See it's the same in the insect/creepy crawley world ALL these Foreign creatures coming over here and doing the stuff our local creatures used to be doing(but better) and what is Nigel doing about it ???
Thanks for that info' Carol K. Must get some Is there a brand name for this? or should I just Google " Advanced Slug Killer". Until then, I shall, when it's dark, armed with torch and bucket of salt water,go out into my garden and get stuck in. So look out you slimy g-ts
OK if we take the view that slugs and snails living in our gardens are existing in a false kind of enviroment,we can also conclude that their numbers in the aforementioned enviroment are unnaturally high.Consider this - predation in a natural context i.e woods,heathland,meadows etc.,would likely be much higher than in our gardens. Badgers have been mentioned,but how many Badgers have access to our gardens? Also Foxes,ok some gardens have foxes but inner city foxes are more likely to feed from rubbish bins. Hedgehog numbers have gone down according to springwatch.Large birds? Crows,Magpies,Herons etc are less likely to make their homes in gardens,unless your garden is very large,thus leaving the slugs/snails to reproduce in greater numbers.That leaves Blackbirds and Song Thrushes.Blackbirds appear happier pulling worms from the lawn while I haven't seen a Song Thrush in my garden for what must be many months.
Conclusion? There are more slugs/snails in our gardens than there should be and that's where we come in
Well in damp Northern Ireland we are fighting a losing battle too. They really are picky blighters. They've pretty much destroyed a lace head hydrangea I planted a week ago. My sunflower leaves are taking a huge hit too. Funnily they love destroying my basil and rocket but avoid the mints, rosemary and marjoram. The flowering buds on my lupins are gone too. I assume they've been having them too. But some plants arent being touched at all. Copper tape on order so...
Wow... I've read all the posts on this topic... Where to start.
I have a newly dug front border, and as with any new bit of garden it's attracted the local cat population and the local snail and slugs... In fact, me thinks the blighters have invited all their slimy friends too...
My war strategy is tempered by the fact that I keep birds, so I'm an organic guy.
1, Nematodes... I know this is hit and miss for a lot of people, but I find that it works better if I use it during a wet period. I did the garden 2 weeks ago and have noticed less 'small' slugs for me in number 2 below.
2, A head-torch, gloves and small bucket... You can't beat a moonlit walk around the garden, even better if it's raining... Pick them off and place in bucket, the latest ''research'' by ''experts'' I've read stats that snails have a 20 metre (60ft) homing radius. As a slug is a snail without a caravan I guess they are the same. So I ether do 3 or 4 below.
3, Chix and Hoggs... If I'm doing the walk after a night shift my chickens get their fill. If I'm doing the walk at night and my trained hedgehog has not visited the rear garden... He/she gets a treat...
4, I take a walk to the end of my cul-de-sac and release them into a small copse of trees, I'm fortunate to live near a large park... The park is 40 metres and the copse an additional 10... Hopefully the experts are right about their homing skills...
5, Copper bands and copper tape on pots...
6, Beer traps...
I like the idea od plastic bottles over the new growth, I will be adding that to my arsenal..
Apart from de slugs, man, wottabaht de killin' of de bees, man ? Snot insex wot kills de bees, it's de Monsanto man ! Dat Monsanto is de worl numba wan for de killin o de bees. Don' buy Monsanto stuff ! Weed killa, systemic root killa, Man. Heavy shit, man !
BUT, if you're into pellets, then I would recommend sprinkling them on the soil, and then tickle them INTO the soil. That's where the mollies hide as much as anywhere !
I've bee doing this for years now, and it is almost music to my ears to hear the little sods moaning their last gasp as the chew on a lump of blue tit bits.
Posts
Haha Peat B! By the looks of it the little buggers stayed clear of your marihuana plants so you're all right...;-)
Peat B- I've lived in the NE since 1998 and never knew a sparrow was called a spuggie!
