Slugs, slugs and guess what.....more slugs!!

Just been in the garden checking up that hubby is doing the decking and not dozing and noticed a slimey slug trail up on the wall. You can quite clearly see where the slug has been and either its GPS wasnt working or it had drank a load of the beer i had put down cos you should have seen the trails. They were just figure of eight marks for ages and ages!! guess it got lost!

 

I only put pellets in the greenhouse - the slugs and snails tend to party there every weekend!!!! Anyway - the greenhouse floor is gravel, and many pots I have are topped with gravel, and the little blighters are not put off by gravel, egg shells, dry sand........
We are building up the frog reserve - although we only have two at the moment....
We mainly get greenfinches and blue tits in the garden...
As for Hegehogs - I came across one last year. We have been here 7 years nearly and that is the only one I've seen here. And for the saddeast fact of all - my two boys (10 and 8) have NEVER seen a wild hedgehog....
And as for throwing slugs and snails over the fence - they have homing instincts!!!! So will only come back...
Who was it saying they gather them into a bucket and take them out to the countryside and release them???

and berry - Love your smilies and avater!!!!

 

Hi Honey Bee - does your greenhouse of lots of hiding places - empty flowere pots etc?

Nowhere to hide when it shot and drysoon means no no slugs

 

I have "some lovely philosophies" said Roders.

Hmm - well they ain't just philosophies, my friend - they are everyday gardening practicalities.

At various locations, I have been gardening for 50 years and for just over 30, I have been organic and chemical free. No chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicdes , fungicides or any other poison. No bought in nematodes either as a healthy soil supports plenty already. The answer really does lie in the soil -poison it with chemicals and you are on a short term slippery slope to nowhere. Weed with a hoe rather than a spray can. Dig in garden manure and stable or chicken dung. Encourage carnivorous birds, ladybirds and other friends. It works and I would never go back to chemicals. I love my garden, its plants and its creatures too much to poison them.

 

Slugging it out
Don't take my word for it - read what this Cornish gardener has to say about slug control:

"Slugging It Out

At this time of the year most garden centres will have large displays of slug repellents and pellets. Little blue granules that kill with unnerving efficiency leaving corpses littered around to be eaten by unsuspecting birds and animals which in turn may be poisoned. PLEASE do not use slug pellets in your garden ââ?¬â?? there are many other ways of protecting your cherished plants.

Natural predators
A carefully nurtured winter bird population will have already made a start for you - robins, blackbirds and of course thrushes who are the specialist snail eaters. Itââ?¬â?¢s helpful if you dig your veg plot well in the winter to bring the slug eggs to the surface and also continue to hoe as the year progresses ââ?¬â?? robins in particular are often watching and waiting to help.
Make a refuge for hedgehogs ââ?¬â?? every gardenerââ?¬â?¢s best friend.
Your pond, if fish free, should have a good population of champion slug eaters ââ?¬â?? frogs, toads and newts. If youââ?¬â?¢re really lucky you may have slow-worms, glow-worms and the extraordinary testacella slugs which prey on subsoil species in their burrows.
Nature has more sinister methods of control ââ?¬â?? each larva of the marsh fly (attracted by your pond and wildflower area) is capable of destroying up to 25 slugs. They lie in wait for a passing slug or even follow the slime trails, burrow into the beast and consume the flesh. As the slug dies, so the larva moves on to its next victim. Classic.
When cultivating your garden take care not to harm the small black carabid beetles which are prolific slug eaters, these can be encouraged by leaving pieces of wood or carpet in between your crops. Both slugs and beetles will seek refuge there during the daylight hours and you can just leave them to it really. Or, you can make regular checks to remove the surplus slugs and eggs."

Full article and lots more at: http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=environment:people:gardening&id=000012

 

What's your opinion on garlic granules, Hornbeam? I regularly have to provide quick fixes in peoples' gardens, and can't always insitute a complete change in them - although I too prefer to use the methods you describe.

 

Got 5 out of 8 in the slug quiz berry..

A friend of mine used to chuck snails hard at her back wall thought that was crueler (sp) than chucking them next door!!

Also using salt and pellets how painfull and prolonged is ther death?!

 

Sorry Dendro - I don't know anything about garlic granules. Sounds good though and if they work - fine. That's the only criteria I adhere to - "does it work without harm"

 

Well, i came out this evening to find a mass of dead slugs (i put pellets down last night) BUT! to my confusion there are still fresh slugs still munching away! what is all that about? someone please enlighten me.



To the slugs:

 

How can I convince you P of S? Take a look at this:
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=environment:people:gardening&id=000012

 

Easy meal..word gets around :D
Just keep others from eating the pellets and dispose the victims out of reach too.

 

When you poison the slugs you poison the frogs, toads, newts, hedgehogs, robins, starlings, blackbirds, thrushes that eat the slugs. Slugs breed faster than those that prey upon them. So all you are doing is reducing the animals that eat your slugs. Result? More and more slugs because you have less and less predators.

 

Think I will head what you say Hornbeam because this year I have only put pelletts down once and as I was picking up the dead ones up i found a couple of dead worms too

Definately don't to kill those off either.

 

I really didn't realised what harm i was doing to the other surrounding wildlife . I do feel really bad now.

Hornbeam you will be pleased to know that i have just thrown the pellets away in the bin and i won't be purchasing anymore. I think i'll have a look into the more natural way like you suggested, don't want to be harming the birds or anything.

 

I know I've said this before, but has anyone ever seen a frog, hedgehog or any of the other animals reputed to eat slugs, actually eating them.
I've seen thrushes breaking open snails, but I've never witnessed anything eating a slug. :confused: