[Smudge]

Has anyone used this relatively updated product?
Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer
They used to do one which was not rain proof, But this seems top be the biz!
Its rainproof, child friendly, hedgehog friendly, bird friendly etc etc....
It also contains natural ingredients and is organically certified.
I'm going to try this as i was brought to tears by the sight of my allotment after the recent rain.
Any feed back most welcome!

[little sweetpeas]

Sounds really good and as the only non organic part of my plot I'd love to be abole to use it with success. Still a bit nervous about the children, as I'm sure they haven't fed to any.

I'm going to the garden centre this afternoon so I'll get some if they have it.

[Smudge]

They say this is what we have been waiting for.
I would not worry about children, i'm absoluty sure they could not print it was safe unless full checks had been made. Its becoming very popular!

[WG.]

Chemical control
Scatter metaldehyde slug pellets (Scotts Slug Clear Advanced Pellets, Bio Slug and Snail Killer Pellets, Gem Superslug Killer, Westlands Slug Buster Pellets or Doff Slugoids Slug Killer) thinly around vulnerable plants, such as seedlings and young shoots on herbaceous plants. A liquid formulation of metaldehyde (Scotts Slug Clear) is available for watering on to ornamental plants and the soil. Pellets may harm other wildlife, pets and young children if eaten in quantity, although slug powders based on aluminium sulphate (such as Doff Slug Attack or Westland Slug and Snail Killer) are less toxic. A new form of pelleted bait containing ferric phosphate (Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer) is also relatively non-toxic to vertebrate animals.

Most plants, once established, will generally tolerate slug damage and control measures can be discontinued.

[little sweetpeas]

Chemical control
Pellets may harm other wildlife, pets and young children if eaten in quantity,

Depends on what quantity then, I may just use them at the plot and not in the gardens at home.

[Heather_S]

I use them at the plot. I only use the traditional sort on the decked over roof terrace garden at home cuz hedgies and frogs can't get up to the 1st floor roof surrounded by 1-2storey buildings around it. There's definately a difference in using the traditional pellets and the more expensive ferrous phosphate ones - the slugs just do not appear anymore with the ferrous phosphate ones, unlike the traditional pellets where you're left with loads of slugs sliming all over the place in their death throes  :shock:

You're suppose to scatter them fairly thinly around the plants so a kid would have to really be sitting there, munching them like candy, hunting for them for quite a bit. I assume they're not very tasty tho!

[little sweetpeas]

You're suppose to scatter them fairly thinly around the plants so a kid would have to really be sitting there, munching them like candy, hunting for them for quite a bit. I assume they're not very tasty tho!

Thanks, that's given a bit more hope.  

I went to the plot today and although the pellets had stopped some slugs I still had to scope them up and get rid.

[philmay]

I have been using Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer, for a while. Most shops sell it even Wilkinsons. Not sure how well it has worked on the allotment with all this rain, but it seems to be helping in the garden.

[Sally A]

On your advice bought 575g for £3.99 in Morrisons tonight, the shelves were down to the last 3 packets though.

[Smudge]

Growing sucess slug killer is an iron based phosphate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferric_phosphate.
It is fully biodegradable and safe around wild life and birds.
The company has just gained organic status, but not labled on older packets.
I'm going to visit my allotment to see how it worked last night.
When i bought my slug pellets i met a very interesting man who had very interesting views on normal slug pellets (containing Metaldehyde)
It was along the lines of,
'Considering the volume of regular slug pullets being sold across the uk why are there dead birds lying around? Why are there not dead frogs and hedgehogs on our lawns?'
Also he stated about the RSBP is one of the largest lobbing groups in the UK, and if  for one minute they thought/knew that normal slug pellets were killing hundread/thousands of birds every year, they would have certainly done something by now!
So....
I'm still definatly wanting to be organic, but what he said really did make me think.
The only dead birds i see are pigeoens thaty have their heads whipped off by falcons, and what the cat used to bring in!
Also  one of the reasons slug bellets are blue is  because birds find it very hard to see blue things!
Clever!

[DoctorJon]

Yup I use the stuff - why not, it's not appreciably more expensive than other slug pellets and is widely available.

It works a treat - I'm growing peas and corn through a black plastic mulch this year, which has its drawbacks - one of which is its impossible to scatter slug pellets! 2 or 3 around in each hole where the plants come through has kept them absolutely slug free.

The only thing with this product is that in order to keep it "organic" (can a synthetic product be organic...?? I suppose it depends what you mean!) you should only scatter the pellets thinly about 3 times per season. They say that should be enough to keep the slugs at bay at has the handy side effect of depositing some friendly trace minerals in your soil - I'm a bit slug paranoid so I probably scatter more often than I'm meant to!

Haven't had any problems with them being rained away either.

[Annie]

I`m using them this year around seedlings this year but I find less use for themlater in the year as plants grow and a kind of equilibrium sets itself up with a tourch and wellie being quite effective until hunt the caterpillar takes over and last year thrushes moved in.
  Children just need telling that the blue food is for rats/slugs to make them go away(or die as we do)and that they are only for those animals and they accept that and will remind you ad nausiam!!

[Smudge]

I have had a real sucess using this stuff, I went yesterday and picked up about twenty dead slugs (in one area)!
I have also cut down all my year old chard and perpetual spinach, which was where they all lived, so that has scuppered their plans!
Its been fine with the rain (we are having frequent showers down here)
For my lettace i use this with a combo of slug stoppa (grit stuff).
Soo, its a sucess! I aim not to use it very often, and in small amounts.
I' m also going to try out bran flakes and oat flakes.

[John]

Realistically children are more in danger of getting a disease from eating the soil on the pellets than the pellets used properly.

I still think nematodes are the most effective (and safe) slug control  - but they're not as effective on heavy clay soils, unfortunately.

[jacnal]

I' m also going to try out bran flakes and oat flakes.

Tried bran flakes. No success there. The slugs just crawled over them and left nasty slimy tracks......