potatoes and slug pellets

[simo105]

Hi all
new to the forum and a newbie when it comes to growing plants and veg! Ive planted some potatoes in bags and scattered some slug pellets round them! Have I made a mistake there? I dont fancy poisoning myself when ive made my sunday dinner! Like I say im complety new to gardening so i didnt think about the fact slug pellets are poisonous until my father said it might be a bad idea. Advise most welcome thanks

[Bigmallly]

Welcome to the vine Simo. They should be ok as the tatties are underground. Slug pellets are commonly used on things like Cabbages, Caulis, Lettuce........leafy things that slugs like.........

[simo105]

Ok ive tried to pick out the pellets but carnt get them all!

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Thinking you'll be fine "Simo"

As BM said, the "Tatties" are underground, or should be!

Welcome to the vine from me also!

[Tadpole123]

I've been putting pellets in my spuds in tubs for more years than I'm going to admit to, and I'm still here. Some varieties seem more tasty than others so make a note of any that get left untouched so you can grow them without worrying about pellets.

[simo105]

Ok thanks for your opinions. Ill be seeking advise from this forum as im currently growing a few things, onions and carrots. Ive also got two fruit bushes and some strawberries hopefully I shouldnt get any pronlems

[Two_Sheds]

Ive planted some potatoes in bags

Different slugs eat different things. The huge black ones like dog poo.

Black keeled slugs will attack spuds in the ground, but they aren't going to find their way into your bags


Other slugs, as said already, will attack other crops ~ usually strawberry fruits, lettuce, pak choi. Snails go for those too, French beans, sunflowers, French marigolds, brassicas especially ...

[Bill HH]

Welcome, Commercial potato growers used untold amounts of chemicals, spraying spuds up to 15 times against blight etc, slug pellets have been used on veg for 50 years or more, they couldn't sell them if all their customers died. Restricting the use of slug pellets is more to do with the damage they do to birds and hedgehogs but I doubt you will get either if your spuds are in bags.

[BertieFox]

Slug pellets won't poison you, but they do poison song birds when they pick up the dying slugs affected by the pellets. The metaldehyde types are the worse. If you have to use them, then place them under a pot or cover and then meticulously remove the dead and dying slugs in the morning so the birds cannot turn them into lunch.

Also watch out for family pets eating the pellets, though in our experience they do not often do this.

[stubedo]

i had a lot of slugs last year, but they were`nt bothered with my potatoes at all.....oh they werent into courgettes either

[noviceveggrower]

Hi there. Welcome to the vine. I use to use slug pellets like a lot of people years ago but haven't since I got my allotments. There are plenty of things to use and things you can do to try and stop the slugs. I found encouraging wildlife in to eat the slugs helped. We have hedgehogs at home and allotment and last year we had thrushes eating the snails.
I wouldn't worry about the slug pellets you can't get off your spuds. Just get as them up best you can.

[Two_Sheds]

Slug pellets ...do poison song birds when they pick up the dying slugs affected by the pellets.

The organic ones are safe for wildlife

ADVANCED SLUG KILLER 575g

[brownfingers]

I had slugs in potato bags last year. Lots of eggs as well. Had to dig them all out as good as I could. I noticed a hole dug in one this year too. Had a little dig, but couldn't find a culprit. No doubt it will be well down ready to munch the tubers as they get bigger.