[viettaclark]

Hi guys! Have torn out all my hair so am starting on biting toe nails. SLUGS have been dining on the lettuce and I've tried everything...it's even in a raised bed. I remember the damage was less when they were cloched early in the year (prob. because the little s***s hadn't had their population explosion in this rain and warmth) Anyway, can I cloche the lettuce to see if it helps or will the sun frazzle them? Fried lettuce anyone? Be very grateful for any replies

[mumofstig]

IMO still to warms for cloches, and i don't think it would stop the slugs/snails anyway Sorry

[viettaclark]

Thanx mumofstig. Maybe I'll try the scaffolding net I bought on ebay and bury it all round!!! It's the big beasts that do major damage and they can't get through. The chickens have had alot of the small snails and slugs and their eggs so hopefully next year will be better!!! Now to shoot the cabbage whites that fill the air like snow.......

[pushrod]

you could use your cloches if they are of the type with glass or plastic you can whitewash.
Are you a conscientious objector on slug pellets?

[Paul Plots]

My lettuce have done really well thanks to a small shake of little blue slug pellets.... really worth it! 

[viettaclark]

I'm trying that (again!) and I think it did help before so keep fingers crossed. Have also done slug pubs and midnight searches, both of which got loads but they seem to be really rampant this year. Like the blight, caterpillars, blackfly...... Have actually managed to harvest quite a bit so far though. Mustn't be too depressed!! Especially with this brilliant weather!!!

[AlotArds]

Hi
If you have them that bad why not try Nemaslug - I know expensive but I found £8 well spent, I got some lurverly lettuce etc all slug free.

Now the catterpillards are another problem 

[Paul Plots]

Hi
If you have them that bad why not try Nemaslug - I know expensive but I found £8 well spent, I got some lurverly lettuce etc all slug free.

Now the catterpillards are another problem 

Catterpillaries = decent reading glasses + pair of sharp scissors = snip, snip, snip and "I'll be back" 

This seems to help keep the little wrigglers under partial control especially if I have a decent podcast to listen to while I hunt them down....tend not to notice how long I have spent hunting and snipping! 

[Weatherwatcher]

Don't know if this helps but a while back I came across an article which described a way of keeping slugs and snails out of raised beds. You fasten closed ended guttering around the outside edges of the raised beds and fill the guttering with water. Slugs and snails won't cross it.

[mumofstig]

Don't know if this helps but a while back I came across an article which described a way of keeping slugs and snails out of raised beds. You fasten closed ended guttering around the outside edges of the raised beds and fill the guttering with water. Slugs and snails won't cross it.

No, so they just find their way under the boards and come up inside the bed

[Zippy]

Organic slug pellets. They love them and then they become safe food for slug/snail predators. I even found some that were cheaper than the conventional ones - something organic that is cheaper for once!

[joyce c]

We had dreadful problems with those little hungry beasties. We found that a late night hunt with a torch did the trick, sometimes getting as many as 40 per hunt.  Try it. But if you live in a small town as we do, be prepared for some comments from neighbours. 

[argaric]

Hi,
   I found some new stuff in Wilcos the other week called Slug Stoppa.
  It is organic and safe for wildlife, looks like cat litter and costs £1.29 for 1.65L.
  It seems to be doing a good job on my late peas no damage yet.

Regards,
  Argaric

[viettaclark]

Planted out all the greens seedlings in the raised bed, spread aroud the organic blue pellets and netted up (no gaps at the bottom!) with the black square 5mm mesh I bought (with a mortgage!) Then surrounded it with 2' chicken wire.(PHEW!) The bed was scratched over by the chickens, well manured and I left the bean/pea roots in so I was hoping it'll just be a case of picking off the odd caterpillar I'd missed and watering!!!! One of the kale plants had been SLUGGED this morning but the culprit might have munched out on slug death as well. Have to check tomorrow.
I might buy your recommended Slug Stoppa but is Wilcos Wilkinsons? I don't know of any other shop?
I actually found that the chickens' pellets attract slugs and bran makes them sluggish so I get a few that way! I've done some midnight hunts too but as I'm up early it's not that often!!! I was relying on the chickens to eat the slugs and snails but they can't cope with the big beasties and I don't want them in the raised beds now they're planted up.....but they are easier to see. The population should be decimated for next year though...they eat the smaller ones and the eggs.

[cooperman]

i was in a dilemma about using the blue slug pellets as nowt else seemed to work.  As an experiment instead of scattering these about by shaking directly from the packet I shook some out into a tray and placed the odd blue pellet very widely spaced in amongst the lettuce - this seemed to do the trick and I used a fraction of what would come out.....    a bit time consuming but thats not a prob if you have the patience....