Weird jelly stuff on the soil??

[Demeter]

Lately I've been noticing quite a lot of these weird little bits of jelly-like something on my garden soil. The bits are probably about 1-2cm in all directions, but irregular shapes. Some are clear and others are a bit greenish looking. They are just sitting on top of the soil, most but not all of it seems to be where there is compost e.g. if I've planted stuff out or where I emptied an old container full of compost onto one of the beds.

It looks a bit like water retaining gel except I have never bought or used any of this stuff in my life!! The only reason I know what it looks like is because I bought some plug plants and there was a little bit of the stuff in the carton they came in. (Which is still in the greenhouse.)

The two possibilities uppermost in my mind are
(1) It is water retaining gel and it comes from the compost somehow.
(2) It is something slug-related and will result in the horrible death of all my plants.

Any thoughts? It's driving me potty, if only because in the dark the light shines off them and they look just like misshapen slugs!

[squashysu]

OMG - i have this too and just thought it was natural within the compost! as i used a bag of compost in a container and not in the ground, my jelly is quite clear and just like jelly!

i also have little sort of mushroom in the ground where i have plants, i thought they looked like eggs, but soft with a hole in the top, i will have to take a pic.

Now you have me thinking what is this jelly and also it hasnt hurt my plants they are growing great guns!!

SS

[Cloud]

I have seen this on a few occasions and it turned out to be frogs spawn.Don't know why maybe something to do with all this wet weather!

[Demeter]

Pretty sure it's not frogspawn - at least it doesn't look like frogspawn and why would the frogs put it on a raised bed anyway when there's a perfectly good stream just over the road? - but reassuring to know I'm not the only one and that it probably isn't - er - slugspawn? - do slugs spwan??? I just have visions of them using their revolting mucus to protect the eggs and you end up with something that looks like water retaining gel and actually conceals lettuce death. What, paranoid? me?!

[Cloud]

Well slugs eggs are small and white and are defininetly not covered in gel.

[squashysu]

its defo not frog spawn or slug spawn, i know that for a fact, i think it must be water retaining gel, mine is square, actually looks like Jelly in small cubes!

Demeter, mine was in with my sweetcorn that are in a pot and its not in the other pots, i think i used different compost, so it must be the one particular make that i had!!

I dont think there is anything to worry about, i may take a pic of it tomorrow and see what everyone think!

SS

[Capsid]

The cheaper composts contain the water retaining gel. I've seen this in the Wilko compost. I'm fairly certain this is what it is.

[squashysu]

ah ha - mind you, mine wasnt cheap!! might as well get some cheap stuff though as it seems the same after buying both types, i dont see much difference and the veg is growing great guns anyway!

thanks for putting our mind at rest !

SS

[Demeter]

Phew - that's a relief.
Although I have just stabbed one with a hatpin cos I thought it was a slug!!

[Snadger]

I sprinkled some water retaining granules in my sand based carrot bed last year. It was rather disconcerting after the first rains when my soil was covered in jellyfish!