[shaun]

john did you see a diference when you used them ?

[John]

john did you see a diference when you used them ?

I ordered them last year but they didn't arrive so going to try them this year although they are NOT as effective on heavy clay.

[Annie]

I use the friendly ones but since I don`t entirley believe all the hype I only use under mesh.The sad thing about these pellets is that you don`t get the little slug corpses to show it`s worked .I like the idea of nematodes but like others find them too costly.

[jaycee]

Latest reports appear to show (and I'm desperately trying to find the link...) that hedgehogs are not affected by slug pellets.  I use them in the garden and the chickens don't touch them.

Spinny

Well after a few days of putting down slug pellets (blue ones) I found my family of baby hedgehogs dead beside them. Never used them since.
Jaycee

[milkman]

I too will never use pellets of any sort.  I chop up slugs I come across and leave them uncontaminated for other wildlife to feed on.  
Slugs are only a potential problem in areas you are about to sow or plant out into - I wouldn't spend time worrying about them otherwise.

[muntjac]

cor blimey i never knew a slug could be such a row starter heheheh/   actually time to come clean i use beer dregs from the pub .. i did this ( nuke em on another site a while back and i tell you this granny was gonna beat me about the head with her surgical hose lolo.

[Flower]

I use plastic cups half filled with sweet tea or coffee.I sink them level into the ground wherever there is a need. Works very  successfully. I empty the contents not too often either as it can be a bit smelly.If they look a bit unsightly in the garden at home I just put a dandelion or a lettuce leaf on top.

[muntjac]

cut the top of a yoghurt pot but leave 2 strips down the sides like a umbrella over the beer cup so it doesnt get rained in  

[loubylou29]

Well I used nematodes last year and they were brillinat, I think I used them in April/May time, and I never saw a slug all summer!
I did see Snails, but they weren't a problem, just picked them off.
I am new to this, but I haven't found many places supporting the use of these, there seems very little mention of them at all, I wonder why, seem like a pretty good secret to me!
I had an amazing crop of lettuce last year with no holes at all!

[beansticks]

I have had two 5mts x8 mts beds covered in black plastic since last november ,removed them today and while there were some slugs underneath nowhere near as many as i thought there might be,anyway once exposed the birds make short work of them.The reason i cover mine is encourage the worms to take down the manure i spread on the ground in autumn,lazy way i know but time is limited working full time.

[milkman]

Don't worry about the slugs until you have to - they are actually much less of a nuisance than people perceive them to be.  There are plenty of sluggy predators that also like living under plastic.  If you've got a nice large sheet of black plastic keeping your plots weed free until you're ready to sow or plant go ahead and use it.

I won't rant on about so-called 'safe' slug pellets here 'cause i've done so somewhere else - the only slug management i employ is to simply chop them in half when they are threatening a vulnerable crop (eg. carrots that are less than 2 inches tall), leaving them dead in situ for the other wildlife to enjoy.

[WG.]

Don't worry about the slugs until you have to - they are actually much less of a nuisance than people perceive them to be

I wonder if that has anything to do with your chalky soil, milkman?

[milkman]

Oh you are tempting me to have a rant  :twisted:

I was just waiting for someone to say that WG! - Yes for some inexplicable reason I've been chosen to be blessed with less slugs than anyone else - even within my own lottie site!!!  

Actually I have as many slugs as the next gardener (I'm sure we could argue till kingdom come who has the most slugs).... maybe a few less because of all the predators I actively encourage...but I don't get hung up about slugs simply because the cultivating methods I use outsmart the slimy *.... I like to call it gardening 'smarter' but that sounds a bit smug doesn't it.

Anyhow logic would tell you that all the people using pellets or expensive nematodes should have less slugs - but they seem to need to apply the pellets season after season don't they?

Who is it telling you the pellets are wildlife friendly and safe? by golly gosh its not 'scientists' employed by the manufacturers is it?!!!

...rant now over...

[WG.]

Calm down girl; I only said "I wonder if ..."  :?

Anyhow, I use similar decapitation methods to you.  I don't bait, I do use polythene around the place and you will see from the Bird thread that I have plenty of birdlife around to eat slugs.

The best predators I ever had was a flock / herd / gaggle of ducklings.  They cleaned up all the slugs, then ate the beetroot and everything else they considered palatable.  If they didn't eat it, they trampled it.

[Dabhand]

the only slug management i employ is to simply chop them in half when they are threatening a vulnerable crop

Just curious how you manage to catch them all and chop them in half before they do any damage.  Surely you must have to be on total daylight watch on all your crops :?  Or am I missing something?  Last year I planted a few lettuces and the next morning they were decimated before I even got outside and I am an early bird!!