calabrese devastated by slugs

Any tips for slug control? i have put a lot more than the reccomended amount of pellets down, slug traps with beer and jam in them, copper bars round my plot, scouring pads around the edges of my plots....i jave built a slug house full of sugar on paper, and jam and mulch covered in the dark, and none were attracted so that i could destroy the beggars.

so far the body count on my bed is about 6 or 7 snails.

the slugs have ate the calabrese leaves down to nothing, just a stalk in the centre, and their growth has practically stopped.

can anyone please hold forth on any tips or any way i might rescue my calabrese?

and why will they eat the calabrese but arent interested in my lettuce?

 

With this dry weather slug activity should be minimal. Are you sure its slugs, is there slime on the plants ? If not, i'd suspect stupid pidgeons. Unless your lettuce is lollo rosso, slugs would have had that first.

 

hmm, my main reason for thinking that its slugs is there arent many pigeons around here, i rarely see them and the damage seems to tend ro occur at night.
also there are some in beds beneath peas that i couldnt imagine a pigeon reaching that have been munched also

 

Unleash Mollusc Armageddon, give no quarter!

Im not great at crushing them underfoot and I dont like pellets. However if Ive been out for the evening, before going up to bed I wander round the garden I pick them off.




Photos are from a few weeks back. These snails were picked at 5am (while still in heels!, and hence the pint glass!) as they were massing around my hostas and calabrese :D

The one with the white spot on his back is from a collection of 50+ snails I marked with masonry paint back in March. The idea being to check if it was the same snails coming back into the garden after I threw them on the garage roof (the snail graveyard). Ive only had 3 marked snails return in total.



These ended up inside my neighbour's chickens.

 

OR heliciculture !!!

 

Hmm, not stupid pidgeons then. Salt would be my next option, crucifers evolved on the coast so can tolerate a bit of salt. a ring round the plants would work in dry weather but not with tommorows forecast rain. But i'm not suggesting you do this on an open forum because it is, of course, illegal.

Here is Eric, my giant african land snail, having a drink.

 

Eric says, he's taken Melinda off his friends list

 

:D

I bet he'd be lovely with a little garlic and parsley butter.

What about you post was illegal? I didnt understand that bit!

 

:lollol:Its illegal to use a non approved pesticide in uk & europe, not even soapy water for aphids. Whole thing has been stitched up by the big companies, can't name 'em.
for fear of being sued. Must not encourage law breaking on open forum as site owners can be prosecuted.

 

Wow, illegal to put down salt to stop slugs? Eek! We recently went thru a phase where we were getting them sliding across the kitchen floor, I poured a ring of salt around the edge of the kitchen floor... it worked, they stopped visiting!

However, my veggies are being eaten by little critters too :( The last few days, the have really been nibbled badly :( I don't see any bugs in there when I go out inspecting or watering them so I'm not sure what it is but I suspect slugs.

 

Don't think it's illegal to use a torch and a hammer snowbaby, ere, were you really found in the snow, instead of under a gooseberry bush like the rest of us ?