to begging and pleading  :(   I'll let you know if I have any success  :)     (They must have hearts and consciences somewhere .... mustn't they?? ;D)

I read somewhere on this site that you can unravel those wire scouring pads from the pound shop to make a barbed wire fence for the slugs - tha's what I'll be doing next time - the organic catalogue also has organic slug pellets but not sure if these actually kill the little B******s or just gives them a good talking too? ;) (I HATE them - do they actually have any use at all?)

Yes, they do a great job getting rid of decaying vegetable matter. It's just when they insist on eating stuff which hasn't got to the decaying stage that they become a problem.

i must add to the sluds defence....
apparently, if it weren't for slugs, we would all be ankle deep in dog, fox and cat pooh by now.
EVERY beast has a purpose, even yukkie ones!

that said, we use copper scourers and they really do work if you anchor them in the ground a bit to stop slugs getting underneath.

good luck folks....
Tara xx

Hmmmm ..... ok. I'll buy the slug defence for a dollar - now let's hear one for aphids ........ Anyone???  ;D

They feed the bluetits.

...and the ladybirds, lacewings and hoverfly larva.

Good, so that's us all living in peace in harmony with the slugs and the aphids  :)  Now let's hear it for the mice ..... Anyone??? ;D

Can't he put rat poison in the roof space?