[al78]

Well that's what my crops would be shrieking if they could talk. Just been to the allotment and there were what seemed like armadas of slugs marching across the beds, all over the potatoes, all over the green manure (buckwheat), nibbling on the cabbage and kale I planted out on Saturday, bearing down on the carrot seedlings. I've now found out that bramble mulches don't work, they just find a way through any small gap between thorns. blooming things were also slithering upside down on the veggiemesh, so I am going to have to get hold of some canes and prop it up well away from the crops. Come home to find three snails threatening my brassicas that I have in paper pots. One was stuck tight to the side and when I pulled it off it took the paper with it. I have just ordered some more slug-gone wool pellets which do seem to have done a decent job so far of protecting my purple sprouting broccoli. I do wonder at this rate if I am going to have anything left in a couple of months time  .

[sunshineband]

Sadly veggie mesh does not keep slugs out, as they also live in the ground and come out just to eat your juicy crops

I resort to slug bait, or night time torch light raids, which can be very satisfying. Last year I would have had nothing much to eat without these lines of defence.

We have raised beds which are netted and so other wildlife is not going to ingest dead slugs or the pellets

[Sweetpea C]

I haven't seen any slugs yet (famous last words) but I am also working on raised beds and netting. What is the recommended slug pellet to use? Thanks, sp

[sunshineband]

I use the old blue pellets of death, sprinkled very thinly.  they did away with three large snails in my greenhouse last night, who had thought to dine on my cucumber seedlings.

These are not organic, but I made the decision last year that judicious use of something that works, with a micro risk to other wildlife was better than no food for us

Other will no doubt have other solutions, and truly totally organic gardeners will throw up their hands in horror,  but this, plus the night time raids, werks fer me 

[al78]

I have experimented with oatbran, I've heard the slugs like it and it makes them feel full so they don't eat the plants, it remains to see if it works.

[simonwatson]

I use the old blue pellets of death, sprinkled very thinly.  they did away with three large snails in my greenhouse last night, who had thought to dine on my cucumber seedlings.

These are not organic, but I made the decision last year that judicious use of something that works, with a micro risk to other wildlife was better than no food for us

Other will no doubt have other solutions, and truly totally organic gardeners will throw up their hands in horror,  but this, plus the night time raids, werks fer me 

I'm with you on this one. There's nothing quite so satisfying as seeing the slime covered corpses in the morning and knowing those little blue pills have saved the day.

[JayG]

I use the metaldehyde pellets round netted plants, and the so-called "organic" (ferric phosphate) pellets out in the open.

They both work, but the first is a direct poison so you get to see the bodies, the second works by disrupting their digestion so they crawl away to die.

If you don't like the sound of either of those you have to resort to other methods - I have yet to be convinced about the effectiveness of any of the "barrier" methods, especially when they get wet, which of course is when slugs and snails come out to play!

I wouldn't hurt a fly if I didn't have to, but I simply would have no crops if I didn't take serious measures to control them in my garden, which is surrounded by high-rise slug residences (aka privet hedges!)

[moose]

I have found that bran can be effective but you do have to top it up every time it rains. It is cheap to buy so if you don't mind the effort it is worth a try. I buy mine from a horse feed supplier, cost £6.50 for a sack last year and it should last for this year as well.

[strangerachael]

Collect as many slugs/snails as you can find and drop them into a bucket of soapy (or salty) water. If you do this regularly you will find numbers decrease. The organic pellets are quite effective but you do need to replace them regularly in wet weather. The slug stew can be tipped into the compost as long as it's not too salty or soapy.

[pdblake]

I garden on a budget and buy whatever slug pellets are the cheapest. I've not seen a bird pick up a dead slug yet

[brianbishop]

I swear by nematodes, they are expensive, so I only use one application in spring, but have not yet seen a slug on my patch, but it has given plants chance to get to a decent size.
Bish

[finleyfreyaseth]

small pots of cheapest bitter you can find positioned in various places around your brassicas etc ,these are great traps,i catching loads think its the hoppy smell attracting them into the pool of death,read sugary water solution also works but it didnt for me and also yeast water solution but again this didnt work for me alongside the beer traps,so its beer traps for me 

[simonwatson]

small pots of cheapest bitter you can find positioned in various places around your brassicas etc ,these are great traps,i catching loads think its the hoppy smell attracting them into the pool of death,read sugary water solution also works but it didnt for me and also yeast water solution but again this didnt work for me alongside the beer traps,so its beer traps for me 

I think I'd cry using even the cheapest bitter in this fashion!

[Cake Lady]

I read about making your own slug nematodes here - http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=105066.msg1177246#msg1177246

I haven't tried it myself yet, but am thinking of trying it this year! That and maybe some garlic spray too.  Apparently 1 bulb of garlic crushed and steeped in 1 litre of water for a few hours before straining works wonders when sprayed on crops.  I wait to be convinced but thought I'd try and minimise the amount of blue pellets I use.

[devonbarmygardener]

I tried Nemaslug to no avail.
Could be they were sat at the post office too long before I got them.

Or it could be they just didn't like my plot and went across the road to my mate's plot as he had very little slug damage that year...


I'm a 'blue pellets of doom' and bucket of very very salty water girl - it's quite theraputic tromping around the garden of an evening with the bucket, a pair of chopsticks and a glass of wine, sending slugs to a salty grave!