Slugs in potato bag compost!

[Marmande]

I planted some first earlies in bags this morning (as I only have a tiny space for growing in my back garden). I used fresh compost in the bottom of the bags, and directly on top of the seed potatoes, but then thought I'd be thrifty and empty some old pots of compost on top of that. In one of the pots, I found what I thought were a couple of baby slugs, but only after I'd already emptied it into the potato bag

Obviously, I fished out as many as I could, but now I'm panicking that I've just let loose loads of baby slugs into my lovely bag of potatoes! Anyone want to reassure me that this will turn out ok? Please don't say that I've got to empty the whole lot out and start again...

[fishpond]

"Please don't say that I've got to empty the whole lot out and start again..."
All right then, I won't say it.

[veggiechicken]

Don't panic, you don[t have to empty all of it....................just the old stuff you put on top.
To be honest, I've no idea what you should do. Depends on how worried you are about them

[Atta]

Would you sprinkle some of those blue pellets

[Marmande]

Would you sprinkle some of those blue pellets

Considering it...

[Marmande]

Don't panic, you don[t have to empty all of it....................just the old stuff you put on top.
To be honest, I've no idea what you should do. Depends on how worried you are about them

I was about to go and do just that - and we've had a sudden hailstorm

[Aberdeenplotter]

Would you sprinkle some of those blue pellets

I'm nodding my head to that

[Jungle Jane]

Put a little cup of beer in the top of the compost,cover the whole bag with anything so it’s dark & to stop the rain,they love beer.

[Marmande]

Put a little cup of beer in the top of the compost,cover the whole bag with anything so it’s dark & to stop the rain,they love beer.

They're only babies - surely they wouldn't be on the beer already?

[Mark_Riga]

You could try putting some green leaves on top - cabbage, lettuce anything similar from the kitchen and check them in the morning, also see if they have been nibbled.

[Penellype]

I wouldn't completely panic about slugs in compost. Contrary to popular belief, not all slugs eat fresh plant material, a lot of them prefer decaying matter like you find in a compost heap. I have grown potatoes in buckets for several years now, and quite often I find the odd slug when I turn the buckets out to harvest the potatoes, but it is rare that I find a damaged potato.

Here is a list of the types of slug that cause damage to plants https://www.slugoff.co.uk/slug-facts/bad-slugs.

A couple of other interesting slug facts - the slugs that eat potatoes spend most of their time in the soil and are not usually killed by slug pellets. They are more likely to be controlled by nematodes.

The leopard slug, a large grey slug with darker spots, eats other slugs as well as rotting vegetable matter, and is therefore your friend.

[Chrissyteacup]

Thanks Penellype never knew there were so many types of slugs never really thought about it!!

[Bren In Pots]

You could try putting some green leaves on top - cabbage, lettuce anything similar from the kitchen and check them in the morning, also see if they have been nibbled.

Could also try half orange shells slugs love to hide under those.