SLUG problem

malinheader

Anyone any advice on a deterrent for slugs destroying my plants other than pellets. Have tried coffee grinds but still there eating the plants.

Samuel T. Cogley

Honestly tried everything from copper tape, to beer traps. Pellets is the only thing that's worked for me (novice) and my Dad at this 60 years now.

Deub

A glass of beer in the ground?

Samuel T. Cogley

Deub wrote: »

A glass of beer in the ground?

Works but rains too much here.

Malayalam

I use and have used everything from copper wire, crushed egg shells, coffee grinds, buried jars of beer/jam water, hunting down the fcukers with salt, importing colonies of frogs (quite successful, that one), and saving up the Christmas tree needles in bags to sprinkle round things. But really, if I really want to stop the fcukers eating something extra nice I have coddled from seed and don't want eaten overnight, I use the blasted slug pellets.

miezekatze

I go out in the evenings with an old kitchen knife and take care of the ones I see. You'll never get them all, but it helps.

malinheader

Thanks for the replies folks looks like it's pellets it is then.i was trying to stay as green as possible but can't take the heartache anymore.

Malayalam

malinheader wrote: »

Thanks for the replies folks looks like it's pellets it is then.i was trying to stay as green as possible but can't take the heartache anymore.

Me too I've been gardening for 30 years, no chemicals...save for occasional use of slug pellets when, like you, my heart just cannot stand the plague of slugs. It helps that one awful night, many moons ago, while out with salt on a slug hunt, I came across a heaving, seething, breeding, slimy nest of the bastards; it looked like hundreds, all piled in on top of each other in some sort of grotesque slug orgy, as big as a rugby ball, and I got such a fright they gave me nightmares for ages. They are horrible feckers with zero redeeming qualities, and though I cannot cut or chop them, I will cheerfully leave a gathering of them on top of the gateposts for the thrushes to feast on.

malinheader

Is there any down sides to using the pellets. Highly poisness reading the jar. It says not to apply before rain so are you able to water the next day.

Malayalam

malinheader wrote: »

Is there any down sides to using the pellets. Highly poisness reading the jar. It says not to apply before rain so are you able to water the next day.

I don't use near food crops. The only way there is to bring on more than you need from seed so you have spares and scour the area regularly to gather hiding slugs. Plus use the other things mentioned. Honestly frogs helped as they eat them. Ducks too, but I couldn't face them. Plus then your duck eggs would be recycled slugs ðŸ˜႒

macraignil

I'm scarred to use slug pellets since hearing the stories at primary school about thrushes being killed by eating the poisoned bodies of the slugs killed by slug pellets. Have used beer traps successfully in the past and regularly cut slugs I find in the garden in half when I find them. Not found that many this year so far and see lots of birds in the garden now looking for food so think the policy of avoiding the pellets has worked to some extent. Also built a wildlife pond at the start of the year and saw the first frog in the garden in the last few weeks which might be connected with seeing less slugs about. Also tried the slug nematode method at one stage but not sure if that had much effect. Might also just be avoiding putting anything in the garden that's not ready to cope with a slug attack
Good luck!

malinheader

miezekatze wrote: »

I go out in the evenings with an old kitchen knife and take care of the ones I see. You'll never get them all, but it helps.

I tried your tip this evening and must of sliced 40 plus.Big slimey fcukers. I think I'm fighting a losing battle myself. Try the pellets now and hope for the best.Thanks for all your replies.

jomalone14

Sadly, these pellets are not only poisoning birds that eat the slugs, hedgehogs eat them also. Both the urban/rural hedgehog population has really declined, a lot to do with these pesticides

malinheader

Don't want that at all. Aw well only thing for it is back to the night shift with salt and a knife

beertons

If you scatter a bit of sand or salt around the popular plants for slugs, would that harm the ground in any way?

The Pheasant2

Frog pond is your best bet, supplemented with sustained nighttime raids for a consistent period.

