Slug 'resistant' lettuce

[BarleySugar]

Last year I grew Pandero for the first time, a red little gem lettuce, and despite the wet summer, it suffered little slug damage compared to the green. I'm not saying they don't give it a go, but it tends to be ribs on the lower leaves that have been nibbled.
I don't usually sow lettuce direct into the soil, I raise the plants in modules to give them a head start anyway, and I often plant them up in pots, but this seemed to have no difference on the slug damage when comparing varieties.
This year I grew some romaine lettuce, which have been riddled with slugs and virtually uneatable, but again, the pandero are relatively untouched. I don't know if this is the case with all red versus green lettuce, but I will definitely be sticking with the red. I also found they seemed less attractive to aphids as well. The romaine, in pots alongside the Pandero, were covered with brown aphids, but there were very few on the Pandero.
It would be interesting to see if other people have experienced this. I also don't know if it will be the case if there are no green lettuce around to attract the pests. I feel an experiment coming on!
Ann

[vegman]

I grow mixed leaf lettuce and had no trouble even though some seedlings of Basil have been 'nibbled which are close by. Maybe they can some how sense which is the most tender and sweetest to eat. I suppose as they are so slow they must rely on a sense of smell to reduce travel time!!

[Cutecumber]

Interesting to hear about your experience with Pandero - I have some seed but it's still in the packet... I might set it free!

My contribution to the experiment is that I have aphids on my red lettuce - Bijou - but not on my green - Salad Bowl.

I don't think there's any science in this, to be honest. I suspect it's just luck of where the aphids landed first. They'll probably all be covered in the little blighters by the weekend!

Meanwhile, my younger specimens have been munched by a snail overnight - Freckles seemed the most attractive, followed by Sangria. Both red/ green crosses!

[hawthorns]

ive grown lolla rosso in my raised bed and they have very little slug damage so i think it maybe the colour they dont like. my other lettuce have been savaged and i now have to grow them in containers.

[oldie]

If I remember correctly Charles Dowding in his The Natural No Dig book says that red lettuce is less likely to get slug damage.

[gojiberry]

Have had no slug damage on my lettuce either green or red. I do however use slug pellets, not in any great quantity, but when necesary. I have grown bronze arrow heritage seed for the last 2 years and have had no problem with slugs or bolting with this variety. Will be interesting if the wet weather of the last week will bring out more slugs.

Ian

gojilottie updated 27 May 08