How to grow lettuce with minimal slug damage?

[mcdood]

Age old problem, I've tried to grow lettuce in the ground but they get hammered by slugs. The lettuce grow well but when I pick they are riddled with masses of little black slugs, which isn't appetising. I won't use pellets and don't have access to barriers of coffee grinds or eggshells. I have raised beds with wood sides so I think this is a perfect environment for them, the slugs not the lettuce that is. Last year I tried some lettuce in a 1/2 barrel, still got lots of slugs. This year I'm thinking of trying hanging basket lettuce but I know that will give me watering issues let alone finding places to hang them. I do grow cut and come again in trays in the greenhouse successfully but would like to grow a beautiful row of whole lettuce if possible. Anyone have successful methods or maybe resistant varieties? they'd like to share.

[Small pumpkin]

Nematodes. Brilliant, and don’t harm anything else. But not cheap.

[muckdiva]

I pick the slugs off in the evenings and that does seem to reduce numbers of the tiny (baby?) ones too eventually. But of a faff but the most effective way I’ve found in the long run

[mcdood]

Thanks SP, not sure if there are other producers but the major one I can find looks to sell a 40 sqm pack for £14 and it says 6 weeks cover, so that would be very expensive to keep applying over a 6 month or so growing period, in your experience is that how it works?. I also only need about 7 sqm for 1 bed of lettuce so will maybe see if I can find smaller packs elsewhere.

[mcdood]

Just been reading the homemade nematode thread on here. Not a good read just after breakfast

[Logunner]

Thanks SP, not sure if there are other producers but the major one I can find looks to sell a 40 sqm pack for £14 and it says 6 weeks cover, so that would be very expensive to keep applying over a 6 month or so growing period, in your experience is that how it works?. I also only need about 7 sqm for 1 bed of lettuce so will maybe see if I can find smaller packs elsewhere.

Have used them, fairly sure you could split the pack for several applications. Just mix up what you need as you need it.

[mcdood]

Thanks Logunner. From what I've read they say they won't live long enough to keep reapplying, have you tried in practice?.

[veggiechicken]

I "think" I've read that red lettuce are less attractive to slugs than green.
You could try a packet of mixed lettuces and see which fares better.

[Logunner]

Thanks Logunner. From what I've read they say they won't live long enough to keep reapplying, have you tried in practice?.

Not tried, but i remember the pack had to be stored in the fridge. Not sure on how long they advised before using, but I’m sure there will be a wide margin built in... not that a commercial enterprise will ever admit to that.

Did read some time ago about the homemade stuff, wonder if the commercial ones can survive in a waterbutt for several months?

[Thelma Sanders]

slug traps do reduce the numbers quite well, I find..

[Bonjour]

Beer slug traps do reduce the numbers quite well, I find..

Glad to see that chap's not wasting beer.

I like the idea of using a lidded trap. It might prevent pets and wildlife from consuming the contents.

I remember a few years ago rescuing a baby hedgehog that was staggering around someone's garden. It looked pretty ill, so I took it to a local animal charity to see if it could be saved. It was pretty sorry for itself but made a full recovery.

it turns out that the owner of the garden had put out beer traps for the slugs. Slugs are something of a delicacy in the hedgehog world and young Spiky had been feasting on beer-marinaded slugs that night and was as drunk as a skunk.

[Starch]

I have some bullet shaped beer traps that work well, easy to insert in the ground. They have a roof on stalks that can be tilted sideways to remove the inner sleeve which has a hole in to let the beer out but keep the slugs in and can be easily emptied. This needs to be done fairly often as the drowned slugs stink.

[SarrissUK]

I can absolutely recommend Nemaslug - I've used it for years. When I first moved in here, I couldn't even leave dog food out in a bowl - it would get invaded by thousands of slugs over night.

Nemaslug brought it right down to more manageable levels, and in conjuntion with evening slug pickings and hungry chickens, I can grow most things in my garden now.

You can get it online for 12, 13 quid maybe in their smallest packs. I tend to only apply once a year, and buy enough to do both my back garden and my plot. Now I have two plots, but not getting any slug damage on my no dig beds, so maybe that could be part of your answer too - to go no-dig?

[Starch]

The traps are called slug inn and are 6 fo a tenner

[mcdood]

Thanks all. Sariss I am no-dig so it isn't that though I think my raised beds with wood sides do provide a good hiding place for the slugs. I know Charles Dowding has beds without sides and I always get salad leaves envy watching his vids so maybe I need to experiment and remove the sides on a couple of beds and see if that helps. I will also give nematodes a shot this year.