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Post by The witch on Feb 22, 2007 9:52:26 GMT 1
Post your tried and tested remedies here please.  |
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Post by debbiem on Feb 22, 2007 10:39:40 GMT 1
It's got to the point I won't grow anything I know they are going to eat. I'll dig the attacked plant out of the garden and give it a spell in a pot. If the slugs get in the pots this year then that is that - if I can't find the perpetrator that will be the end of the plant.
Getting chickens was the only thing that ever worked for us - one minute shredded hostas, the next minute perfect ones after the chickens arrived. But we haven't got any chickens at the moment. And therefore loads of slugs.
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Post by madonplants on Feb 22, 2007 10:54:24 GMT 1
Wildlife friendly garden!! That is the easy one.  My previous house bar one, had plenty of slugs in the garden when we moved in and I spent 3 nights in a row, going out with a torch and killed as many of the bad ones as I could find. Then with building the pond, which brought frogs, toads and a hedgehog in, they dealt with about 80% of the rest. You never will totally get rid of them, with the plants we grow, which slug wouldn't come in. If the population gets bad again, just spend those three nights again outside, just after dark is best. Worked for me and I had hostas in the garden!! Keith |
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Post by plocket on Feb 22, 2007 10:56:29 GMT 1
I'll try anything! Copper tape around pot rims but I still worry that they will get up through the hole in the bottom of the pot  Garlic pellets are pretty good, and organic of course, but do need to be replenished after rain. I put coffee grinds (after making coffee) around plants - that seems to help but again weakens after rain. And I've even been known to spray my walls with a strong solution of coffee. All work reasonably well but I'm never completely rid of slugs. Oh and I am convinced that slug pellets - those blue ones - actually attract the slugs. Yes they kill slugs but I think it attracts them too, therefore increasing the problem before dealing with it. |
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Post by sweetleaf on Feb 22, 2007 11:54:10 GMT 1
I surround my hostas with barbecue charcoal, and underplant them with Nepeta the smell of the Nepeta, and the absorbancy of the charcoal means they arent eaten by slug or snail  |
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Post by Sleepy on Feb 22, 2007 11:59:16 GMT 1
First class Sweetie. I avoid growing hostas because of slug damange. I might revise that now  |
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Post by debbiem on Feb 22, 2007 12:24:14 GMT 1
We've got loads of frogs as well but it seems the supply of slugs outweighs the demand by far. I've been thinking of getting some hedgehogs from a rescue centre if our garden's right for them but I bet there's a long queue......Plus our garden has high walls and no access from the front so I doubt if one would ever wander in accidentally. But if we do get chickens they'll have the frogs as well...  |
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Post by The witch on Feb 22, 2007 13:22:10 GMT 1
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Post by plocket on Feb 22, 2007 13:39:31 GMT 1
I also use porridge oats - the slugs apparently gorge themselves to death  |
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Post by debbiem on Feb 22, 2007 17:50:40 GMT 1
Porridge? Really? I might try that. Have you found any that have stuffed themselves silly with it Plocket? What a grisly find! But not as bad an end as it could be............ Oh for a garden with the Testacella species The witch, I'd happily give 'em a plate of Whiskas.  |
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Post by The witch on Feb 22, 2007 17:52:25 GMT 1
Point is Mrs. B. not all slugs eat plants.  |
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Post by borderbabe on Feb 26, 2007 17:14:36 GMT 1
Might not be very PC but here goes - for snails a size4 boot! for slugs I have to resort to pellets nothing else works and believe me I've tried over 30+ years!
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Post by madonplants on Feb 26, 2007 17:43:28 GMT 1
Is that not bad for us as well, as I thought worms were the gardener's best friend? But then we would have to hate hedgehogs, frogs, toads, birds,.....................no I will stop now!! ;D Keith |
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 26, 2007 21:53:54 GMT 1
I'm trying a very thick bark mulch around my ferns. The Harts Tongue fern in particular seems to be being nibbled all the time. Mind you, the fern bed is next to the compo bin...  So far this year I've only seen one slug...it was very small and raced off when it saw me heading towards it. On my flower bed and in the GH I use the 'Advance Growing Succes' slug pellets which are supposed to be wildlife friendly.... Snails get chucked over the back fence (but they come back) Bob Flowerdew (I think it was him...) recommended putting snails in a plastic basket on an upturned flowerpot in a large dustbin lid of water...he puts clippings in the basket which the snails chew and convert into snail poo which falls through the basket into the water and can be used on the garden...I'd rather chuck em over the fence me....captive snails...ew. |
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