Slug Damaged Potatoes

[marcofez]

I always have slug damaged potatoes and it's usually the decent sized potatoes that get it! What tips/ideas do forum users have to minimize this problem. I love my spuds but I,m considering not growing any due to me throwing lots of them out, because of this problem!

[noviceveggrower]

I know it sounds a bit yuck but how bad is the damage? My mom just cuts the damage off and uses the potatoes straight away. Ready meals just get frozen.
What type did you grow? I had Kestrel and Pentland Javlin and they were fine but by Red Rooster and main crop took a battering.

Found this advice on the internet.

1. Avoid planting potatoes into heavy soils, as these are favoured by slugs. If this is unavoidable try lightning the soil by adding plenty of compost and well-rotted manure. Also aid excessive watering of your crop as this will only make things worse.

2. Try trapping slugs by encircling you potato crop with old wet sacks and rotten wooden boards. In the mornings, lift the boards and sacks and remove the slugs by hand.

3. Dig over your soil once or twice before planting as this will bring slug eggs to the soil surface where they can be eaten by birds.


4. Avoid sowing potatoes into a site bordering grass, compost heaps or piles of organic waste, as all of these provide a base from which the slugs will carry out their midnight raids.


5. You can try planting potato varieties offering high resistance to slug attack. Below is a list of the best varieties. If these are unavailable to you plant early cropping varieties and lift them early so as to avoid the time of year when these slugs are at their most active.


High Resistance to Slugs
Pentland Dell
Pentland Ivory
Pentland Falcon


Medium Resistance to Slugs
Desiree
King Edward
Majestic
Pentland Crown
Pentland Hawk
Record
Romano

Hope this helps. I will be doing 1st earlies and 2nd earlies next year and not bothering with Main crop.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I used to be demented with this but then invested in §lug nematodes which has eliminated the problem. Have to apply the stuff immediately before earthing up. Not cheap but very effective.

[Thelma Sanders]

RHS lists "Slug-resistant cultivars: ‘Charlotte’, ‘Estima’, ‘Golden Wonder’, ‘Kestrel’, ‘Pentland Dell’, ‘Pentland Ivory’, ‘Pentland Squire’, ‘Stemster’, ‘Sante’ and ‘Wilja’ "
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=716

I just put a light sprinkle of pellets when I plant them, then again when I earth up.

[Mr Bones]

I find it helps not to add compost or manure before planting, each seed potato gets a liberal sprinkling of BFB.

[Penellype]

I've grown Rocket, Charlotte, Desiree, Sarpo Axona and Sarpo Mira in buckets of compost (home made/reused) this year and had almost no slug damage. I have also used nematodes, which I treat the whole garden with twice a year (spring and autumn).

[Lumpy]

If you want to go the organic route and you don't intend to grow huge amounts of tatties this works quite well..

Use squeezed out orange or grapefruit skins upside down and they little blighters will crawl underneath them as for some very random reason they love citrus.

[Bigmallly]

I love my spuds but I,m considering not growing any due to me throwing lots of them out,

That's exactly what I'm doing next year marcofez as they are so cheap to buy.

[astraman1]

try growing in tubs

if you can get it soot is a good one for stopping them

[Snadger]

The previous occupant of my plot was called sooty and was a chimney sweep. I have very little bother with keel slugs!
I grow kestrel and Desiree spuds mainly both of which are slug resistant.

Often wondered how slug resistant varieties work, as surely the slug has to taste the spud to find out whether it likes it or not?

Earlies are a good choice as they aren't in the soil so long!

[marcofez]

Thanks for all the replies folks. Much appreciated! Will use a few tips and see what happens.

[Penellype]

Often wondered how slug resistant varieties work, as surely the slug has to taste the spud to find out whether it likes it or not?

Maybe they can smell it?

[Snadger]

Maybe they can smell it?

Never seen a slug with a nose!

[veggiechicken]

[Lumpy]

So if I put my finger on the hump in the middle it should suffercate?

Bet it don't.....