Dahlias and slugs. Advice needed

[robmarston]

Hi all. I've been bringing on my border dahlia tubers in my blow away only to find the shoots have been decimated by slugs. I am wondering if this is it for them or if I can go ahead and plant them and they'll be ok and re-shoot? The tuber clumps are pretty big as I've had them for 4 years and have been regularly dividing them. Please tell me all is not lost........


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[roitelet]

Do something about the slugs first. Slug bait if you use it or beer traps. Check carefully all the possible nooks and crannies where slugs could hide then give them a while and they should put on new growth.

[Kristen]

The tubers have plenty of energy in reserve, so they will re-sprout - but need to stop them being repeatedly attacked! I would leave then in the blowaway to hurry them up. I don't plant mine out until end of May - not so much because we might get a late frost (although we might ...) but more because if I bring them on more, before planting, I think it brings forward their flowering date.

[robmarston]

That's a relief. I have some lovely specimens and didn't want to lose them. Slug bait has been liberally sprinkled in the blow away and I actually found a snail under a pot. I soon got rid of that little cur.


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[Two_Sheds]

. Slug bait has been liberally sprinkled

Remove most of it then: the pellets should be about 4" apart from each other. Laying a blue carpet won't catch any, because it repels them. They'll then wander off to eat something else.

It's also dangerous to pets, if you have a stoopid dog that will eat anything it can get in its mouth.

What you want to do is bait them, so they aren't able to make any baby slugs/snails.

[Two_Sheds]

I actually found a snail under a pot.

I was going to suggest looking underneath your pots. The culprit won't have gone very far from an easy meal.
Also, do some midnight patrols with a torch and a bucket of salty water: you'll find more than you ever thought possible

[robmarston]

Too much bait? Goodness I'm beginning to feel like I'm getting everything wrong! I've now moved everything out of the blow away and onto a windowsill indoors ( partner not too happy) I checked all the pots and have moved the blow away. Only found 1 snail.......


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[robmarston]

And I'm going to make some beer traps.


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[Kristen]

Too much bait? Goodness I'm beginning to feel like I'm getting everything wrong!

The Destructions should say "sparsely" or something like that.