Slug pellets

geordief

Has anyone any ideas for making slug pellets go further?

I am talking about the "organic" pellets that are quite a bit more expensive.

I have an idea that I haven't tried yet of putting the pellets under pieces of wood or cardboard since I already trap them in this way ( they don't like it up them you know).

Does it make sense to scatter a few pellets in those parts of the garden where the slugs tend to hang out (overgrown parts or along the side of paths for example) ?

Because the pellets are normally so cheap people never seem to discuss using them sparingly but like I said the "organic" ones are considerably more expensive and I tend to have that in mind when I use ,or buy them.

redser7

They work best when used sparingly. People tend to chuck loads about thinking they'll blitz them. But when the concentration is too high the slugs can smell the poison inside the coloured grain.

geordief

Yes I knew that you couldn't use them too thickly but I have quite an amount of garden to protect and we don't really get any breaks in the damp weather....

I only really use them on seedlings and especially vulnerable plants like lettuces ,salad crops and cabbages where they do the most damage.

I also appreciate that thay are only one tactic against slugs but I would like to be able to use them without worrying about the cost and so one way of achieving that would be to use them as efficiently as possible (I agree that your point about not over applying them is probably as good a point as any).

redser7

There's a method for making your own free slug nematodes a which is supposed to work very well. Will see if I can find the article.

redser7

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningequipment/8675592/The-war-on-slugs-starts-at-home.html

Chinasea

I don't know how big the space is that you are trying to cover,but if it isn't too big, you could consider dawning rubber gloves and shoveling snails into a container/bag on a damp wet evening when they come out in their droves and releasing them back into an area where you know natural predators will be delighted to feast on them, i.e local wasteland etc.

I do this and have never had to use slug pellets. We still have some slugs but it is manageable,

geordief

Thanks redser7 that looks brilliant.I have known about the nematodes for years but the price and the slightly technical/scientific nature of the application process (=temp requirements) put me off.

I will be preparing my slug stew in short order!

@Chinasea I have a problem finding an evening that is not "damp and wet ":o

No I have done all that stuff and I once eveniput out a request for a "second hand" hedgehog only to be told by the mod (on this site as I seem to remember) that that was against the rules as you are

a: not allowed to buy or sell hedgehogs and
b: not allowed to confine them (that wouldn't have been a problem if I could have got them to actively prefer to stay in my garden).

I also make piles of stones around the vegetable plants (that turn up naturally as I work the ground ) as a way of harbouring beetles which ,I understand feed on slug eggs.

All that and more but the weather we are blessed with has meant that the slugs have always had the upper hand with me (yes I do have a large area to protect) and that is a good reason why I was eventually able to use slug pellets when I saw "organic" on the side of the container(I think it is ferric phosphate).

Now with this nematode recipe things may improve further.

Oldtree

Husbandry of the plants by collection is the best way, or you can try growing the stuff they like in pots with a tray of water underneath to act as a moat. Dont like putting any stuff near my vegis that i dont want to eat, It is a hobby after all and my life does not depend on it.

spygirl

I used copper wire this year and so far nothing has been munched. didn't want to use slug pellets around my veggies. Am trying to keep it as organic as possible, companion planting, egg shells beer traps etc. I know on a large scale no use to you, but maybe the copper wire could work? I bought it cheap enough in woodies a while ago and so far no slugs have munched on future lunches

shawnee

Have heard about this before. Could be suitable for raised beds !

spygirl

shawnee wrote: »

Have heard about this before. Could be suitable for raised beds !

that is exactly what I'm using it on, as well as along a path edge

geordief

How thick is your copper wire ? I have some that the ESB or Telecom Eircom dumped next to the house ( just the wire - no insulation).

I have always assumed it was too thin to work as a barrier against slugs-wouldn't it need to be about 3/4 inches wide?

spygirl

it's about 1/1.5 i think. not got the label in front of me but not very big. if it's lying around free why not give it a go. maybe 2/3 lines of it if you think it's not thick enough. I have mine wrapped around a nail at each end of the raised bed and at two other points along the edge. so far working just fine. didn't know was meant to be thicker I just ran two lengths down along the edges and hoped for the best and between the rows. It's definitely not 3 inches wide and working so far, hope it's not just that I have been lucky. I thought i was onto a winner

geordief

Sorry I meant 3 quarters of an inch when I wrote 3/4 inches.
I am sure what you are using (1 or 1 and a half inches) is the right thickness.

That would be more or less what I would have expected although I haven't actually seen it close up.
My wire would be much thinner (it's wire).

Maybe I can think of a way to get it to work

The idea is that it keeps them out isn't it?
It isn't intended to kill or maim them?

Is it important to keep the copper shiny I wonder ? (does it work as well well as it gets dull over time?)

redser7

I'm not sure how well it would work in a raised bed. Slugs live in the soil and would be in your bed soil. I think they are more for pots. But still it would probably have some effect.

Thunderbird2

Why not make your own slug killing nematodes .. Place some live slugs in a bucket with greenery and water, cover it over come back in a few days and the slugs should be dead . Pour the water into a watering can and spray onto the soil.

geordief

Yes I have begun that process.

Redser gave a link to a Telelegraph article earlier in the thread that explains how to do it.
I don't suppose this process would have any applications to other problems?

It seems a bit like vaccination in reverse.