Slugs have eaten my tomato leaves

[briggsy2011]

Will they survive?

The tom seedlings are only about 1-2 inches high, but the slugs have eaten the leaves and left the stem. Will the leaves grow back and grow into normal tom plants or should i just throw them?

I will be putting natural slug pellets down as they think my gh is a massive all you can eat place! I was wary to as I have 2 nosey jack russells and didnt want them eating the pelletts. Any 'natural' pelletts that are good and ok to put down if you have pets?

[rustylady]

Your tomato seedlings should have in small pots on the greenhouse staging - were they? I should think if the slugs have eaten them you would be better either sowing more seed indoors or maybe buying in some plants.

[briggsy2011]

Hi
they are in my greenhouse on the top of the shelving. They are in indivdual pots. I was thinking of sowing some more and move them around the gh!

thanks

[rustylady]

How on earth did the slugs get up there? You sure it wasn't snails, those sneaky bu@@ers climb. I would start some more off indoors on the kitchen windowsill where you can keep an eye on them.

[Pa Snips]

I was going to say what Rusty said.

Snails are the extreme rock climbers of the squishy bug world, slugs are seedling lumberjacks - they take them down at ground level.

[Sarico]

I had the same problem with my strawberry tower. I put on the bottom some copper tape on the lower pot and did work until I cover it with fleece few time to protect from frost that they climb up the fleece and ate 3 strawberry plants.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I believe you will have to resow as advised by others, but if they are on the shelving you shouldn't have to worry to much about your dogs and slug pellets. I think you can buy some now that put pets off. I will do a quick check.

Colin

[Florence Fennel]

I have never hated snails so much as I do this year briggsy, they have destroyed most of my brassica plants, even the ones on staging 4' high. Come to think of it, I haven't seen one slug, the snails have taken over. Sow more seed, the seedlings they have stripped will not survive. Good luck with it.

[tamsin]

It depends, if there is at least one set of leaf joints (even if no leaves left from them), they should resprout from there, if they are just sticks then no. I would take out each pot, and check underneath for slugs, then check whatever they are stood in/on etc. and destroy by hand. If you haven't got too many, I'd bring them inside on a window sill as they'll regrow quicker and be less likely to get attacked.

Same thing happened to my brassica seedlings, slugs ate almost the whole things, I repotted and stuck them on a shelf and they are just getting new sets of leaves so I think they'll perk up fine.

[timethatthetaleweretold]

Agree with what others have said.

Also:
consider going out when it's dark to do a slug/snail patrol on anything you have growing.

Just pick them off the plants they have come to feast on and destroy them.
(snip with scissors, or whatever).

[Chef_uk]

I've had a few small snails moving quickly in the greenhouse. Lost a couple of plants but nothing major considering how full it is right now. Didn't know they would be after my toms though :/ Will stay vigilant.

[kentishgal]

I didnt know slugs couldnt climb! Somebody should really tell that to the ones that have been climbing up my wall to eat the plants on a 4ft high shelf!!
I use lots of organic slug pellets and lots of plastic mesh (that I cut into barricades to keep the dogs away from the pellets)...

[clairebear]

Same here, we must all have the same group of mountaineering slugs as I found one in my large planter the other day, about 3 feet off the ground. Something's nibbled my radish seedlings but left my spinach and spring onions. I'm blaming the slugs but have yet to catch them in the act, I've christened them "camo ninja slugs"
It's like I've got an elite group of SAS type slugs that drop in on a wire, nibble what they want and then vanish into the dark lol

[Potstubsdustbins]

I don't know who suggested that slugs don't/can't climb. But my variety sure can I picked one from my radishes yesterday and they sit on top of my pond wall which is 3' high.

Colin

[snakeshack]

I have picked slugs and snails out of my tomatos growing in hanging baskets for the past 3 years,and they have to climb ten feet up a very spiky pebbledashed wall to get to the brackets.there was no way they were in the baskets when installed either!