Forum home Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

slugs, slugs and more slugs

iv put beer traps down ( tesco value bitter ) is larger better?   iv put pellets down, iv been nipping out night and early morning armed with salt,  but the little buggers or not so little some of them.  are still nibbling my runner bean leaves,

do i need to remove the nibbled leaves?

im an animal love but my god i HATE slugs

«13456

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    No don't remove the leaves, what is left of them will continue to function as leaves and the plant needs them.  

    Only remove leaves from plants if they're carrying an infection (bacterial mould type thing) that would spread to other leaves.

    We don't get a lot of slug damage in this garden (we have quite gritty soil and lots of wildlife) but even here the slugs are beginning to annoy me this year image

    Just remember, we're all in this together .

    I think I heard that somewhere before imageimage


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • iv put a organic spray on the leaves, pellets, go out armed with salt night and morning, even left them a beer, they dont half take the *piss*   sorry to swear frustrated now,

    iv caught a few in beers traps about 10 in a week, do u think they like larger better than bitter

    im glad im not alone, in the war on slugs

     

    they love my bloody sunflowers

     

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Unfortunately when we start growing plants - whether to look at or to eat - it attracts attention from our slimy friends. Big society Dove image

    I have huge snails in this garden and they're in rampaging gangs this year because the garden now has some plants! It's one of those issues that benefits from as many attacks as possible. I use rings of  pine cones whenever I can, which seems to work better than anything, and I've been going out and gathering/dispatching. I may have to do the slug pub thing- image- but I hope it settles a bit as more wildlife comes in as well.

    I've got a few sacrificial hostas for them and I look in the log pile behind the shed where they like to hide away.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Judging by the sheer number of posts recently about slugs and snails it's clear they're having a bumper year.  Perhaps the mild winter that we had, coupled with the rains over the last couple of weeks have provided ideal conditions for them.  I've been going out at night and getting around 30-40 every night.  I sympathise, Shelley, with your runner bean misery.  My under-gardener planted potatoes and onions this year, his first time at planting anything at all, ever, and the slugs swarm over them every night.  The beer trap does get some, but like yours only around 10 a week.  Still, that's 10 less to munch the garden!!  They've also eaten a small tomato plant - completely stripped it, and a sweet pepper.  I will post links to some recent threads that you could have a look at for ideas.  For plants I cut up a pop/water bottle and put copper tape round it then around the bottom of the plant, that usually deters them, but I've found it difficult with the vegetable to do this, so it's just a nightly trip up the garden and picking the b*****ds off.  If you do this you will save your plants, like Dove says don't remove the leaves, they'll eat those instead of fresher ones and your beans will survive!

    http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/slugs-sod-the-organic-approach-i-just-want-them-dead/349532.html

     

  • leeks and onions they dont seem to like , iv planted beetroot and broccoli as well

     

    they sure like my poor sunflowers   if i had a pond and frogs would they eat my veggies

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    Frogs don't eat veggies, they eat slugs and flies - we love our frogs image

     

    You're not the only one who's sunflowers are suffering - for the first time ever I think I've lost all of mine image  Mind you, I did rather neglect them image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I grew some sunflowers when the girls were small Dove and the best deterrent was ash from my Dad's fire in a ring round them. They left them alone after I did that.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138
    Fairygirl wrote (see)

    I grew some sunflowers when the girls were small Dove and the best deterrent was ash from my Dad's fire in a ring round them. They left them alone after I did that.

    Our slugs are cleverer than that -  my sunflowers were surrounded by grit so they climbed up the espaliered pear and somehow dropped down onto the sunflowers image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ightenighten Posts: 184

    Has anyone had any success using nematodes?

Sign In or Register to comment.