[chopkins1313]

Well I thought I got by reasonably ok last year (my first year on the plot) being fully organic.

Over the winter I built a lovely big cold frame (double glazed no less!) and have tried starting off seeds in it this year.

Sure enough the seedlings started to show, then about a week later they'd disappear!.........after much head-scratching and some tell tale signs I realised the slugs have taken up residence!

Well I'm not prepared to waste anymore packets of seeds, I went down to B&Q today and sold my sole to devil and bought some slug pellets. I'm only going to used them in the cold frame, but I am quite disappointed to have had to resort to chemical warfare!

[rhysdad]

You can use these:

http://www.monrobrands.com/growingsuccess/detail.php?category=Slug_control&pageNum_Recordset1=0

and still be organic......

[FERDY]

Or nematodes, specialy designed to iradicate slugs under the soil where they breed.

[mumofstig]

Most of my troublemakers are snails 

[chopkins1313]

I gave the nemotodes a go last year, didn't seem to work for me, still had a lot of slug damage on my cauli's!

[blackbob]

Well I thought I got by reasonably ok last year (my first year on the plot) being fully organic.

Over the winter I built a lovely big cold frame (double glazed no less!) and have tried starting off seeds in it this year.

Sure enough the seedlings started to show, then about a week later they'd disappear!.........after much head-scratching and some tell tale signs I realised the slugs have taken up residence!

Well I'm not prepared to waste anymore packets of seeds, I went down to B&Q today and sold my sole to devil and bought some slug pellets. I'm only going to used them in the cold frame, but I am quite disappointed to have had to resort to chemical warfare!

dont be worried about not going totaly organic overnight.the thing with gardening as opposed to industrial horticulture,is that we have time on our side.
took me 5 years to go chemical free and i had problem after problem.would i go back to the old chemical route,.NO is the answer.yip i still use round up on the outskirts and have been known to use the odd slug pellet and ant killer.
but when i think back to what i used to spend on sprays it's scary.the organic label dosen't mean much to me.
just grow to the best of your ability and conditions,and enjoy what you produce because at the end of the day you know it is your's.bob

[blackbob]

I gave the nemotodes a go last year, didn't seem to work for me, still had a lot of slug damage on my cauli's!

small pond to get the frogs in, and small log piles stacked away to encourage stag beetles.
basically get nature back into the garden to help you out.

[boosh]

You can use these:

http://www.monrobrands.com/growingsuccess/detail.php?category=Slug_control&pageNum_Recordset1=0

and still be organic......

I use these, for one reason only they don't harm kids or wildlife, perhaps thats two reasons. 

[blackbob]

i dont see the problem with normal slug pelletts if they are applied correctly.too many people cover the whole area with them,that is the problem. sheets of box cardboard layed down with a few finely scattered pellets works.
the cardboard acts as a retreat for slugs and snails and birds and frogs cant get to them.simply tidy up after a 3 day baiting.

[viettaclark]

The organic slug pellets must be ok. My chickens were trying them out (stupidly put some pellets in patio pots) but they didn't suffer any bad effects at all......they obviously didn't like them too much!

[solway cropper]

Tried organic slug pellets. Might as well have given the slugs beer sandwiches....they lapped them up. Agree with blackbob, there's nowt wrong with metaldehyde if you're careful with it. Oh, alright, I know it's toxic to all sorts of things but then so is comfrey.

[boosh]

Tried organic slug pellets. Might as well have given the slugs beer sandwiches....they lapped them up

Thats the whole idea, then they crawl off and die, no unsitely slime trails or dead slugs in piles. nothing worse than cleaning up dead slugs.

[Swing Swang]

chopkins1313 - I'm quite happy to stand up with you and be counted as a 'chemical gardener'. It's blue death to slugs as far as I'm concerned.

SS

[mumofstig]

That's a few of us then...............I manage without chemicals except for slug pellets.

I'd get nothing without them

[boosh]

There is a non chemical root you can take............................Ducks 
I know it envolves fencing the plot in, digging a pond and getting there wings clipped  (ouch) so they don't fly off, prottecing some of your produce from them, but think of the posatives.... no slugs free duck poo