I've got some house spuggies dealing with my aphid problem and that's what I'm calling them from now on
See it's the same in the insect/creepy crawley world ALL these Foreign creatures coming over here and doing the stuff our local creatures used to be doing(but better) and what is Nigel doing about it ???
Thanks for that info' Carol K. Must get some Is there a brand name for this? or should I just Google " Advanced Slug Killer". Until then, I shall, when it's dark, armed with torch and bucket of salt water,go out into my garden and get stuck in. So look out you slimy g-ts
OK if we take the view that slugs and snails living in our gardens are existing in a false kind of enviroment,we can also conclude that their numbers in the aforementioned enviroment are unnaturally high.Consider this - predation in a natural context i.e woods,heathland,meadows etc.,would likely be much higher than in our gardens. Badgers have been mentioned,but how many Badgers have access to our gardens? Also Foxes,ok some gardens have foxes but inner city foxes are more likely to feed from rubbish bins. Hedgehog numbers have gone down according to springwatch.Large birds? Crows,Magpies,Herons etc are less likely to make their homes in gardens,unless your garden is very large,thus leaving the slugs/snails to reproduce in greater numbers.That leaves Blackbirds and Song Thrushes.Blackbirds appear happier pulling worms from the lawn while I haven't seen a Song Thrush in my garden for what must be many months.
Conclusion? There are more slugs/snails in our gardens than there should be and that's where we come in
Just been out in my garden with the torch, found slugs actively eating a bedding dahlia, a gerbera, my zinnias, chocolate cosmos and shasta daisy.
all these I noticed had holes in which I thought were being made by caterpillars.
Evidently not
all these got chopped and disposed of. A good 10-20 in total
Well in damp Northern Ireland we are fighting a losing battle too. They really are picky blighters. They've pretty much destroyed a lace head hydrangea I planted a week ago. My sunflower leaves are taking a huge hit too. Funnily they love destroying my basil and rocket but avoid the mints, rosemary and marjoram. The flowering buds on my lupins are gone too. I assume they've been having them too. But some plants arent being touched at all. Copper tape on order so...
Wow... I've read all the posts on this topic... Where to start.
I have a newly dug front border, and as with any new bit of garden it's attracted the local cat population and the local snail and slugs... In fact, me thinks the blighters have invited all their slimy friends too...
My war strategy is tempered by the fact that I keep birds, so I'm an organic guy.
1, Nematodes... I know this is hit and miss for a lot of people, but I find that it works better if I use it during a wet period. I did the garden 2 weeks ago and have noticed less 'small' slugs for me in number 2 below.
2, A head-torch, gloves and small bucket... You can't beat a moonlit walk around the garden, even better if it's raining... Pick them off and place in bucket, the latest ''research'' by ''experts'' I've read stats that snails have a 20 metre (60ft) homing radius. As a slug is a snail without a caravan I guess they are the same. So I ether do 3 or 4 below.
3, Chix and Hoggs... If I'm doing the walk after a night shift my chickens get their fill. If I'm doing the walk at night and my trained hedgehog has not visited the rear garden... He/she gets a treat...
4, I take a walk to the end of my cul-de-sac and release them into a small copse of trees, I'm fortunate to live near a large park... The park is 40 metres and the copse an additional 10... Hopefully the experts are right about their homing skills...
5, Copper bands and copper tape on pots...
6, Beer traps...
I like the idea od plastic bottles over the new growth, I will be adding that to my arsenal..
Apart from de slugs, man, wottabaht de killin' of de bees, man ? Snot insex wot kills de bees, it's de Monsanto man ! Dat Monsanto is de worl numba wan for de killin o de bees. Don' buy Monsanto stuff ! Weed killa, systemic root killa, Man. Heavy shit, man !
Podden de French ! Dey woz a'ways good to me !
BUT, if you're into pellets, then I would recommend sprinkling them on the soil, and then tickle them INTO the soil. That's where the mollies hide as much as anywhere !
I've bee doing this for years now, and it is almost music to my ears to hear the little sods moaning their last gasp as the chew on a lump of blue tit bits.