Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: AlistairMcLennan on May 25, 2013, 09:32
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Hi all,
Discovered this morning something is helping its self to my Little Gem Lettuce, pic attached to show what remains of one of them.
Any idea what is could be? I have Growing Success Slug Pellets down & also have Enviromesh protection frame over the raised bed.
Cheers
AL
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Looks like slug or snail damage, despite the pellets of doom :)
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Thanks Yorkie,
Do you think I would need to use nematodes in my raised beds or is there any other suggestion. Want to stay away with the usual slug pellets as I have several animals and a small lad.
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If your plants are protected by enviromesh it should be safe to use the metaldehyde pellets underneath it - although I believe the ferric phosphate ones do work they may well not work as quickly............. :unsure:
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Despite using the metaldehyde pellets, the slugs/snails are darn set to eat all my lettuce!!!
What next, do I now need to use Nematode?
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have you tried beer traps?
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Dai - no I havent. I assume cheap beer will do? Would find myself upset at wasting good beer on slugs :D
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yea i guess any old beer or lager will do.
and i share your pain, i been meaning to put some traps down for a while but i keep drinking it all instead.
one thing i will add though is that you should put the container standing about an inch proud of the ground so that you dont drown any beneficial insects in the beer too. (although i can think of worse ways to go)
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that looks like slugs....i sue beer traps....go down and buy tesco value beer , 4 cans for a quid, then to poundland to get some cheapmplastic bowls /covers...pour in the beer and next day u have have lots of slugs coaking in the beer...only thing left to do is whip up some batter and you can have some batter fried slugs :tongue2:
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Dai - Thanks for the advice
J_B - Thanks also for the advice, I think I will just dispose of the Alcoholic Poisoned Slugs in the bin, they are not high on my list of Deep Fried items. Being Scottish, not even a Deep Fried Mars Bar appeals to me lol
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As an alternative to beer you can use a teaspoon of bread yeast and a tablespoon of sugar to a gallon of water. If you substitute a tablespoon of black treacle for the sugar it even smells like beer.
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I believe marmite also works,it is a yeast extract. Some people have it on toast but others will be happy to let the slugs have it.
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The other day I came down in the early hours of the morning to find slugs had crawled under our back door to get the cat food :ohmy: I'm thinking of designing some sort of trap with cat food as bait!!! ::)