slug pellets and children

[sleepcrisis]

Is it a no-no? DS is 2 so not quite trust worthy yet!

Just dug out a huge new border and spent a fortune on plants, and slugs have decimated them ove the sspace of a weekend. Totally eaten my lovely salix flamingo, nemesis, delphiniums and campanulas.

Gutted :( what else can I use other than the blue pellets?

(I'm a bit new to gardening)

beer traps - put a tub in the soil with beer/cider - the slugs will drown in it.

here

Yes to beer traps, or nematodes if you've got the money. There are lots of ways to control slugs without using slug pellets. Slug pellets are terrible for the environment as well as being dangerous to children and pets.

ok will try beer traps, thanks! What is a nematode?

Oh sorry, I forgot to do a link. This is the nematode treatment. It's pricey so you if you do use it, you might just want to treat a small area.

rather than sprinkling the slug pellets everywhere put them in places where the slugs are likely to hid during the day. E.g. under plant pots, cracks in walls and essentially places where DS is unlikely to come across them.

I heard this advice recently on gardeners question time, an old gardener from one of the big stately homes said this is what he did to keep the gardens slug and slug pellet free for visitors.

Of course there are also alternatives to slug pellets as discussed by others