Help!

[ColourMeSurprised]

-Scuffs feet- Um, I did something stupid.

Last year I dug my first bed, and had no idea what to do with the turf I took off the top. I didn't and still don't have a compost bin, and if I tired to put that in my black wheelie bin, I think the binmen would hate me enough to post it through the letterbox! Anyway, I set it all to the side in a messy pile to deal with later. I started trying to neaten the pile up today, and found slugs and slug eggs in there.

I remember someone once telling me that if you pile clods of turf upside down (roots up), the grass dies off and they degrade to a sort of compost. Is there any truth in this? And if so, would it be disastrous to do that knowing that there are a few slug eggs in there? I took out all that I found, but I have no doubt I'll have missed a few.

Suggestions? Please?? :s

[starloc]

If you stack it upside down it will all die off and make loam compost,
If you think the slugs will be a problem, you could pile the turf up in a volcano shape leaving a gap in one side down to the bottom and build a bonfire in the middle and over it, the heat will cook anything in there burn weeds to fertilliser,

[goosander]

The old nursery men used to lift clods and leave upside down. Made the best top soil for potting on.
Bob

[ColourMeSurprised]

Thanks guys, glad to hear I've not just dreamed up that advice! Couldn't remember who told me, so was wary of going ahead and doing it! Any idea of how long it would take to break down into loam?

Starloc - I hadn't thought of burning. That's okay for the soil? It wouldn't be bad for anything grown in it afterwards?

[kathyd]

French farmers always used to burn their fields at the end of the year, although I think they've been told to stop now - bit dangerous . But presumably didn't harm the soil, because they grew stuff every year! And carbon's good for the soil, no? But I'm not sure I'd bother personally - unless your garden is otherwise totally free of slugs and snails? You can just deal with them all at the same time . Now if your heap got really hot of course, like all the best heaps apparently do, that'd kill off the eggs anyway... the only thing I've managed to get hot so far is grass clippings when freshly stacked... better start reading up on how to make compost properly again I suppose... *sigh *.

[ColourMeSurprised]

French farmers always used to burn their fields at the end of the year, although I think they've been told to stop now - bit dangerous . But presumably didn't harm the soil, because they grew stuff every year! And carbon's good for the soil, no? But I'm not sure I'd bother personally - unless your garden is otherwise totally free of slugs and snails? You can just deal with them all at the same time . Now if your heap got really hot of course, like all the best heaps apparently do, that'd kill off the eggs anyway... the only thing I've managed to get hot so far is grass clippings when freshly stacked... better start reading up on how to make compost properly again I suppose... *sigh *.

Fair enough! It's not that my garden is otherwise free of slugs and snails, but the pile where they've laid these eggs is VERY close to my veg patch, and is worrying me. To be honest, I've got a ton of brambles and prunings to get rid of, so it might be worth burning the whole lot anyway. That could only make them more manageable, right? XD

[Mark Lottie]

I wouldnt worry about it, personally; seems like you have done everything right

We stack up turves (the grass sod) every year and slugs are unavoidable. I put a tarp over the top to block out light and try to kill the grass.

Using a bonfire on it would just kill everything in the soil, including all those good micro organisms, worms etc. Also if your ground is already very alkaline then the extra ash might make it TOO alkaline.

[Nicos]

We stack up our turves like that too! Works a treat

Boiling water on the eggs, or leave exposed to the air for the birds to eat - or the frost to kill ( well I presume they'd be killed by frost)

Nope- you did nothing at all stupid

[ColourMeSurprised]

Ahh, thanks guys. That's what I was worried about as far as burning goes. I'll try the boiling water instead, and we have a lot of trees around that the birds like, so I expect they'll appreciate the free lunch. Just worried I won't catch them all and will end up overrun by slugs...

[Penellype]

Slugs and snails are unavoidable if you are gardening organically. It is impossible to make a compost heap without some of them making their home there. They actually do a good job in the compost heap, doing their bit to convert the vegetable matter into compost. If you are worried that they may migrate to your veggies, probably the best thing to do is to give the whole area a good dousing with nematodes once the weather warms up a little. It won't kill them all, but it will keep the numbers down.

[Snadger]

Slugs and snails are a natural part of the rotting down process. Without them and other small creatures the turves wouldn't compost properly.
Upturned turves, once the slugs, snails and other organisms have done ther work on them, turn into fibrous loam.
Fibrous loam is a major part of John Innes composts and mixed with a bit of sand and coya will save you a fortune on bought potting compost. Google John Innes for the different compost mixes!

[ColourMeSurprised]

They're unavoidable and natural, but that doesn't mean I want the little blighters near my veggies... -grumbles-

I'm not sure I could affort the nematodes, to be honest. Aren't they pretty pricey?

[Guest]

They're unavoidable and natural, but that doesn't mean I want the little blighters near my veggies... -grumbles-

I'm not sure I could affort the nematodes, to be honest. Aren't they pretty pricey?

The war on slugs starts at home - Telegraph

Someone posted this on another thread

[ColourMeSurprised]

The war on slugs starts at home - Telegraph

Someone posted this on another thread

O.O That's both disgusting and fascinating at the same time! XD Thanks Norfolkgrey, I'll give that a go! (And try not to lose my lunch in the process)

[ColourMeSurprised]

Also, some of the comments on that are hilarious XD