The war on slugs

Sheer vandalism....

 

The plastic bag seems completely unnecessary, its only function is presumably to stop any mess on your counter. Having saved 30 seconds clearing-up-the-counter time you’ll then spend ages trying to get every bit of garlic mush off the bag

 

And you have wasted a plastic bag when you need not have, as it won't be viable to reuse.

 

Reading online, I saw an article about aluminium foil being a deterrant. Somebody wrapped the lowest part of a sunflower stem in it and they reckon it worked. Anybody tried that or anything similar? I've got some cosmos seedlings in an aluminium bucket and they are untouched.

 

If you crushed the garlic between two bags, it would do the same job. It doesn't have to be crushed completely - just enough to open the bulbs up a bit. The bags can then be washed and re-used.

I don't think I'd want to see the stems of loads of plants encased in foil, even if it did work! It wouldn't be feasible with many plants anyway, as they don't all have stems which are 'clear', or large enough. Lettuce, for example.

 

There is no particular reason why it should work and what happened to the control plant next to it?
Likewise have your cosmos in a non aluminium container been munched?
I find that once they get going sunflower stems are hairy enough to deter slugs without help.

 

I agree @NigelJ as for the first time ever I have slug damage on my garlic. Very little and on plants that had collapsed, still. Not too sure about the bag bit, funny enough I didn't use one. I know there are a lot around not very sensible, but am sure you are not one of them. I in fact didn't even use bulbs I cheated as I was lifting those rows to freeze whole cloves I cut off the leaves and stork , chopped them up and used that. Only one night, but the 2 tiny cosmos planted out in two known problem areas survived and when I check late on the single decimated bean plant was clear, but then again out of the 12 only one had a slug (4-5 of them). I did try spraying them and I'm sure a couple were spitting it out, but another was clearly munching away.
I understand @fairygirl as the grandchild hates garlic and can detect it in anything (including US). We of course are immune to the stuff, but even I could smell it when boiling it - it was very nice....

 

Sorry @NigelJ , I didn't finish that message off very well. Cosmos in the ground have been attacked in this garden but the aluminium bucket seedlings are OK. Copper tape round plastic pots has also kept the dahlias safe so far, last year too.

 

Frankly the only realistic low/no maintenance solution is to simply grow plants that slugs aren't attracted to, which is what I've resorted to in recent years.

 

No. You can't let the "bu****'s win.

 

I’m not sure it’s a case of letting anyone win.

I do very little to control slugs or snails and don’t have a huge problem with them, I assume because I’ve reached a natural balance in my garden. Yes I loose some seedlings, in the greenhouse seems the most vulnerable space and of course that’s the one space that is artificial in terms of natural controls.

One solution is to pick and choose what you grow. I really don’t see why depriving slugs of their preferred food is seen as less of a victory than resorting to poison

 

No problem, only trying to help. Just to clarify, I don't use poison.

 

Let me issue a warning to the night time mollusc hunters out there.
Washing up liquid and a bit of salt in water is supertastic at killing our snotty friends quickly and efficiently when you drop them in a bucket of the stuff.....just don't leave it three days in the heat before changing the water! Imagine the worst sewage smell, mixed with decaying, stagnant water and rotten cabbages....multiply it by fifty and you're still not close!

 

The biggest problem I have is the fact that very few people round me actually garden to any extent, so mine is the 5 star restaurant, as soon as new shoots of anything appear. I tend to grow plants which are pretty slug resistant as far as possible, but that doesn't always work particularly well, especially if you want to try something new.

In most years, the winter helps to keep them at bay for longer, and most plants cope, but this year has been the worst I've ever known, mainly because there hasn't been any winter to speak of. Asters, for example, have been completely shredded, and they're never usually targeted much.

 

Yes lots of reports of damage to plants not normally affected. I think probably because so many survived winter there is competition between them for food.