Bedding plants snail/slugs won't eat!

Having had a browse through the forums here of late it seems lots of people are having problems with loads of slugs and snails this year... Me too! Very tiny dahlia shoots have been munched, and two trays of small bedding plants have also been munched, never to return. :(

I can't do too much to my garden and so sharp sea shells are not possible, I've tried adding egg shells and coffee grounds but they don't seem to work too much!

Rather than go crazy with pellets and start disrupting wildlife, I was just wondering if there are any bedding plants that slugs and snails don't like eating?

Thank you for help in advance!

 

Slugs and snails will devour many bedding plants Toppington. I've found they aren't keen on Nicotiana, possibly because of the nicotine. They also seem to leave Antirrhinum alone. This year I've also grown Larkspur and Nigella, although not strictly bedding they haven't touched those yet. Most of my plants aren't in the ground yet but usually by this time slugs and snails have already devoured some.

 

Not really bedding plants I know, but I have a massive slug problem and they don't seem to eat geums, armeria, poppies (except oriental ones) or scabiosa either. They steer clear of my gladioli as well. I am going to try a home made garlic spray this week as my garden is too big for nematodes and as I have pets (including free range bantams) pellets are not an option.

 

I'm trying that at the moment too - can't give any feedback on it yet though because ever since the first dose ... it's rained every day!

Did you bake them in the oven first and then crush them? Baking makes them more brittle (as well as drying out any lingering egg white) and also easier to crush Fortunately, I keep hens so eggs shells are in ready supply.

I covered the top of a pot into which I'd planted some sunflower seeds and some nasturtiums back in April. The slugs and snails have left it alone yet, all my other sunflowers have been decimated

Here's a picture of the tub soon after I planted it up. I didn't leave any gaps. It is now thriving (but I haven't taken a recent picture).



And this is a photo of one of the sunflower pots which didn't have any "protection", taken yesterday.


There are "humane" traps out there but it is cheaper to bury an old yogurt pot, pop in some beer (flat leftovers are fine, doesn't have to be a special bottle/can). They die happy (I've been told).

 

@RonnieBee the garlic spray sounds like a brilliant idea!

@"M" also loving the baking egg shells idea. I don't get through a huge amount of eggs but next time I shall bake them for extra pointyness!

I've got some Chamomile plugs to go in the ground shortly- wondering if they will also get munched or not- time will tell!

@Sheal thank you for your advice on plants that won't get eaten- I was trying to be as non-disruptive as possible to the environment so rather than get rid of them, just trying to find something they won't chew up! Did you grow Nigella from seed? A neighbour down the road has an amazing display which self-seed every year and I am tempted to pop a note through the door asking for some seed-heads later in the year!

 

Why not just use a liquid slug killer?

 

Yes, it's the first time I've grown them. Although the slugs and snails have left them alone in their pots they are yet to be tested when I plant them out.

 

Hi Dai,

The reason I don't use liquid slug killers is because the only ones I have seen have the toxic stuff in them and no way can I be sure my menagerie won't accidentally eat some plant or soil etc. but for people with different set ups it would probably be great

@Sheal Nigella seem to do well here despite the slugs, in fact they grow so well I now consider them a weed...although a useful, border filling, pretty weed as the cosmos etc. get demolished over the season

@"M" I've just got up and sprayed everything (after cursing at various broken sprayers that didn't survive winter and resorting to a hand sprayer) - sun is forecast for a few days so watch me condemn the neighbourhood to relentless rain now!!

 

I won't tell them its down to you