Mould on slug pellets

[Undercaker]

Hello.
I've got some carrot and beetroot seedlings in a cold frame on my plot. Recently a slug got in and munched a good portion of my carrots, so I put a sprinkling of slug pellets on top of the seedlings.
I kept the frame closed and I've checked in after a few days and all of the slug pellets have gone mouldy. Most of the seedlings are in contact with the mouldy pellets. I understand how this happened, and how to prevent it in future, but my question, specifically, is this: is the mould on the slug pellets harmful to the plant, can I just scrape it off, and does it pose any health risks when it comes to eating the vegetable?
Thanks in advance.
D

[burnie]

Slug pellets come in various forms these days, some of the older types were down right dangerous and not just to slugs. I don't use them and haven't for years, one of the reasons they work is they are actually an attractant and will pull more slugs towards your plants, when I did use them back in less enlightened days, I would put them in rough ground round the edge of the garden, well away from my plants.
Personally I would I would scrap that crop and move my cold frame to new soil, but that is not based on any science, just an opinion.

[veggiechicken]

I don't use slug pellets - full stop.

If you must use them, don't just scatter them but put them in rings around your plants and you don't need to use lots, just a small amount and replace them as needed.

[Peteyd]

I don't and wouldn't advise using slug pellets. Having seen the effects it has when birds and hedgehogs eat them - I don't think other people would either.

As a side note, any slug pellets that contain Metaldehyde are now prohibited from being sold in the UK as of the 30th June 2019 and will be banned from use in Spring 2020.

[Mark_Riga]

I would say your veg should be OK but don't sprinkle pellets on them in future. If there is only 1 or 2 in a cold frame then, as long as you don't mind going out at dusk or after dark with a torch, you should be able to find them.

[ameno]

The mould isn't particularly harmful (slug pellets are grain based, which is what attracts the slugs, but this means they easily go mouldy), however if it's in direct contact with your seedlings then it may potential rot them, too. Mature plants would be fine, but seedlings are rather more tender.

[Can the Man]

I’ve seen a thing called a bell for slug pellets, has anybody got any experience with one of these. Where I live on the bog, I have no choice I have to use slug pellets. If I don’t remember to take in the cats feed dish at night it will be full of slugs once it goes dark.

[ameno]

I’ve seen a thing called a bell for slug pellets, has anybody got any experience with one of these. Where I live on the bog, I have no choice I have to use slug pellets. If I don’t remember to take in the cats feed dish at night it will be full of slugs once it goes dark.

Same here. They're everywhere. To give an example, I pollinated a squash flower today, and just threw the male flower down on the ground after I'd finished. Two hours late, I found (and promptly killed) eight large slugs all eating the discarded flower. And this was in broad daylight, on a warm day, and it hasn't rained for a week.
If I don't use pellets in the early stages, I'll have nothing at all. Any newly planted vegetable plants or newly emerged seedlings just get mown off over night.

[Peteyd]

I totally understand the need for slug and snail deterrents, I too have suffered badly with regards to loosing huge swathes of seedlings in the course of a wet evening. I have tried to look into more natural deterrents however to limit the use of pesticides. Mulching with seaweed is one method i have found to be reasonably successful, another is to apply a caffeine solution to the soil (a couple of cups of strong coffee works wonders!)

I quite like the old trick of filling a tuna can with beer and leaving it out on the plot, seems a bit old school to me - like the sort of thing my Grandad would have sworn by.