I guess @MikeOxgreen's "Nematodes" was in reply to @NormandyLiz asking if there was anything which could be done to counteract the tiny soil-inhabiting slugs.
My experience is that provided you follow the instructions and the soil is warm enough, nematodes are effective against the "little blighters" (my grandfather's expression), in a raised bed where they're captive, so to speak. I reduced almost to zero the amount of slug damage in my raised strawberry bed one year. But the nematodes are expensive, and they don't work when it's cold...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Slugs certainly like fox vomit. My lawn was like the scenes you see of Mecca . They were approaching in droves from all directions and piling in on top of each other. Snippy snip snip. Nothing there the next day.
I guess @MikeOxgreen's "Nematodes" was in reply to @NormandyLiz asking if there was anything which could be done to counteract the tiny soil-inhabiting slugs.
My experience is that provided you follow the instructions and the soil is warm enough, nematodes are effective against the "little blighters" (my grandfather's expression), in a raised bed where they're captive, so to speak. I reduced almost to zero the amount of slug damage in my raised strawberry bed one year. But the nematodes are expensive, and they don't work when it's cold...
I did. I don't think slugs come out when its cold, dependent on what 'cold' actually is of course.
Gardeners World are at heart journalists. They do what journalists do, they make it up.
Really?
Slugs are present in garden soil regardless of weather. They just burrow down further when it's hotter and drier. Long cold spells don't bother them, although it means they can be slower to start breeding - which they do relentlessly, so a bit of colder weather makes life easier for those emerging plants which are attractive to them. Nematodes of any kind aren't very effective unless you have the right temps to apply them, as @Liriodendron says, and plenty of cash to keep buying them.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl You mean you don't subscribe to GW's "Slug Weekly" magazine ? @NormandyLiz I think you are right - they are a nuisance but then so are we and we have more impact in the general scheme of things
@Fairygirl You mean you don't subscribe to GW's "Slug Weekly" magazine ?
I think it's one of the most common queries on the forum @NormandyLiz - how to deter slugs/snails. The truth is - no method is foolproof. I often smile when people suggest grit or eggshells round plants. Our house is rendered with crushed shell and I regularly see them climbing up them -at around four or five feet. A well stocked garden in isolation is also a magnet, regardless of what's being grown. I try not to do anything too drastic in trying to prevent damage, but the odd pellet is needed in spring when plants get going, and that's mainly for things like sweet peas and the Ligularias. Even then, it doesn't stop them completely. I try not to grow too many susceptible plants instead. I know many people think hedgehogs eat loads, but apparently that isn't the case. They only form a small part of their diet.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks, @Fairygirl. Sadly pellets are out for me, my eats anything dog eats them. It looks like it'll be a combination of barriers for the biggies in the worst affected area (the wet bit) and see if that does anything at all, and for the rest see how bad it is this year and whether I need to rethink then.
On the positive side, at least we don't have a rabbit problem. My last garden was full of them, to the point of stopping veg growing altogether. But that's another story.
Posts
My experience is that provided you follow the instructions and the soil is warm enough, nematodes are effective against the "little blighters" (my grandfather's expression), in a raised bed where they're captive, so to speak. I reduced almost to zero the amount of slug damage in my raised strawberry bed one year. But the nematodes are expensive, and they don't work when it's cold...
I don't think slugs come out when its cold, dependent on what 'cold' actually is of course.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Slugs are present in garden soil regardless of weather. They just burrow down further when it's hotter and drier. Long cold spells don't bother them, although it means they can be slower to start breeding - which they do relentlessly, so a bit of colder weather makes life easier for those emerging plants which are attractive to them.
Nematodes of any kind aren't very effective unless you have the right temps to apply them, as @Liriodendron says, and plenty of cash to keep buying them.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@NormandyLiz I think you are right - they are a nuisance but then so are we and we have more impact in the general scheme of things
I think it's one of the most common queries on the forum @NormandyLiz - how to deter slugs/snails. The truth is - no method is foolproof. I often smile when people suggest grit or eggshells round plants. Our house is rendered with crushed shell and I regularly see them climbing up them -at around four or five feet.
A well stocked garden in isolation is also a magnet, regardless of what's being grown.
I try not to do anything too drastic in trying to prevent damage, but the odd pellet is needed in spring when plants get going, and that's mainly for things like sweet peas and the Ligularias. Even then, it doesn't stop them completely. I try not to grow too many susceptible plants instead.
I know many people think hedgehogs eat loads, but apparently that isn't the case. They only form a small part of their diet.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
On the positive side, at least we don't have a rabbit problem. My last garden was full of them, to the point of stopping veg growing altogether. But that's another story.