How do commercial growers keep their potatoes slug free?

[greenishfing]

Today, for the first time in a few years, I've had to buy potatoes. This is due to last years abyssmal weather and consquent poor crop.

I was lucky with the potatoes I bought, they boiled well, didn't fall to pieces and tasted quite nice mashed. These potatoes were perfect specimens to look at.

I was wondering if anyone knows what methods commercial growers use to prevent slug attacks?

Also what do they use to prevent carrot fly, or do they only grow carrots in areas where carrot fly is not rampant?

[cptncrackoff]

I know of a few who use metaldehyde pellets.
Metaldehyde - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

# personally i use ...

1. kids - they love squashing
2. normal everyday slug pellets

[Potstubsdustbins]

As far as I know they use a type of slug pellet.

After monitoring the slug population they will apply herbicide to reduce the amount of places slugs can find refuge and if considered necessary then apply pellets.

Potty

[solway cropper]

Commercial growers use all sorts of nasty stuff to ensure that their produce reaches the supermarket shelves looking perfect.

That's why many of us prefer to grow our own.

[Two_Sheds]

carrots

This is for carrots:
"Commercial growers use a trap to detect the insects, so they can time their sprays for maximum effectiveness"

"Some chemical control can be achieved through dusting the rows before sowing in Spring with bromophos, phroxim or pirimphos-methyl " Carrot Growing - In depth guide to growing carrots

http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf...fly-151760.pdf


For the domestic grower, enviromesh is the way to go. I also mulch with grass clippings: the carrot fly hopefully lays her eggs in the clippings, they dry out and die

[bazzaboy]

"Some chemical control can be achieved through dusting the rows before sowing in Spring with bromophos, phroxim or pirimphos-methyl "

For the domestic grower, enviromesh is the way to go. I also mulch with grass clippings.

This topic came up yesterday on a course I'm doing (discussed elsewhere) and one student described potato planting near her house with potatoes "liberally covered in a cloud of pink powder".... but nobody (including tutor and local farmer on course) knew what the "pink powder" was. P'raps Tattieman might know?

Enviromesh on potatoes....? But don't some slugs (and wireworms etc) come through the soil rather than surface or overhead?

On grass cuttings as a mulch.... interesting. I do that but not really sure why! Is it true that grass cuttings used as a mulch increase acidity and therefore help reduce likelihood of potato scab? Grasscuttings presumably add nitrogen as well though quite what happens during the decomposition process I'm not sure (Course is Level 2, need Level 10 I think...).

[tattieman]

The pink powder is probably a product called monceren which prevents the tubers from getting a few diseases as they grow.

Slug wise we don't use anything. Normally the fields have been cropped for 2/3 years before we get them and that keeps the slug population down we find.

Wireworm are normally a result of fresh grassland being turned over and this allows the eggs to hatch into wireworms. Normally after 3 years of cropping you will have them under control.

[Two_Sheds]

Enviromesh on potatoes....?

No, on carrots. Sorry, I wasn't clear

[Aberdeenplotter]

But don't some slugs (and wireworms etc) come through the soil rather than surface or overhead?

Keeled slugs which live in the soil can be a problem for the domestic gardener but they can be eradicated by the application of nematodes at earthing up time. Nemaslug Slug Killer nemasys nematodes organic 40sqm child wildlife friendly | eBay