Cornflowers

so fed up today, the slugs have eaten all my baby cornflower plants. I will miss them so much in my borders :(

I seem to have an epidemic of little brown slugs at the moment - I didn't have any last year just a huge snail problem, which I now seem to be on top of. Unfortunately I can't use pellets as I have a puppy - I just have to go on patrol every night and morning picking up the beggars. I have lost several seedlngs including morning glories, which I was really looking forward to :(

Well back to my cornflowers, If I were to start some new seeds in pots now and keep in greenhouse - away from slugs - would I get any flowers this year or is it just too late now?

Would be very grateful of any advice.

Cheers EGW

P.S think I'll try the beer traps now (if my husband doesn't mind giving up some beer )

 

I can sympathise - my ladybird poppies look as though they have had a fight with a strimmer. I wouldn't mind so much, but I've spent a fortune on nemaslug this year, and it doesn't seem to have done the trick.

 

Patent remedies for slug invasions are legion, but often it comes down to the fact that slugs do not like travelling over dry loose material. At a plants tender and susceptible stage of growth you could spread such materials around the plants and seedlings :-

Save and crush your egg shells
Co**** ash from a wood fire
Purchased grit and grit sand
Coffee grounds

I'm not against using slug pellets, usually based on metaldehyde, but that is a personal choice and many people don't like using any chemicals in the garden. Also they can be a danger to pets.

http://www.raffia.plus.com

 

I've had similar problems. Small slugs have just chewed a new phlox paniculata to bits, ignoring the slug pellets. These little blighters were attacking very late - I only found them because I went out with a torch at about 11:30 pm.

I understand the virtues of the physical barrier approach to slug control but they can be rather unsightly over larger areas.

I guess it's back to the cold steel and torch for me....

 

I use some pet friendly pellets (at least that is what is says on the packet) there is also a gel which can be spread around individual plants.
other possibilities are:
sauces of beer (they go for a drink and drown- honest!)
copper wire
hedgehogs