Allotments 4 All

Well we have had our plot nearly a year now and after losing a few battles to the dreaded slugs we wondered how most folks began the campaign each year.  >:(

Do you set up the traps before planting your seedlings?

What traps are most effective?

We did try coffee gounds around some plants to some success but it is a demoralising site to see all your hard grown seedlings vanish overnight.   :'(

Let battle commence....

MP

Have you tried the instant coffee method?
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,39258.msg390373.html#msg390373

we surround some of ours with plastic bottle collars, cut with pinking shears, managed to keep lots of sunflowers safe last year with these..also, plant lettuces under bottle cloches, it seems to help  ;D

Many thanks for the replies and the link to the "Dreaded Slugs" thread.

I think I'll give the coffee treatment a go, the bottle cloches and maybe try grannyjanny's icecream container idea too if I have persistent slug skirmishes.

As a last resort beer cans  ;D.

MP

QuoteHave you tried the instant coffee method?

To elaborate, Make a really nice strong mug of coffee (Not decaffeinated), drink the coffee and wait for the hyper to kick in then rush round the plot and hit the slimy foe with the empty mug.

   Eristic, love the image ,      ;D

   Did read that slugs do not like Lavender, so when trimmimg , I lade seed heads all around
   my swiss chard  --   they did thrive but of course it was autumn and there were less slugs around.

   Will keep the seed heads for Spring next time and see what happens.

   floss xxx

I have a book called "50 ways to kill a slug".   It's very tongue in cheek but full of great suggestions.   I've found that by varying the approach you can send the majority of the slimy so-and-so's packing.

CC

I have that book as well... ;D
I didn't realise we had had a break... I'm still waging war after over a decade, the nematodes do work well, but cumulatively. Beer traps give the quickest and most noticeable results, esp. if you don't empty them regularly!!  ::)

Quote from: Eristic on February 15, 2009, 18:49:40

QuoteHave you tried the instant coffee method?

To elaborate, Make a really nice strong mug of coffee (Not decaffeinated), drink the coffee and wait for the hyper to kick in then rush round the plot and hit the slimy foe with the empty mug.

;D ;D ;D

Really funny image there Eristic.

MP

I use the cant beat um method, plant some cheapy letuce plants around the edge's of you're plot, they'll head straight for the easy target, then during the evening, go round and pick the groups up. didnt have any problems last year doing this, and i think it cost a total of 39p for the several hendred seeds.

I must of cleared about 50 slugs of my one veg bed, i have rambo style knife thats ideal as i don't have to stretch into the bed and can pick them out of the centre of the cabbages, then chop them in half.

I also cut a plastic milk bottle in half, put loads of holes in the lid then put the top half inside the bottom and filled with beer. I can now lift the top half up and all the beer drains back into the bottom leaving just the dead slugs to tip away. This has collected about 10 slugs, so i will be putting a few move in soon.

Neil

Can you feed the beer marinated slugs to the chooks?

MP

I have no idea, but if it doesn't harm them they would be happiest chickens in the world.

Neil

Quote from: nilly71 on February 22, 2009, 08:15:57
I also cut a plastic milk bottle in half, put loads of holes in the lid then put the top half inside the bottom and filled with beer. I can now lift the top half up and all the beer drains back into the bottom leaving just the dead slugs to tip away. This has collected about 10 slugs, so i will be putting a few move in soon.

Neil

thats a clever way to get rid of the bodies without having to replace the beer, i'll be stealing that idea, thanks Neil :D

Thanks Nilly71. I think I'll give it a go too.

Is there any brand of beer they like best?  ;)

(the slugs not the chickens)

MP

Make sure the lip of the bottles are above the ground, slugs will climb but helpful beetles will see it as a barrier and go round them.

When you cut the bottle make sure the handle is well below the lip or it leaves a gap for the slugs to fall in. It still does the job if you leave a gap but then you have to try and get the slugs out.

I think any beer works.

Neil

QuoteIs there any brand of beer they like best?  Wink

(the slugs not the chickens)

Who are you calling a chicken? :P

have you any pics, neil...of the bottle, not the drowned, drunken slugs ?  ;D

I don't have much of a problem with 'em. might be all the seaweed I use? or the facr that everyone around me uses slug bait, and therefore attracts them to their plots? oh, and plenty of mulches for your blackbirds to scrap around in!

The slugs prefer the cheapest beer you can find MushyPea, they use more yeast and things to give it a smell and taste. Plastic 2l bottles of some thing like Trent Bitter are ideal...  ;D