When we first moved here there were hundreds of snails living in a periwinkle covered wall and munching everything I planted, I gave the kids a bucket each and bribed them to fill them up, when the buckets were full I had the bright idea to throw them in the rayburn fire, never again! the smell was disgusting, we had to leave the house for over six hours. Nematodes work the best but you have to water them in and the last thing my garden needs right now is more water.
OMG!! Cut them up with scissors, yughhhhhhhh!! All very well collecting them in a bucket, but getting rid of them afterwards - can't bear the thought . I stick with the pellets and shut my eyes when getting rid of the bodies!
Cover your eyes...I stab slugs with hand fork and leave them on the path for the birds, snails I pick up and put on path and stand on them, also bird food. If I go out at night and don't want to go up the path I drop my mole on them. Stone ornament with a flat base & shift the mess in the morning.
I find coffee grinds round plants works really well, but also collect in bucket of salted water, but towards end of last summer slugs were actually climbing out of quite strongly salted water! Scary stuff- just how much salt is needed?
StillLearning - it sounds like you had leopard slugs which I have been told actually assist in the composting process. I often find them in my compost bins and just leave them but they are the only slugs that get preferential treatment.
Oh StillLearning I never kill those wonderful big slugs. They do no harm. They used to come out at night and graze the moss on the wall by my back door.
We get the big orange slugs mating on our back lawn on dewy mornings in the summer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_slug they're amazing - and they eat the little slugs which are the ones that eat most living plant matter, so we leave the big orange jobs alone
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Did I actually say that I would did that Clari, I could have sworn I only thought it.......how very very spooky
I'm coming off this thread now until later when I've had my breakfast......it's all making me a but queazy and yes I know I started it. (Funny sick face as all my smilies have gone again!)
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When we first moved here there were hundreds of snails living in a periwinkle covered wall and munching everything I planted, I gave the kids a bucket each and bribed them to fill them up, when the buckets were full I had the bright idea to throw them in the rayburn fire, never again! the smell was disgusting, we had to leave the house for over six hours. Nematodes work the best but you have to water them in and the last thing my garden needs right now is more water.
OMG!! Cut them up with scissors, yughhhhhhhh!! All very well collecting them in a bucket, but getting rid of them afterwards - can't bear the thought
. I stick with the pellets and shut my eyes when getting rid of the bodies!
Cover your eyes...I stab slugs with hand fork and leave them on the path for the birds, snails I pick up and put on path and stand on them, also bird food. If I go out at night and don't want to go up the path I drop my mole on them. Stone ornament with a flat base & shift the mess in the morning.
My view: my veg, my flowers, free birdie snap.
I find coffee grinds round plants works really well, but also collect in bucket of salted water, but towards end of last summer slugs were actually climbing out of quite strongly salted water! Scary stuff- just how much salt is needed?
Oh StillLearning I never kill those wonderful big slugs. They do no harm. They used to come out at night and graze the moss on the wall by my back door.
Use a bit of discrimination!
I only kill them if I catch them munching a plant. Even then I give them to my chickens who love them!! Circle of life
Looks like we'd better be educating ourselves Tracey on which slugs to kill which to fling across the fence to the neighbours!
We get the big orange slugs mating on our back lawn on dewy mornings in the summer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_slug they're amazing - and they eat the little slugs which are the ones that eat most living plant matter, so we leave the big orange jobs alone
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm coming off this thread now until later when I've had my breakfast......it's all making me a but queazy and yes I know I started it. (Funny sick face as all my smilies have gone again!)