Truss vs The Lettuce; Slugs vs Cucumber

But the Facebook-believers, and there are zillions of them, totally accept the efficacy of crushed egg shells. By contrast, late this evening I needed to go out to the brick shed and I saw many snails, plus a few slugs, happily marauding over the coarse brick wall.

 

That myth about rough surfaces was well and truly laid when I first found them crossing our terrace. It's (badly) brushed concrete...very rough. What is effective is a powdery protection that stays powdery. Anything that dries them out. Not easy in constantly wet weather, though.

 

That's what makes it so difficult here @noisette47 . Ground that doesn't dry out to any great extent, in any year. They're also perfectly able to reproduce in proper winters, although it's a bit easier then.
Snails aren't a great problem - it's the slugs that are the worst. Pots are easier to keep an eye on, but you can't really grow everything you'd like to grow in pots. I don't like the salt idea because of other insects, and I'm certainly not touching beer, which many people find effective.
Maybe I'll need to try the Marmite.
I'm fed up having [expensive] clematis gnawed to ground level every time they appear, so I'll either have to forget them altogether now, or give that yeast product a go.

 

What's wrong with beer, @fairygirl? The only inconvenience that I've found is that, again, in very wet weather it gets diluted so the pots need emptying and then topping up with fresh bait.

 

I'd rather not discuss it @noisette47 . It relates to a very distressing period of my life.
It's only recently I've been able to open ring pull cans of tomatoes etc without my stomach turning over.

 

The results on morning 1 … and they were not what I was expecting.

Gravel - almost entirely eaten
Vaseline - mostly eaten
Coffee grounds - partially eaten
Au naturel and Vaseline + salt - untouched.

Tonight I think I’ll move the containers to the path by the back door where slugs and snails are more common place.

 

Interesting. I was right about gravel and Vaseline + salt but wrong about au naturel.

 

If it's on Facebook, it must be true.

On Facebook, there are zillions of believers that the earth is flat. There are also zillions that believe you can heat a whole room in winter using only a tea light candle and a terracotta plant pot.

 

For Day 2 I have moved the pots to the kitchen path where slugs are more abundant. I have also taken the rind off the cucumber (Rutland is a bit posh!)

 

Well as so many have said...we volunteered at a nature reserve for many years. They built paths that all visitors could go along...grit paths but made compacted but still grit. We always saw a huge variety of slugs (no idea which ones) happily crawling across the grit.

 

that's why slugs and snails make slime to slide along.

 

I find eggshells quite effective. The only thing I have found that is better is very fine copper mesh. But I don't use exterminators, only deterrents. I don't want to kill them, just encourage them to move along.

 

We've lived in houses that have crushed shell as render. Never stopped them climbing those walls.
I have quite sharp render on a lot of the walls here - same scenario.
It would cost me a fortune if I had to use copper tape etc.