I have used nematodes for the first time this year and the result has been amazing. they are expensive but they work so well. I used them once and now the plants are larger they still don't seem to be affected and it is 8 weeks since I watered the worms on. They are specific to the slugs so you don't need to worry about your animals they won't be affected.
My garden is just too large for nematodes to be an effective solution.
I now use the wildlife and pet friendly slug pellets (no metaldehyde) which I start scattering very thinly around susceptible plants like hostas, hemerocallis, daffs, clematis and rhubarb starting on Valentine's Day as it's easy to remember.
Repeat weekly or after heavy rain throughout the season. This ensures you get them as they emerge form hibernation or hatch from eggs and before they have time to eat your treasures and breed more slimesters.
Any slugs I find when gardening I throw in the road to get squished by passing traffic. No messing with beer, salt or scissors.
Before doing this system I would go out at dark with a torch and pick hundreds just off the daffs in spring. Life is too short and there are many nicer garden jobs to occupy my time.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I use beer slug traps but have one trap that is full of beer and slugs one day and empty the next. Any ideas what is eating both the slugs and drinking the beer? I would like to think that it is a hedgehog but my fences all have solid concrete bases so I doubt that it is one.
http://www.hostalibrary.org/firstlook/RRIronPhosphate.htmvv "Wildlife and pet friendly slug pellets" are a myth because in order to work they have to add EDTA. Christine-- do you have a dog? I had to stop the slug pubs cause the dog was attracted to them. He also likes to look into the containers I collect slug in though I tell him to go away. But dogs like beer (and also smelly stuff like fermenting slugs.)
I have used nematodes on my allotment but in my garden which is smaller I tend to use slug pellets I don't scatter them I put them into a small lidded container along with some shredded vegetable. I have about 6 in the garden and they are always full in the morning. The lid is raised slightly. just enough room for a hungry slug/snail to get through but not for a nosy labrador.
Well I have tried the cut off bottle tops put inside itself put tape over the edges and then buried into the ground. I watered the garden like I do when weather has been hot I then poured a can of Guiness into each bottle. After only a few hours the slugs were heading for a drink. I feel bad but I need them gone. I'm so worried about my dog getting sick. Plus I hate that on a wet evening my garden becomes a slug orgy!
Christine - when you said 'any ideas what's eating the slugs and drinking the beer' it reminded of an old Dave Allen story about the wolves coming and drinking the beer
Know what you mean Sarah -we get a lot of slugs and snails. I snip them as I hate the salt solution and refuse to buy beer. I chuck the massive snails over the fence into the road and let them take their chances with the traffic....
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Snip them in half? That is disgusting! I collect them up on a damp evening (sometimes hundreds at a time) and tie them up in a nappy bag. I feel bad that they suffocate, but at least they die with their friends
I collect them in an airtight container and then freeze them. Then when defrosted just dump the corpses on the compost heap. As long as you don't confuse which ice cream container has ice cream and which has slugs it seems alright. I figure it's not too painful. I feel bad about the wholesale slaughter but hate having the buggers in the garden.
Posts
I have used nematodes for the first time this year and the result has been amazing. they are expensive but they work so well. I used them once and now the plants are larger they still don't seem to be affected and it is 8 weeks since I watered the worms on. They are specific to the slugs so you don't need to worry about your animals they won't be affected.
My garden is just too large for nematodes to be an effective solution.
I now use the wildlife and pet friendly slug pellets (no metaldehyde) which I start scattering very thinly around susceptible plants like hostas, hemerocallis, daffs, clematis and rhubarb starting on Valentine's Day as it's easy to remember.
Repeat weekly or after heavy rain throughout the season. This ensures you get them as they emerge form hibernation or hatch from eggs and before they have time to eat your treasures and breed more slimesters.
Any slugs I find when gardening I throw in the road to get squished by passing traffic. No messing with beer, salt or scissors.
Before doing this system I would go out at dark with a torch and pick hundreds just off the daffs in spring. Life is too short and there are many nicer garden jobs to occupy my time.
I use beer slug traps but have one trap that is full of beer and slugs one day and empty the next. Any ideas what is eating both the slugs and drinking the beer? I would like to think that it is a hedgehog but my fences all have solid concrete bases so I doubt that it is one.
http://www.hostalibrary.org/firstlook/RRIronPhosphate.htmvv "Wildlife and pet friendly slug pellets" are a myth because in order to work they have to add EDTA. Christine-- do you have a dog? I had to stop the slug pubs cause the dog was attracted to them. He also likes to look into the containers I collect slug in though I tell him to go away. But dogs like beer (and also smelly stuff like fermenting slugs.)
I have used nematodes on my allotment but in my garden which is smaller I tend to use slug pellets I don't scatter them I put them into a small lidded container along with some shredded vegetable. I have about 6 in the garden and they are always full in the morning. The lid is raised slightly. just enough room for a hungry slug/snail to get through but not for a nosy labrador.
Christine - when you said 'any ideas what's eating the slugs and drinking the beer' it reminded of an old Dave Allen story about the wolves coming and drinking the beer
Know what you mean Sarah -we get a lot of slugs and snails. I snip them as I hate the salt solution and refuse to buy beer. I chuck the massive snails over the fence into the road and let them take their chances with the traffic....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Snip them in half? That is disgusting! I collect them up on a damp evening (sometimes hundreds at a time) and tie them up in a nappy bag. I feel bad that they suffocate, but at least they die with their friends
I collect them in an airtight container and then freeze them. Then when defrosted just dump the corpses on the compost heap. As long as you don't confuse which ice cream container has ice cream and which has slugs it seems alright. I figure it's not too painful. I feel bad about the wholesale slaughter but hate having the buggers in the garden.
front lawn.due to the late hour I was forced to get re/dressed to attack them my method is the same as mentioned before,throwing them into the road.
some of my neighbours must have had a good laugh as it was still daylight.
Sometimes things get so out of hand you have act at once to save your plants.
I guess this is an ongoing battle for all of us.