war on slugs - the little ones

[Caithness Gardener]

I have a clay soil in a polytunnel which tends to encouraGE humidity. About to spread slug pellets, small blue ones. Any other techniques anyone wants to share?

[muckdiva]

Have tried most things with limited success. Now I'm putting a few cat biscuits under planks of wood and collecting slugs which congregate underneath each morning. Of course, if this strategy resulted in attracting a hedgehog or two, even better.

Looking forward to more posts on this thread with the definitive answer to slugs....

[Alice]

I think this post will draw a bid response in relation to slug control. I think most of it has been said before. As I see it, the main objections to slug pellets are they get into the food chain and are harmful to other animals and children (most brands say they are not)
BUT, if you are growing in a polytunnel, other animals can't get at them. If you are growing in pots they don't get into your food. If you are growing into the ground, put the pellets on little plastic trays or something to prevent them getting into the ground.
I use them in the greenhouse under the above conditions. I find them the most effective method.
Some people object they give slugs a horrible death. They do and I hate it. But all other effective methods kill them and who says it's less horrible.
In short, you can keep them for pets and let them eat the food you are growing for your family, or you can kill them. It's just down to how you want to do it.

[wheatleys wheels]

When it comes to slugs and snails I find the best thing I use is crushed egg shells thickly placed aroudn the plants as the sharp edges of the shells deter teh snails.

If you want to kill them then put a ring of salt around the vegetables/fruit area that you dont want the snails to cross...(but not too close as some plants dont like salt). If using this method make sure no snails are left inside the ring.

Try a beer trap... I'm not sure how this works but maybe another grape can clarify this for you.

Using the above methods makes sure you're not poisoning the food of hedgehogs. They love snails and slugs.

There's a point though.... get a whold load of hedgehogs as pets to control your garden/plot.
Hope this helps.

[Alice]

That's all the usual advice WW. But how does all that work in pratice. Caithness Gardener is growing in a polytunnel. Should he cover the floor in eggshells. The rough edge theory doesn't always work. My house is harled (don't know what you call it - rough cast) but the snails don't mind crawling up the walls and we have arborial snails who are happy up the hawthorn bushes). And how could CG put salt round his plants without it getting into the growing medium. And what's preferably to a dish with beer in it to a dish with slug pellets (we are in a polytunnel).
Just trying to clarify some points and get some practical advice for CG.

[wheatleys wheels]

I use the egg shell method all the time as I eat a lot of eggs and have plenty of them to go around. I find this works well but it has to be well covered the ground. I make sure the egg shells are really well broken up so there are no large chunks and that there are lots and lots of edges.... Its the edges that they dont like because they are really fine & sharp and cut them. So that stops them from going on them. Even seashells work for this. The surface doesn't need to be rough it needs to be sharp.

As for the salt I have only ever used this round my mange toute in their early years... only because of the fact that they like to flop over in the wind if they havn't caught the support upwards and started to climb. I do a wide circle of salt and try not to make it too thick. It definitly kills the snails. Once the mange toute grow upwards and climb by themselves and cope with the wind then I stop with the salt and thicken the egg shells.

I have never tried the beer trap. All I know about that is that it attracts the beer so you have to put this away from the plants you want.

I know none of them are completely fool proof but it certainly allows my vegetables to grow. I dont use slug pellets as I definitly have a visiting hedgehog that eats them so I have had to use alternatives.

[Digger-07]

I use the clippings from my dogs. I can get a carrier bag full every time I do them (3 or 4 months) and spread the hair arround the floor inside the greenhouse walls and on the beds, I use grow bags and pots and do not grow in the ground but the slugs used to be a problem until I started with this method.

You have to watch out for gaps as they seem to be able to find them and keep the hair loose and fluffed up but I have never yet seen a slug or snail inside since I completed the perimeter wall.

Try a dog grooming place I'm sure they would give you bags full of hair.

As it's organic it will compost in time.

Good luck.

[wheatleys wheels]

digger - do you think cat hair might work? I have plenty of that.

[Digger-07]

I'm sure it will. I think it's the fact that it sticks to the critters that keeps them off it.

PS. It needs to be dug in slightly if it's on loose ground otherwise they will get underneath it!!

[The Doctor]

Just put this in another thread but it seems appropriate here too.

Recently I've seen copper strips that you can wrap around pots, beds and other stuff that is supposed to stop slugs and snails. Aldi or Lidl's had a kit for sale, but I've seen it elsewhere too.

Apparently it produces small electrolytic currents in their mucus so they don't like crossing it!

[moggssue]

Beer traps work well for me (I cadge slop trays from my local pub) but we don't have a huge problem, I doubt it would work for a bad infestation, you would maybe need too many traps. We also have a visiting hedgie and he seems happy to leave the slugs in their traps, eats my catfood instead!

[Flummery]

Salt poisons most plants. The Romans used it as a punishment for rebellious tribes. Salted fields wouldn't produce (I think they reckoned for 7 years) - I'd not use it.

[The Sage of Brouhaha]

I have put copper tape around the outside top of a raised wooden bed 2.4mx1.2m, about 1cm wide. The bed is between two other raised beds, separated by a compacted mud path, and they are newly made this year. I filled them with a mix of turned over soil and compost from the heap, so I expected some slugs to be in the beds already.

After the rains of last week the plants in the two unprotected beds (beans, radishes, herbs) have been eaten by little white slugs, whereas the plants in the protected bed (lettuces and sorrel) are completely unscathed. The copper tape that I bought is manufactured for use as a conducting strip in electrical circuits.

I have noticed that slugs tend to turn away from the tape, but snails seem less concerned. I put the tape around the bird table to turn it into a snail jail, but the snails seem to escape without much hesitation.

[tinyvine]

I have put copper tape around my salad bed and I'm happy to say no slugs or snails have got in there yet! I have started to put around the other beds but its costly (B&Q altho thanks for the tip of lidl's, will try that)

Where I have run out, I have added slug stoppa, which are granules that are organic, pour them around the beds and it dries there tails as they try to go over it. Afterwards you can dig the granules into the bed for soil conditioner.
I also have a few squash traps, but all I've caught in there are ants! I'm about to start some beer traps, I'll let you know about those.

I don't put out plants until they are strong enough or have lots of hairs up their stems, I would never sow a lettuce for example direct; the smell carries for miles!! altho I have sowed direct behind the lines of the tape and thats been fine so far.

Seems to be a few good methods but they are usually costly and you have to use about 3 of them together (tape, granules and hotels I suggest) and invite as many birds in that you can, that might work 99% if you're lucky.

So far I've got 2/3 of the plot covered and I'm running at 80% that doesn't get attacked. Thats not too bad, we get a lot of birds in the garden as well.

Its definately a ongoing battle, don't ever let up either - or they'll have you!!

Tinyvine
PS I forgot to say that my paths between my raised beds are gravelled with lots of sharp stones, I did this because I hoped it would keep the slugs down and so far I think it has definately helped.

[eskymo]

I simply go out in the evening with a head torch and a pair of scissors and do 'Slug Patrol' and kill any that I find...