I have been thinking all morning about my slug/snail problem. The thought off having to go out every night hunting these blighters down does not fill me with joy. I think steve 309 you have hit on something there with your comment about gardens not being natural. So, seeing as my garden is "new" as such I am going to re-think my whole planting scheme and plant cottage plants that the little darlings don't eat. If you cant beat em join em!
I quite agree
I've started to despise plants too weak to stand up for themselves and I'm not going to pull my hair out trying to grow things that don't want to grow.
As a result I composted the delphinium parts, booted the echinaceas out to the front where they can live or die, whatever they want, and planted snapdragons in the cabbage patch.
I found I like loads of plants that carry on with a few bite marks and are none the worse for wear- the snails live, the thrush lives, the hedgehog lives, I live. No dramas.
Good plan sunnysarah. The slugs do seem o avoid lavender,aquilegias, euphorbias and standard fushias, but what about all the beautiful annuals? Wouldn't you miss the annuals?
I bought the wool pellets last year. I was so excited to try something different. Unfortunately I found they attracted my neighbours cat, who loved to roll around in them and therefore crushing the seedlings! More annoying that the slimy slugs. I hope you have better luck with them than me.
I`m afraid I bought a big tub of said wool with oh so high hopes, it worked for a few days but I think here at least it has just been to wet and they`ve turned into a soggy mess and plants still been attacked.
don't worry caral I will still have my hanging baskets, and next year....now bear with me on this one as I`m sure it will look nicer than it sounds I want to get some 2ft/3ft posts with a hanging basket attached on top so I can have baskets of annuals right in the danger zone but with posts festooned with copper tape, Vaseline and anything else I can think of to stop the blighters climbing up.
I will have my garden of dreams I will!!!! hubby looking slightly worryingly at me now. YES Gardening does send you potty lol
As I said in a different thread, ( I lost my thread somehow !) get a badger ! They LURVE slugs 'n' snails. They also love newly sown peas, beans and suchlike, so you pays yer money and takes yer choice !
As if the world hasn't enough killing and slaughtering of animals, we have to go and organise genocide on all these cute little slippery molluscs, because they eat our hostas, geraniums and marigolds ! Shame on you peeps. They's only doin' their nat'ral born ting, man ! Razz lat !
I suppose you could say the same thing about Locusts and Mozzies .That they're " only doin' their nat'ral born ting, man ! Razz lat ! ", or are just you just referring to those pesky little critters in our English gardens? What about the bugs destroying our bee populations? I suppose they're only doing their natural born thing. I don't think so.
My friends have some sheep and can never sell the fleeces but this might be a good use for them. There's one under my nw rhubarb patch as well - they use to use wool shoddy in the rhubarb triangle.
Posts
I quite agree
I've started to despise plants too weak to stand up for themselves and I'm not going to pull my hair out trying to grow things that don't want to grow.
As a result I composted the delphinium parts, booted the echinaceas out to the front where they can live or die, whatever they want, and planted snapdragons in the cabbage patch.
I found I like loads of plants that carry on with a few bite marks and are none the worse for wear- the snails live, the thrush lives, the hedgehog lives, I live. No dramas.
Good plan sunnysarah. The slugs do seem o avoid lavender,aquilegias, euphorbias and standard fushias, but what about all the beautiful annuals? Wouldn't you miss the annuals?
I bought the wool pellets last year. I was so excited to try something different. Unfortunately I found they attracted my neighbours cat, who loved to roll around in them and therefore crushing the seedlings! More annoying that the slimy slugs. I hope you have better luck with them than me.
I`m afraid I bought a big tub of said wool with oh so high hopes, it worked for a few days but I think here at least it has just been to wet and they`ve turned into a soggy mess and plants still been attacked.
don't worry caral I will still have my hanging baskets, and next year....now bear with me on this one as I`m sure it will look nicer than it sounds I want to get some 2ft/3ft posts with a hanging basket attached on top so I can have baskets of annuals right in the danger zone but with posts festooned with copper tape, Vaseline and anything else I can think of to stop the blighters climbing up.
I will have my garden of dreams I will!!!! hubby looking slightly worryingly at me now. YES Gardening does send you potty lol
As I said in a different thread, ( I lost my thread somehow !) get a badger ! They LURVE slugs 'n' snails. They also love newly sown peas, beans and suchlike, so you pays yer money and takes yer choice !
I can't advocate anything involving salt: it's a horrible slow lingering death. Grab them , bash them, they're dead. Quick , I'm sure, painless.
As if the world hasn't enough killing and slaughtering of animals, we have to go and organise genocide on all these cute little slippery molluscs, because they eat our hostas, geraniums and marigolds ! Shame on you peeps. They's only doin' their nat'ral born ting, man ! Razz lat !
http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&src_vid=ZoBeKS64_xc&annotation_id=annotation_1846265901&v=ZFn9TT_rlXU
I suppose you could say the same thing about Locusts and Mozzies .That they're " only doin' their nat'ral born ting, man ! Razz lat ! ", or are just you just referring to those pesky little critters in our English gardens? What about the bugs destroying our bee populations? I suppose they're only doing their natural born thing. I don't think so.
Does ordinary, unpelleted wool work?
My friends have some sheep and can never sell the fleeces but this might be a good use for them. There's one under my nw rhubarb patch as well - they use to use wool shoddy in the rhubarb triangle.