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Monty's basil

gardeninglily1gardeninglily1 Posts: 424
in Plants
Watching GW on Friday I was green with envy as I noticed Montys basil looking lush and intact with no nibbled leaves. The snails have devoured most of mine which were planted around the bottom of the toms (in greenhouse) - and they've had a go at the toms too! Anyone else have this problem? How can I deter them without the use of pellets?
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  • ju1i3ju1i3 Posts: 189
    go out at night and pick them off, dispose of them by cutting in half
  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949
    I grow mine on the windowsill so don't have such issues but for all my other plants I have my garden scissors that I use to cut slugs up with.

    Bit grim but effective. Have you tried beer traps?
  • Hampshire HogHampshire Hog Posts: 330
    Me too slugs I cut in half snails I crush under foot only sure way, if you chuck them over the fence they just come back
    "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
  • gardeninglily1gardeninglily1 Posts: 424
    Yuk  :D I don’t think I could squeeze the scissors shut - I’m squeamish.  What about if I scoop up every night and put them in the green recycle bin? Could they squeeze out? I could put a brick on the lid to weigh it down haha 
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    The only other thing that has worked for me is the water retention crystals you put in hanging baskets, sprinkled around the plants they look a bit messy when they go gooey but when they reach that stage just mix them in the soil. It saved my beans one year.
  • allymountain13allymountain13 Posts: 68
    Planted mine in pots with copper tape about 2 inches from the top. Did same for all my frequently used herbs and baby leaves as they are right next to back door for quick picking and right next to outside tap. I plant oregano in same pots as flowers and they look gorgeous.  My basils are perfect just like Monty's. Cost virtually nothing as grown from Wilko seeds. For slugs, I use nemasys nematodes in my garden and it's been worth every penny. Zero slugs in garden since I started using it last October. Ran out of organic pellets a month ago and virtually no snail damage in garden. None in copper taped pots.  Hostas are unblemished. Although, they also get ring of horticultural grit.  Cabbage whites are out in force this year though. But I guess it's lovely just to see a butterfly these days. Good luck.
  • Singing GardenerSinging Gardener Posts: 1,237
    I also grow mine in pots and balance them on top of copper rings which seems to provide complete slug/snail protection.
  • gardeninglily1gardeninglily1 Posts: 424
    Thank you all . I’ve never used nematodes and will definitely have to look into that. And not used water retention crystals to reduce slugs either - that’s a new one for me. I have used copper tape though - and put pennies on the top of soil. Was successful-ish. I’m just too trusting - I begin the season being eco-friendly and believe that me and the pests can live alongside each other. But they are having more than their fair share!!!! 🤣
  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 627
    purplerallim said:
    The only other thing that has worked for me is the water retention crystals you put in hanging baskets, sprinkled around the plants they look a bit messy when they go gooey but when they reach that stage just mix them in the soil. It saved my beans one year.
    Anyone with pets or visiting animals in their garden should be aware that these crystals can be a danger.  My cat ate a couple of them when he was young.  Of course they swelled up in his belly and he needed an operation to remove.  I haven’t used them for 16 years since then.
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    These were used in raised beds so hedgehogs couldn't reach, sorry about the cat but they are a problem in gardens.
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