I love the discussions about slugs generally, but my prime concern at the moment is my strawberries, or at least when the begin to fruit. Someone must have found at least a half way decent method of overcoming the problem
The garlic mix, is simply garlic boiled up in a pan of water. I use a couple of bulbs and mash the cloves before putting in the water. Leave it to cool and bottle it up. It keeps for several weeks. You can spray as often or as little as you wish. It doesn't kill the slugs but seems to keep them off plants.
Add a small amount of cooking oil and it kills aphids.
I also make seaweed feed. Drift seaweed collected off the beach ( you aren't allowed to pick it ), makes excellent feed for your vegs and is good as a foilage spray. Fill two big bags full, pierce the bags and drop in a tub of water, leave it to stew for at least six weeks and bottle it up. I water this down to 1/2 litre per watering can for a feed and 50/50 as a spray.
Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I think I shall try one or two plants with the roofing felt, to see how that gets on. Otherwise, I think it's the straw with perhaps a few of the little blue things. Maybe the garlic method too, but something tells me that it might affect the smell and taste of the fruit?
My strawberries and alpine strawberries are grown under gooseberry/currant bushes and neither the garlic or seaweed spray affects the taste, it smells a little when first sprayed but once dry there's no odour.
If you are worried, just wait to pick after rain or water well with a watering can one or two days before.
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I love the discussions about slugs generally, but my prime concern at the moment is my strawberries, or at least when the begin to fruit. Someone must have found at least a half way decent method of overcoming the problem
The garlic mix, is simply garlic boiled up in a pan of water. I use a couple of bulbs and mash the cloves before putting in the water. Leave it to cool and bottle it up. It keeps for several weeks. You can spray as often or as little as you wish. It doesn't kill the slugs but seems to keep them off plants.
Add a small amount of cooking oil and it kills aphids.
I also make seaweed feed. Drift seaweed collected off the beach ( you aren't allowed to pick it ), makes excellent feed for your vegs and is good as a foilage spray. Fill two big bags full, pierce the bags and drop in a tub of water, leave it to stew for at least six weeks and bottle it up. I water this down to 1/2 litre per watering can for a feed and 50/50 as a spray.
I use straw, get the odd casualty...but hey ho.
I used straw, but only once, it was a real chore removing it all at the end of the growing season and it was a haven for slugs when it got wet.
Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I think I shall try one or two plants with the roofing felt, to see how that gets on. Otherwise, I think it's the straw with perhaps a few of the little blue things. Maybe the garlic method too, but something tells me that it might affect the smell and taste of the fruit?
My strawberries and alpine strawberries are grown under gooseberry/currant bushes and neither the garlic or seaweed spray affects the taste, it smells a little when first sprayed but once dry there's no odour.
If you are worried, just wait to pick after rain or water well with a watering can one or two days before.