SaatanaArctica

Friend of mine actually made a slug electric fence using a battery and some wire. He set it up so that it only zapped when they were in contact with two pieces of wire.
Definitely overkill but amusing nonetheless.

rolion

I have had lots of issues with them....i was desperate,almost decided to demolish the build as all plants were affected at some point.
I have digged the soil to build the greenhouse and i think i may have disturbed them massively (like a nasty developer coming over to demolish your well establised home)

The only thing that worked for me,since last year in December is nemaslugs.
Used a single box of the product,done all over the greenhouse,over the soil and i left some spinach as a trap.Bought from H E R E
Well,confirmed they worked as all of them disapaeread,i dont have any presence this year and,as per below pictures,the slugs went to a quieter place.
All my plants now are green,fluffy and growing up nicely and safe...even th esaled in the soil...

Not sure how will work outside,where the little good parasites coudl spread in all directions,but in my well enclosed GH it did wonders...

RebelButtMunch

Another parallel strategy is to eliminate any slug sleeping places near the veg and flowers. Logs, bricks, verges etc all can provide respite for the feckers during the day.

Curly head

jomalone14 wrote: »

Sadly, these pellets are not only poisoning birds that eat the slugs, hedgehogs eat them also. Both the urban/rural hedgehog population has really declined, a lot to do with these pesticides

Neudorf organic slug pellets. No danger to anything but slugs. They work a treat!

malinheader

Curly head wrote: »

Neudorf organic slug pellets. No danger to anything but slugs. They work a treat!

Thanks. Are they available in ireland or are the mail order. Where would I get them.

Curly head

malinheader wrote: »

Thanks. Are they available in ireland or are the mail order. Where would I get them.

Woodies stock them or most good garden centres:)

scarepanda

I don't normally have a slug problem. But after the rain we had this evening with strawberry beds rippening up I decided to go out and have a look..... The backstards were out in force..... One on a green bean leaf and 15/20 in or around the vacinity of me strawberry beds....... If the neighbours saw me they'd think I was off me rocker ;-)

Because I don't really have a problem I haven't been using slug pellets, but I put a few in the strawberry beds as they are netted so hopefully no birds will get near or in it to eat slugs. The pellets are supposed to be organic.

Graces7

For those who cannot cut things..I take an old cat food tin half full of water and a spoon and scoop and drown them.

Also leave eg black plastic down and go out in a morning and they will be abed there

malinheader

Hi folks just another question. How often do you have to put down the pellets or is just the once enough. Do they last for long once down

RebelButtMunch

malinheader wrote: »

Hi folks just another question. How often do you have to put down the pellets or is just the once enough. Do they last for long once down

As the ad says... when they're gone, they're gone

Arthur Daley

Has anyone planted organic pellets down around spuds or other veg? They don't just do damage on the surface and you only find out when you come to dig them out.

Definetely use organic or bird/hedgehog friendly pellets. We have lost too many hedgehogs as it stands, and it's a nasty death for the poor sods.

magicbastarder

The Pheasant2 wrote: »

Frog pond is your best bet, supplemented with sustained nighttime raids for a consistent period.

+1
we dug a pond 5 years ago, and were getting adult frogs from about three years ago, and you could almost chart the difference to our hostas since then. this year so far, very little damage.

macraignil

magicbastarder wrote: »

+1
we dug a pond 5 years ago, and were getting adult frogs from about three years ago, and you could almost chart the difference to our hostas since then. this year so far, very little damage.

Just filled a new pond a couple months ago and within a few weeks saw a frog in the garden for the first time. They were already resident in the neighbor's garden and I reckon the open water has made the visit to my own garden that bit more appealing. Might have been a bit late for the frogs to spawn in the pond this year but hoping for a lot more to stay around and eat slugs in future.

goz83

Curly head wrote: »

Neudorf organic slug pellets. No danger to anything but slugs. They work a treat!

I have been using this stuff too. I like the idea that the slug buries itself and dies.

Last year, I killed hundreds with vinegar out the back yard. I wouldn’t mind, but it was just all concrete and no vegetation apart from a couple of wall planters. It definitely helped because this year there are feck all compared to last.