I always try to use nemetodes as they are the most natural and effective slug killers; however they need dry weather to water them over the soil! Very difficult this year! The pellets that I use are organic by the way, I was trying to bring a note of lightness into the discussion!
You are very fortunate nut cutlet in not being plagued by slugs. We live next to railway waste land where slugs seem to thrive.
So glad some one agrees with me, I never use chemicals, but I do suffer from slug damage but not in such a bad way that I can't control with organic means. I think cultural control comes into it in a big way, it's a small price to pay for clean soil!
I found that by using the liquid, I could spray it around the beds onto the concrete and not on the soil - therefore I imagine I was causing LESS damage to the soil that way?
I have a major slug problem and although using nematodes still have to do a nightly torch expedition. One thing I have noticed though which nobody else has mentioned, if you find slugs on a nice dry day when tidying around, if you put them in a dry trug and just leave them it doesn't seem to occur to them to climb out and they will die within an hour or so because they can't be in the open when its dry. Problem solved!
I have been plagued by slugs this year as well. I don't like using chemicals, I have a dog and free range chickens so apart from the ecological arguments I don,t want to hurt my girls. I have heard of nemaslug but not being up on chemicals I don't know if this is safe or not. My chickens eat some of the slugs and up until this year so did the birds but we seem to have hardly any birds on the marsh this year. Any advice would be very welcome. Another thought - does salt affect the soil balance?
while nematodes are great, and well done for using them, as far as i'm aware their not very effective outdoors? as they will just move on when they feel like it, great for tunnels and greenhouse's though.
i have found copper tape excellent around pots and raised beds if that's any help
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I totally agree Fraxinus
What can I spray it with is a popular question
scattering pellet with abandon is the norm
and spraying it when you don't even know what it is
I use no chemicals and don't have the problems reported daily on here
In the sticks near Peterborough
I always try to use nemetodes as they are the most natural and effective slug killers; however they need dry weather to water them over the soil! Very difficult this year! The pellets that I use are organic by the way, I was trying to bring a note of lightness into the discussion!
You are very fortunate nut cutlet in not being plagued by slugs. We live next to railway waste land where slugs seem to thrive.
You are very fortunate nut cutlet in not being plagued by slugs. We live next to railway waste land where slugs seem to thrive.
It may be down to not having, either directly or indirectly, killed off those animals which eat the slugs
In the sticks near Peterborough
Hi nutcutlet,
So glad some one agrees with me, I never use chemicals, but I do suffer from slug damage but not in such a bad way that I can't control with organic means. I think cultural control comes into it in a big way, it's a small price to pay for clean soil!
There's a lot of like minded people on the forum Fraxinus.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I found that by using the liquid, I could spray it around the beds onto the concrete and not on the soil - therefore I imagine I was causing LESS damage to the soil that way?
I have a major slug problem and although using nematodes still have to do a nightly torch expedition. One thing I have noticed though which nobody else has mentioned, if you find slugs on a nice dry day when tidying around, if you put them in a dry trug and just leave them it doesn't seem to occur to them to climb out and they will die within an hour or so because they can't be in the open when its dry. Problem solved!
I have been plagued by slugs this year as well. I don't like using chemicals, I have a dog and free range chickens so apart from the ecological arguments I don,t want to hurt my girls. I have heard of nemaslug but not being up on chemicals I don't know if this is safe or not. My chickens eat some of the slugs and up until this year so did the birds but we seem to have hardly any birds on the marsh this year. Any advice would be very welcome. Another thought - does salt affect the soil balance?
Salt in small amounts won't, but it will if say coastal flooding has occurred.
while nematodes are great, and well done for using them,
as far as i'm aware their not very effective outdoors? as they will just move on when they feel like it, great for tunnels and greenhouse's though.
i have found copper tape excellent around pots and raised beds if that's any help