I emptied an old terracotta pot the other day, and there was a mahoosive slug hiding in the bottom of it (as well as numerous other small ones. The big one got chopped in half with my weeding knife. I left the others in the plant pot and went off to do some digging on the other side of the garden. When I came back, all of the slugs had gone, the sparrows and blackbirds had got a bit of protien in their diet! Strangely enough they were patrolling the bit I'd dug as well for the worms.
The male blackbird who's resident in the rowan tree with is missus makes me laugh. When the weather was really bad, not only did I put a suet block in the hanging feeder, I put one on the bird table, too, so he could have some. He was very funny chasing the sparrows away from HIS dinner, and even had a go at the starlings (until joined by their mates). He tells me off regularly when I'm pottering about on the patio.
As for slugs, the frogs the next-door neighbour raises in his pond (he's got an allotment and as a good Yorkshireman doesn't like spending hard earned brass on fancy slug deterrents when they can be a dinner for something useful), we get a couple of escapees in our garden that tend to see off the smaller slugs. As I'm going to be doing veg this year out of necessity, I think the nematodes will be the way to go. Both the nemaslug and the nemasys grow-your-own, as well as the slug-gone pellets around the brassicas. I really don't like eating anything that's been home to creepy-crawlies, so keeping them off my veggies is a priority.
Saltski, we had the same problem at a student house I shared at Uni. I was OK as I was in an upstairs room, my mate wasn't so lucky. We put pellets down around the outside of the house, and a few by the back door on the inside. We used a strong salt solution and shoved that down the sink every couple of weeks, too, in case they were getting in that way. It didn't solve the problem completely, but it did cut it down A LOT.
If you can find out where the blighters are getting in (we think it was under our back door, as it didn't fit very well), then concentrate on that area. I've also heard they don't like black bitumenous paint, so you could try painting some of that on the floor next to the house (unless it would look awful, we have a tarmac drive, so it wouldn't notice - not that you'd need it as tarmac has bitumen in it already). I used to have one or two come into the kitchen every year, until I put a magic mat down by the back door (more for my dogs' muddy paws more than anything else), since that's been down I haven't seen any. I think the going across the fabric bit is too much like hard work!
I use nematodes - yes, they are a bit pricey but I use them just twice between spring (when its warm enough) and autumn. They are effective. I also occasionally use the odd sprinkling of organic pellets around new seedlings or valuable plants 'just in case'. Useage of nematodes does cut down numbers. I keep meaning to do the night patrols with a sharp pair of scissors (or a bucket of strong salt water) but never get around to it!
It's the nighttime snip for me, I imagine the resident hedgehog wonders why his meals are all handy bite size chunks. I do use friendly pellets too early in the season (just done it today) to try to keep numbers down a little.
Im a snipper too I used to collect them using a pair of silicone tongs from the pound shop and then bung them in a bucket of water but i'd feel bad when they took so long to drown! So I took advice from my elderly cheeky chappie neighbour and now "cut there flipping heads off ,they won't know nothing its so quick, maid don't be a wuss" Its gotta be a better way to go then being covered in salt or bleach or poisoned.
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Salt will kill plants and damage the soil, you would struggle to grow anything after that so dont do it lyn
I emptied an old terracotta pot the other day, and there was a mahoosive slug hiding in the bottom of it (as well as numerous other small ones. The big one got chopped in half with my weeding knife. I left the others in the plant pot and went off to do some digging on the other side of the garden. When I came back, all of the slugs had gone, the sparrows and blackbirds had got a bit of protien in their diet! Strangely enough they were patrolling the bit I'd dug as well for the worms.
The male blackbird who's resident in the rowan tree with is missus makes me laugh. When the weather was really bad, not only did I put a suet block in the hanging feeder, I put one on the bird table, too, so he could have some. He was very funny chasing the sparrows away from HIS dinner, and even had a go at the starlings (until joined by their mates). He tells me off regularly when I'm pottering about on the patio.
As for slugs, the frogs the next-door neighbour raises in his pond (he's got an allotment and as a good Yorkshireman doesn't like spending hard earned brass on fancy slug deterrents when they can be a dinner for something useful), we get a couple of escapees in our garden that tend to see off the smaller slugs. As I'm going to be doing veg this year out of necessity, I think the nematodes will be the way to go. Both the nemaslug and the nemasys grow-your-own, as well as the slug-gone pellets around the brassicas. I really don't like eating anything that's been home to creepy-crawlies, so keeping them off my veggies is a priority.
You lot are seriously snip-happy (Mummy Muddy and Lyn!) UGH! I could never chop them in half - hear them go squidge
I would like to stop them coming into my house at night.
Saltski, we had the same problem at a student house I shared at Uni. I was OK as I was in an upstairs room, my mate wasn't so lucky. We put pellets down around the outside of the house, and a few by the back door on the inside. We used a strong salt solution and shoved that down the sink every couple of weeks, too, in case they were getting in that way. It didn't solve the problem completely, but it did cut it down A LOT.
If you can find out where the blighters are getting in (we think it was under our back door, as it didn't fit very well), then concentrate on that area. I've also heard they don't like black bitumenous paint, so you could try painting some of that on the floor next to the house (unless it would look awful, we have a tarmac drive, so it wouldn't notice - not that you'd need it as tarmac has bitumen in it already). I used to have one or two come into the kitchen every year, until I put a magic mat down by the back door (more for my dogs' muddy paws more than anything else), since that's been down I haven't seen any. I think the going across the fabric bit is too much like hard work!
I use nematodes - yes, they are a bit pricey but I use them just twice between spring (when its warm enough) and autumn. They are effective. I also occasionally use the odd sprinkling of organic pellets around new seedlings or valuable plants 'just in case'. Useage of nematodes does cut down numbers. I keep meaning to do the night patrols with a sharp pair of scissors (or a bucket of strong salt water) but never get around to it!
Im a snipper too I used to collect them using a pair of silicone tongs from the pound shop and then bung them in a bucket of water but i'd feel bad when they took so long to drown! So I took advice from my elderly cheeky chappie neighbour and now "cut there flipping heads off ,they won't know nothing its so quick, maid don't be a wuss" Its gotta be a better way to go then being covered in salt or bleach or poisoned.
Maid don't be a wuss - I'll try that mantra next time!