Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Penny Finn on April 15, 2009, 14:14

Title: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: Penny Finn on April 15, 2009, 14:14
Have just pricked out loads of seedlings in my greenhouse.  Yesterday morning at least half of them had been eaten!  I had to  resort to 'slug killer' which I don't like doing and this morning there were half a dozen dead snails and various slug trails so they are obviously the culprits.  Any suggestions to protect the next lot?  Would be very grateful
Gardening Granny
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: DD. on April 15, 2009, 14:54
Slug pellets! :tongue2: :lol:
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: peapod on April 15, 2009, 16:04
As DD says...slug pellets, the only sure fire way Penny Im afraid
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: Kristen on April 15, 2009, 16:41
Hmmm ... I thought my Petunias had damped off - but at the time my first thought was that they had been eaten, but I couldn't think how - top shelf in a grow-house inside my conservatory ...

.. but reading this I remember finding a snail in the grow house :(

What do you think? (the couple that are left have been potted on and are still healthy 7-10 days after this photo was taken.
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: sunshineband on April 15, 2009, 16:42
Slug pellets do work but I hate the mess the slimy little devils leave as they die so I go off to the greenhouse every evening with my trusty torch  :D  to try to find as many as I can and get rid of them, before leaving the rest to their gluey fate. It does keep the numbers down and the mess.

That's just me though .. slug pellets work.
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: Salmo on April 15, 2009, 17:07
There is no need to put many pellets down, just 2 or 3 at the base of a plant will usually protect it. The alternative is to put beer traps out. Collection by torchlight is effective for snails.
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: sunshineband on April 15, 2009, 19:15
There is no need to put many pellets down, just 2 or 3 at the base of a plant will usually protect it. The alternative is to put beer traps out. Collection by torchlight is effective for snails.

and slugs!! Use a trowel for the bigguns and a tissue for the littlies to avoid the slime on your hands :tongue2: :tongue2:
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: kermit on April 15, 2009, 19:22
Remember the hedgehogs though!  Beer trap's the better option imo, or at least the hedghog friendly pellets.
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: sunshineband on April 15, 2009, 19:23
Remember the hedgehogs though!  Beer trap's the better option imo, or at least the hedghog friendly pellets.

I don't let hedghogs get in the greenhouse at night  :lol: :lol: :lol: especially up on the staging  :lol:
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: emma178 on April 15, 2009, 19:45
I am using glass jars planted into the ground containing a few inches of beer to attract the little horrors.  The idea is they come along, get attracted by the yeast smell and fall into the jar and drown.  Its working but it after a few days of drownded slugs and beer it doesn't smell too good!
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: vortex444 on April 15, 2009, 19:55
i have put some copper foil across the door at the bottom so far so good not too many slugs in the greenhouse...
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: strangerachael on April 15, 2009, 20:14
I put beer traps round my newly planted out sunflowers - couldn't believe how many slugs were in there 2 days later! and the seedlings completely untouched - amazing. However, it is more difficult to use them in a greenhouse for obvious reasons. I had a snail infiltrate my greenhouse the other day but luckily I managed to find it and eject it, but not before it had chomped down a couple of brocolli seedlings.
Have a good look round under pots and staging etc regularly to make sure there aren't any hiding and use slug pellets as a last resort. They can't do too much damage in a greenhouse can they?
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: Jay Dubya on April 15, 2009, 20:21
Hi, if it wasn't for slug pellets i'd be organic!! oh well. But i can't find anything else that does the trick.
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: Lady Lottie on April 15, 2009, 20:29
Hi, if it wasn't for slug pellets i'd be organic!! oh well. But i can't find anything else that does the trick.

I am being naive in thinking that Growing Success slug pellets "for organic use" really aren't then??    I must admit I don't "feel" organic using them....if you know what I mean... :unsure: :blush:

It says its "advanced", its "certified for organic use" and safe for pets and wildlife and children.  I hate using slug pellets by I've got to do something to save my weedy, wobbly little spinach seedlings.  Will wait a couple of days to see if they actually work mind you, I've only just sprinkled them around the plants these evening.
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: peapod on April 15, 2009, 20:32
Hi, if it wasn't for slug pellets i'd be organic!! oh well. But i can't find anything else that does the trick.

Same here Jay
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: iwantanallotment on April 16, 2009, 02:00
Same here too, but needs must or it's all for nothing.

Lady Lottie, the Growing Success pellets are about as organic as you can get with pellets, apart from the 'barrier' kind. Here's more info on them which may help :
http://www.organicplants.co.uk/acatalog/info_AYR_SUND_SLUGPELLETS.html
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: Lady Lottie on April 16, 2009, 08:55
Same here too, but needs must or it's all for nothing.

Lady Lottie, the Growing Success pellets are about as organic as you can get with pellets, apart from the 'barrier' kind. Here's more info on them which may help :
http://www.organicplants.co.uk/acatalog/info_AYR_SUND_SLUGPELLETS.html

Thank you IWAA, reading that didn't give me the willies so I think I am still happy to give them a try. :)
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: Elcie on April 16, 2009, 09:13
I now have 2 empty pots were chillis were and 1 were a tomato was  :mad:

Have a beer trap, slug pellets and will be going on a hunt later too.
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: Penny Finn on April 16, 2009, 09:22
Thanks for all the advice.  I DID resort to slug pellets but I don't like doing it and thought there might be a better way.  I am now burying beer traps too so might get the little b's either way!  Makes you so cross doesn't it though when you spend all the time nurturing your little seeds and they are gone in a mouthful!
Gardening Granny
Title: Re: seedlings being eaten!
Post by: sunshineband on April 16, 2009, 10:22
I now have 2 empty pots were chillis were and 1 were a tomato was  :mad:

Have a beer trap, slug pellets and will be going on a hunt later too.

Good Luck --- don't save any for the pot  :lol: