sunflower sadness!

[Hanna]

i received some sad news by text message at work today....something has munched on our sunflower shoots! It came as such a blow, simply because i thought we were doing so well! Paul seems to think he has found the culprit...there was a small snail on the watering can, not a million miles away from the sunflowers. They were at least a couple of inches tall, and doing sooooo well in just under a fortnight. Is there anything we cam do to deter snails etc?

[chris]

Pick em off at night and get rid of em!

Loads more tips in the pest section, but I did a nightly trip out with a touch and pair of scissors.

[Hanna]

well i thought id done a good job doing it that way so far...how many snails can there be in a blowaway! is there anything i can plant that they dont like?

[fiferjim]

A Frenchman with a pot and some garlic?

[Maccabee]

I scattered a ring of crushed egg shells around my broccoli seedlings after i found a couple of leaves had been munched on, they haven't been back since. I went slug-hunting almost every night in peak growing season last year as i was so overrun and it became an obsession, i wouldn't recommend it

[Hanna]

oh well that sounds like a good plan 'Maccabee', i can't get over how disappointed we both are about losing our sunflowers! at least we have plenty of seeds to try again.

[bearded bloke]

Blue slug smarties ??

[Potstubsdustbins]

Spot on BB slug pellets every time.

Colin

[Two_Sheds]

I do night-time raids with a torch and a bucket of salty water. I got 53 last week. I also have a few blue smarties sprinkled under the gh shelving where I can't reach to pick them out and where I know they're hiding (they had quite a lot of French bean leaves last night )

[dirtgirl]

I have yet to successfully grow a Sunflower down to the slimy devils but keep trying every year, and am (quietly) hopeful, so good luck with your next batch