To Nematode or not to Nematode?

[Aunty Social]

I hope y'all are having a great week - not been on the GYO forums as I've been doing Camp NaNoWriMo where mental people - aye, nutters - try to write a book (50k words) in a month.

Our slugs and snails are quite difficult to hunt - I've been out 4 times in the middle of the night after rain fall - nothing! - but something's still eating my plants, so I use pellets, but not water-proof ones. Should get w.p. ones, really.

Also when I do find them, being squeamish, I struggle to deal with them - at present use a picker-upper-thing, 99p at Home Bargains, to drop them in a bucket of hot (boiling) salty water.

Do other people think nematodes are worth doing?

Again, many many thanks in advance for any advice & wishing you a happy, sunny, slime-ball free weekend,

Aunty Newbie xox

[Jungle Jane]

Are the pellets safe for hedgehogs? I had no snail or slug in my garden last night at about midnight,at 3.30 am the patio light came on & there was a big hedgehog running around,I'll put some cat biscuits out tonight

Edit - I've never used nematodes,I plant marigolds as magnets & find them all at night with a torch,difficult for allotmenteers though.

[ecudc]

Nematodes don't do well in hot dry weather so you usually apply them in autumn and spring. If you do put them on just make sure it's on a day when you are supposed to get some rain for the next few days

[Jay-ell]

Nematodes don't deal with the slug eggs so once they kill off all the slugs the nematodes all starve and die out. The eggs then all hatch without nematodes to hinder them the population explodes so you have to buy more nematodes and the cycle starts again.

Build slug hotels.

Try putting a couple of bricks in each bed. When you go round the garden check under the bricks and deal with the slugs who will be hiding in the nice shady damp shelter of the brick.

[Aunty Social]

thank you so much for all replies & for saving me loads of dosh - much appreciated

[rary]

Why dont you make your own, get a tub with a lid place a bit of greenery in it (for the slugs to feed on) to make a wee island put a couple of inches of water in the tub,then find 20 or so slugs and put them into the tub at least one will have nematodes in it after about a fortnight all the slugs will be dead, decant the water through a filter (a flour sieve) into a watering can, top up the watering can and water your garden with this liquid it should keep it clear for about six weeks. The sludge that you are left with can be used to seed an other batch

[veggiechicken]

Here's the recipe.............http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ight=nematodes
Don't read whilst eating

[Cadalot]

Pop Bottle slug traps protect the other wildlife Alans Allotment: Pop Bottle Slug Traps

[SelkirkAlex]

the quantity and sheer ferocity of slugs was a big part of my learning curve to growing in the UK, but learn I did (am) now I apply nematodes to my growing area 3 times a year with a hose end applicator. made a huge difference for me, even thinking of doing the whole garden next year, not just my veg growing area.

might seem expensive but as a percentage of total spend on this growing lark is inconsequential, especially considering the cost of a total failure that slugs can cause.

if cost was the sole influence we would all buy from ASDA

[1Bee]

I'm thinking of trying nematodes this year, as my main problem with slugs is the little keeled horrors getting to the potatoes. Since they mostly live underground, I'm not convinced surface baits/collections make any difference.