I have to say I do use slug pellets as we have loads of them in the garden! We have a walled garden and it's around 4ft high and in damp weather there is an army of slugs and snails that come from neighbouring gardens and it's amazing to see how many are crawling over the walls! Like you Verdun I would have no plants If I let them rampage through the garden.
with this new problem I have, I would love to treat organically but the problem is quite wide spread. I have around 10 young delphiniums in pots that are all affected and it's spreading to the rest of the garden.
I even have a problem with my catmint seedlings now... Can anyone tell me what these white marks are? The same marks are even all over the foxgloves leaves...
For me the pesticide vs natural balance question is one of effectiveness. I simply don't find pesticides effective in the long run. I tend to find that they solve one problem but cause another. Attracting benefical insects and animals is hard work though, and you have to devote a good section of your garden to creating their preferred habitats, but it can be interesting. More importantly, it's effective. Many progressive farmers are now creating microhabitats for 'benficials' as a means of releasing themselves from the control of agrochemical corporations and protecting the environment. Shifting from chems to more natural problem solving methods does require short term sacrifice though. I've lost many a plant to slugs whilst waiting from my frogs to mature and many a plant to aphids whilst waiting for my bug hotel to attract enough ladybirds to reduce their impact.
I must say, however, that when I noticed I had Japanese Knotweed growing in my wild area, I didn't hesitate to get out the Roundup. Some thngs you just can't leave to nature. (Although I am looking forward to the introduction of Aphalara itadori - if we can call these immigrants 'natural')
Im out at the moment so can't reply properly yet but no it's not a worm haha it's just a bit of the clematis that is nearby That has fell onto the leaves
Some great arguments there in regards to chemical or organic control!
I do eventually want to get to the stage where I invite lots of beneficial insects to the garden. I know I would get a lot more satisfaction from knowing I achieved a good balance in the garden rather than just reach for chemicals.
I am a new gardener however and I only planted my first plant a few years back! I have learnt sooooo much over the past few years from reading and from you guys on here. You have all been fantastic and very patient with me with my millions of questions I have mainly been focusing on the basics though and I now want to start looking at gardening organically and creating the kind of habitat that will attract insects that will keep the bad ones at bay.
Verdun I can ask that your post about the worm be taken off if it saves you any embarrassment? Hehe ;-)
By the way Verdun you mentioned about your delphs having 3 flushes of flowers each year... Do you find that this reduces the life of the plant as lots of websites suggest? And are the 2nd and 3rd flush as good as the first?
Talking about good value plants... I decided to let a couple of mine have a 2nd flush this year... The first flowering was terrible but after I added my homemade compost as a mulch they are double the size! Is it normal for delphiniums to have so many side shoots??? There are literally 5-6 side shoots per plant and each one of those side shoots also has another side shoot and they are quite large with lots of flowers!
Does anyone else get this or is it best to cut the size shoots off to concentrate the energy into the main flower spike?
Posts
I have to say I do use slug pellets as we have loads of them in the garden! We have a walled garden and it's around 4ft high and in damp weather there is an army of slugs and snails that come from neighbouring gardens and it's amazing to see how many are crawling over the walls! Like you Verdun I would have no plants If I let them rampage through the garden.
with this new problem I have, I would love to treat organically but the problem is quite wide spread. I have around 10 young delphiniums in pots that are all affected and it's spreading to the rest of the garden.
I even have a problem with my catmint seedlings now... Can anyone tell me what these white marks are? The same marks are even all over the foxgloves leaves...
For me the pesticide vs natural balance question is one of effectiveness. I simply don't find pesticides effective in the long run. I tend to find that they solve one problem but cause another. Attracting benefical insects and animals is hard work though, and you have to devote a good section of your garden to creating their preferred habitats, but it can be interesting. More importantly, it's effective. Many progressive farmers are now creating microhabitats for 'benficials' as a means of releasing themselves from the control of agrochemical corporations and protecting the environment. Shifting from chems to more natural problem solving methods does require short term sacrifice though. I've lost many a plant to slugs whilst waiting from my frogs to mature and many a plant to aphids whilst waiting for my bug hotel to attract enough ladybirds to reduce their impact.
I must say, however, that when I noticed I had Japanese Knotweed growing in my wild area, I didn't hesitate to get out the Roundup. Some thngs you just can't leave to nature. (Although I am looking forward to the introduction of Aphalara itadori - if we can call these immigrants 'natural')
Last edited: 11 August 2016 15:34:19
Hi Verdun,
Im out at the moment so can't reply properly yet but no it's not a worm haha
it's just a bit of the clematis that is nearby That has fell onto the leaves 
Some great arguments there in regards to chemical or organic control!
I do eventually want to get to the stage where I invite lots of beneficial insects to the garden. I know I would get a lot more satisfaction from knowing I achieved a good balance in the garden rather than just reach for chemicals.
I am a new gardener however and I only planted my first plant a few years back! I have learnt sooooo much over the past few years from reading and from you guys on here. You have all been fantastic and very patient with me with my millions of questions
I have mainly been focusing on the basics though and I now want to start looking at gardening organically and creating the kind of habitat that will attract insects that will keep the bad ones at bay.
Verdun I can ask that your post about the worm be taken off if it saves you any embarrassment? Hehe ;-)
By the way Verdun you mentioned about your delphs having 3 flushes of flowers each year... Do you find that this reduces the life of the plant as lots of websites suggest? And are the 2nd and 3rd flush as good as the first?
Talking about good value plants... I decided to let a couple of mine have a 2nd flush this year... The first flowering was terrible but after I added my homemade compost as a mulch they are double the size! Is it normal for delphiniums to have so many side shoots??? There are literally 5-6 side shoots per plant and each one of those side shoots also has another side shoot and they are quite large with lots of flowers!
Does anyone else get this or is it best to cut the size shoots off to concentrate the energy into the main flower spike?
