Slugs

[calisha]

I have a heavy clay soil and have been feeding most of the local slug and/or snail population for as long as I remember. I've been avoiding using slug pellets because I thought they were in general A Bad Thing for the environment/birds/animals. However I've finally cracked and used them around some new plants I put in today.

Is this going to solve my problem or have I just poisoned the world for no good reason?

Slug nematodes could be your friend. Depends on the size of your garden, but one application in my small back garden sorted the problem. Also not planting stuff out till it could stand up for itself.

I really don't like slug pellets, even the organic safe ones, but still use them occasionally and v sparingly at times for precious things, because, frankly if a slug gets a lettuce I just see it as karma. But a carefully nurtured from seed perennial us a different matter. So 2 or 3 pellets rather than the piles I see neighbours using.

There are 2 kinds of slug pellets: metaldehyde (the devil incarnate) and ferrous ones (often called 'organic' on the packet) that are less damaging. Please don't use metaldehyde - if you must use pellets, the ferric ones are way less damaging.

Nematodes are an even better solution!

Many thanks - didn't realise there were different types of slug pellets - I got the bad ones so I will try and locate supplies of the slightly bad ones. Will research nematodes too

Wilkos do them - called 'slug bait' if that helps!

Metaldehyde leaves the dead slugs out in the open, where they are eaten by all kinds of birds and hedgehogs - all of which will die. It's terrible!