Ooh, that's a good idea, I haven't thought of sticking copper tape around cardboard tubes - must give that a try myself, thanks PurpleSarah! :-) Mind you, I think it's too late for my poor marigolds which are, like your runner beans, pretty much just leafless stalks now :-( Ah well, we live and learn, eh?
I have had most of the rhubarb leaves eaten to the ribs and I thought that they were poisonous. However it is near the compost bin and yesterday I checked the compost as I intended to move the bin and contents and was horrified to find the bin full of ants and ant eggs at least I think they are the eggs of the ants. Will these be the culprits and can I do the moving or what do I do? Someone please help at 74 this will not be a pleasent or easy job.
I have had most of the rhubarb leaves eaten to the ribs and I thought that they were poisonous. However it is near the compost bin and yesterday I checked the compost as I intended to move the bin and contents and was horrified to find the bin full of ants and ant eggs at least I think they are the eggs of the ants. Will these be the culprits and can I do the moving or what do I do? Someone please help at 74 this will not be a pleasant or easy job.
Have seen lots of huge snails,no slugs but dont seem to have a lot of damage. Garden looks very healthy I have very small pond in the garden and lots of trees around. So lots of natural prediters. I havent used any control the last three years gave up as it didnt seem to make any difference. Does this mean we should leave nature to get on with it. This is the first year Ive seen the pests dissapear as soon as I see them. If a plant is attacked I leave it there and the rest is left alone. Is anyone else trying this method
I am a retired engineer/inventor and gardener, i hate slugs and snails, so i have invented a system of protecting crops and plants that is 100% guaranteed to kill these pests. its non chemical and safe, i just need to show the system to a popular tv gardener,maybe Pippa, who perhaps may endorse it.
Garlic works done at super strength, after pricking a bulb all over and boiling it for a good half hour drain off, poor all liquid into a 1 litre hand spray, top up to one litre with cold water and spray onto hostas,lupins ect let dry and spray again don't forget the pot.Squash the boild bulb and cover in water again and boil again by now the house will be stinking so make a cuppa and go out side and start spraying, boil as long as you can stand it, cool and keep in a covered tub to use in your watering can as strong as you like. After doing this I went out on the usual snail and slug hunt that night to find a very large snail walking past the hostas, thats a first. Spraying under the leaves and useing strong soloution helps it to stay on when it rains, since useing galic Iv'e had no more damage to the hostas and new shoots on the lupins are looking good. I'm still going to get some copper tape when I locate some for young seedlings and for when I'm on holidays, I must be looking in the wrong places.
slugs are attracted to beer traps because they love yeast.a better solution is to put 2 cups of lukewarm water into a container add a packet of dried yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 of sugar.give it a good mix.pour this into two jars which are buried up to their necks about 2 meters apart near your favorite plants.slugs can smell this from at least 2 meters away.empty jars and add a new mix every 3 days.Try it, you won't destroy the whole slug population in your garden but it might help keep it down.p.s.there are are other ways to keep the slug population down,such as soil condition.
Can anyone help us to identify this slug: white/creamy in colour, approx 1/2 and inch to an inch long and have come in the masses out of the blue. we have drawn a complete blank nobody has ever heard of them before let alone seen them. Please help
I had often wondered how snails get into inaccessible places. One day, in my greenhouse, I watched as a snail crawled up the roof. It quite deliberately let go, to fall about 2 feet, accurately onto a tray of seedlings. Needless to say, I now use slug pellets on my seedlings.
I have just started a vedge garden and my runner beans have a lot of the bud stalks neatly bitten off, would this be slugs/snails or birds. Ray Richardson
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After doing this I went out on the usual snail and slug hunt that night to find a very large snail walking past the hostas, thats a first.
Spraying under the leaves and useing strong soloution helps it to stay on when it rains, since useing galic Iv'e had no more damage to the hostas and new shoots on the lupins are looking good. I'm still going to get some copper tape when I locate some for young seedlings and for when I'm on holidays, I must be looking in the wrong places.
Ray Richardson