D0rdogne_Damsel I use 5 litre plastic water bottles with the bottoms cut off and a stick down through from the top for stability. Plant your plant. Wiggle the bottle in circular motion to bury the bottoms in the soil and no slugs get in.
@D0rdogne_Damsel I have planted some lupins too. Use the plastic bottle method - works well until it gets too warm here. Coffee grounds, ashes from the fireplace/BBQ, organic pellets, beer and tobacco - then I "fabricated" a sort of netting over a plastic bottle cut into a castle turret shape. Fragile but worked. Wanna see a photo? I'll try and dig one up.
Two cautions - some slug pellets are poisonous to plants as well as slugs, my dad was once rather overzealous and there were bare spots in his lawn for a whole season - the slugs recovered quicker than the plants! Some slugs can dig - well, sort of tunnel, I frequently find the little black varmits with yellow or orange footplates in my spuds several inches underground, not sure if they would enjoy Lupins but can guess yes!
The whole genus of cultivated Lupins took a knock with the demise of the proper old fashioned Russell types and I think that genes for the popular dwarfish varieties have escaped or crossed over to most stock you can buy. When I was still in junior school (ancient history!) my family moved to a new estate on heavy clay soil over gravel, a neighbour grew the most astonishing bed of Lupins I have ever seen outside a Monty Python sketch.
We have had some lovely sunny days lately, a bit of a cold wind and a sneaky frost on Saturday, yet the new growth is astonishing. The peonies seem to be growing about 2 inches a day. All looking very healthy.
Dahlias potted up in the GH haven't shown any sign of life yet though, I'm wondering how long they normally take to start?
Time to prick out all my seedlings now too, not my favourite job, so fiddly, I'd much rather be digging, but has to be done, and it is very satisfying growing things for yourself, well if they survive my clumsiness that is.
Anyway, this was today's view.....
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
Good news, Lupins alive and well and so far slug free.
Lots of seedlings at the pricking out/potting on stage now (not entirely sure of the difference between both those terms, but fiddly work either way - not my favourite task).
I have lost a few too, having particular difficulty with the Tithonia, have two survivors from the last batch of sowing, killed all the previous batch, sowed the last of the seeds yesterday, fingers crossed. They like to be kept warm and moist, but not too hot and not too wet, I am struggling to find that happy medium. Luckily, I will only need one or two plants to fill the appropriate gap.
I bought some tall primula and am very concerned nothing has grown from the 6 pots that arrived yet, the dahlias are also being very slow, I do hope there are some signs of life soon.
Good news though, one side of the bed where I have used existing plants, having moved them from other areas or just re-jigged them about is really starting to take off now. I have noted I need more tulips and daffs for next year, it's been a bit of a lean spring in this bed, but nice to see things getting going. Pictures below taken early this morning. I just need the other half to catch up now...
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
Your new bed is "coming on" as old boys like me say. BTW, to me, pricking out refers to very small seedlings - with seed leaves and the third & fourth just showing - potting on, is any of the further stages right up to planting out. Plenty of time for your dahlia tubers to wake up, as for the tall primulas - how are the roots? Knock a couple out of their pots carefully and you should see signs of new growth before the tops. Watch the lupins for damping off - fungus infection.
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The whole genus of cultivated Lupins took a knock with the demise of the proper old fashioned Russell types and I think that genes for the popular dwarfish varieties have escaped or crossed over to most stock you can buy. When I was still in junior school (ancient history!) my family moved to a new estate on heavy clay soil over gravel, a neighbour grew the most astonishing bed of Lupins I have ever seen outside a Monty Python sketch.
Best of luck - bonne chance - with yours.
We have had some lovely sunny days lately, a bit of a cold wind and a sneaky frost on Saturday, yet the new growth is astonishing. The peonies seem to be growing about 2 inches a day. All looking very healthy.
Dahlias potted up in the GH haven't shown any sign of life yet though, I'm wondering how long they normally take to start?
Time to prick out all my seedlings now too, not my favourite job, so fiddly, I'd much rather be digging, but has to be done, and it is very satisfying growing things for yourself, well if they survive my clumsiness that is.
Anyway, this was today's view.....
Lots of seedlings at the pricking out/potting on stage now (not entirely sure of the difference between both those terms, but fiddly work either way - not my favourite task).
I have lost a few too, having particular difficulty with the Tithonia, have two survivors from the last batch of sowing, killed all the previous batch, sowed the last of the seeds yesterday, fingers crossed. They like to be kept warm and moist, but not too hot and not too wet, I am struggling to find that happy medium. Luckily, I will only need one or two plants to fill the appropriate gap.
I bought some tall primula and am very concerned nothing has grown from the 6 pots that arrived yet, the dahlias are also being very slow, I do hope there are some signs of life soon.
Good news though, one side of the bed where I have used existing plants, having moved them from other areas or just re-jigged them about is really starting to take off now. I have noted I need more tulips and daffs for next year, it's been a bit of a lean spring in this bed, but nice to see things getting going. Pictures below taken early this morning. I just need the other half to catch up now...
Plenty of time for your dahlia tubers to wake up, as for the tall primulas - how are the roots? Knock a couple out of their pots carefully and you should see signs of new growth before the tops.
Watch the lupins for damping off - fungus infection.