New gardener, so I didn't realise for a while that it's particularly bad this year. With the slugs and then the foxes digging up any earth (along with any plants that happen to be there) that's been worked, I nearly gave up!
They had a new hosta - overnight it was stumps. A lobelia cardinali that I'd only just ID'd and planted. A whole bed of petunias, both my beautiful helebores, strawberries and even nibbles out of my pelagorums, which they're supposed to avoid. I have a lovely gravelly alpine container, which I thought would be safe and they had a couple of alpines. All my marigolds and pansies. Sweetpea leaves - though that might be snails, also have millions of those.
I'm keeping my lupins and dahlias in pots with copper tape round them - it really does work thankfully and I'm only going to put stuff in beds that they don't like - I have my list: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=228
I've tried beer traps, which collect loads, but there's a seemingly an unending supply.
Lantana, the stuff I'm using isn't tape, actually, but fabric that's copper coated (you can't see the coating, though, the fabric is black). You can get it either as a roll or as small mats (usually sold as "strawberry mulch mats with copper coating"). If you do get the roll, make sure you cut it with something like a utility knife with a replaceable blade, so that you can snip off a piece of the blade when it gets blunt - it will get blunt very quickly cutting the fabric.
Mynx, I inherited two allotment beds that had been covered with weed suppressing fabric and when I took it off I discovered two ants' nests underneath! I've been trying to get rid of them using some organic powder, but so far not much luck.
What we've got on our allotment site: slugs and snails, ants, rats, wood pigeons, jackdaws, assorted aphids and other little critters, earwigs (probably, judging from the holes in my dahlia leaves), squirrels, and, in winter, deer. I'm sure I've forgotten something.
Ahhh... Aster2 you have answered a question which was baboozling me - what and how on earth had managed to get up nearly six feet and munch away on my hollyhock leaves? Of course!! Eeriewigs!! Thank you so much, I can sleep at night now
Glad I could help. I'm sure the earwigs will also sleep well, what with being exhausted by climbing six feet up and down and munching at all the hollyhock leaves!
You got me so excited Aster2 to finally put a name to the nasty creature that I typed my response so quickly I didn't bother to check my spelling... of course I meant bambozle... bamboozlee... see I'm still excited... bamboozle!!!
Lantana, thanks for the tip. When I got my allotment last autumn, I was determined to garden organically. That didn't last two weeks, I'm afraid. I'm now even more appreciative of the produce in the organic fruit&veg box that I get delivered weekly - how can anyone manage to grow organically and even on a large scale is beyond me. One of the two ant nests seems to be gone. I'd really have much rather let them live, but that was not possible given where they were.
Hubby was so fed up of his "skeletonized peas", he ripped the lot out over the weekend.
Quick as a flash I pinched the strip of land and soon had it filled up with my potted annuals. The sunflower bud has opened to show a little ray of hope despite it's lack of leaves.
Chucked down some pellets (I'm past caring about being organic). Result ?
The thing I like about the nematodes is that you don't get that horrible slimy mess ... the slugs just die in a tidy manner underground. You are also helping to stop the next generation .... so hopefully less in future years.
I hate bringing plants on in the greenhouse only to have the eaten by slugs ... takes all the joy out of it ... now I've tried the nematodes I haven't lost a thing. I'll be applying the latest lot this afternoon as we will be getting showers later which will help water them in.
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
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Don't get me started! They've had loads
New gardener, so I didn't realise for a while that it's particularly bad this year. With the slugs and then the foxes digging up any earth (along with any plants that happen to be there) that's been worked, I nearly gave up!
They had a new hosta - overnight it was stumps. A lobelia cardinali that I'd only just ID'd and planted. A whole bed of petunias, both my beautiful helebores, strawberries and even nibbles out of my pelagorums, which they're supposed to avoid. I have a lovely gravelly alpine container, which I thought would be safe and they had a couple of alpines. All my marigolds and pansies. Sweetpea leaves - though that might be snails, also have millions of those.
I'm keeping my lupins and dahlias in pots with copper tape round them - it really does work thankfully and I'm only going to put stuff in beds that they don't like - I have my list: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=228
I've tried beer traps, which collect loads, but there's a seemingly an unending supply.
I need a hedgehog!
Lantana, the stuff I'm using isn't tape, actually, but fabric that's copper coated (you can't see the coating, though, the fabric is black). You can get it either as a roll or as small mats (usually sold as "strawberry mulch mats with copper coating"). If you do get the roll, make sure you cut it with something like a utility knife with a replaceable blade, so that you can snip off a piece of the blade when it gets blunt - it will get blunt very quickly cutting the fabric.
Mynx, I inherited two allotment beds that had been covered with weed suppressing fabric and when I took it off I discovered two ants' nests underneath! I've been trying to get rid of them using some organic powder, but so far not much luck.
What we've got on our allotment site: slugs and snails, ants, rats, wood pigeons, jackdaws, assorted aphids and other little critters, earwigs (probably, judging from the holes in my dahlia leaves), squirrels, and, in winter, deer. I'm sure I've forgotten something.
Ahhh... Aster2 you have answered a question which was baboozling me - what and how on earth had managed to get up nearly six feet and munch away on my hollyhock leaves? Of course!! Eeriewigs!! Thank you so much, I can sleep at night now
Last edited: 25 July 2016 15:44:34
You got me so excited Aster2 to finally put a name to the nasty creature that I typed my response so quickly I didn't bother to check my spelling... of course I meant bambozle... bamboozlee... see I'm still excited... bamboozle!!!
Mynx,
.
Lantana, thanks for the tip. When I got my allotment last autumn, I was determined to garden organically. That didn't last two weeks, I'm afraid. I'm now even more appreciative of the produce in the organic fruit&veg box that I get delivered weekly - how can anyone manage to grow organically and even on a large scale is beyond me. One of the two ant nests seems to be gone. I'd really have much rather let them live, but that was not possible given where they were.
Hubby was so fed up of his "skeletonized peas", he ripped the lot out over the weekend.
Quick as a flash I pinched the strip of land and soon had it filled up with my potted annuals. The sunflower bud has opened to show a little ray of hope despite it's lack of leaves.
Chucked down some pellets (I'm past caring about being organic). Result ?
The thing I like about the nematodes is that you don't get that horrible slimy mess ... the slugs just die in a tidy manner underground. You are also helping to stop the next generation .... so hopefully less in future years.
I hate bringing plants on in the greenhouse only to have the eaten by slugs ... takes all the joy out of it ... now I've tried the nematodes I haven't lost a thing. I'll be applying the latest lot this afternoon as we will be getting showers later which will help water them in.
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
I haven't tried this, but looked interesting: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningequipment/8675592/The-war-on-slugs-starts-at-home.html
Used nematodes for the first time 5 weeks ago and some of the hostas have started to recover.
However whilst it was scorching hot there was a rather nasty smell and 100s of flies. I suppose they can detect slugs cooking underground.