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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

Cheapest and most effective way to protect dahlias from slugs

37 replies

S3agr0v394686 · 15/01/2023 10:03

Any recommendations?

OP posts:
snowlady4 · 15/01/2023 10:05

Not sure about daliahs specifically.. but we had a real slug problem. My dad gave us the Wilko own brand slug pellets, don't know the price, but definitely cheap and they worked a treat. They're not humane as they kill the slugs.. but, they haven't returned since!

Original poster
S3agr0v394686 · 15/01/2023 10:09

Forgot to say in an organic way as have a dog . Thanks for the suggestion though.

OP posts:
trevthecat · 15/01/2023 10:13

Have you tried crushed egg shells?

Original poster
S3agr0v394686 · 15/01/2023 10:21

No, is it effective? Would need to eat a lot of eggs but could give it a try.Get baking! Have seen crushed shells but £££, that said if they work. Also there is that Strulch. Does that work? Do copper rings actually work?

OP posts:
TheSpottedZebra · 15/01/2023 12:57

Start them in pots and only plant out when they are big and tough.

trevthecat · 15/01/2023 13:25

We keep our egg shells and let them dry before crushing them. Last year nothing was touched by slugs or snails. I do a mix of small crush and bigger bits. Not sure if that's right but it worked for us

PortiasBiscuit · 15/01/2023 13:27

I find that winter does a fairly good job… ?

moonbows · 15/01/2023 13:28

Copper rings help, but nothing is perfect. Get the plants chunky before you put them in. Clear debris slugs can hide in. Night time slug patrol.

Icantstopthisfeeling · 15/01/2023 13:28

Egg shells did nothing to protect mine. Ditto prickly stems and copper.

I had a little success with strulch but it seems to lose effectiveness after a couple of days or after rain unless I went out and topped it up.

www.strulch.co.uk

Icantstopthisfeeling · 15/01/2023 13:29

I’ve avoided the beer traps and nematodes as I feel they are cruel but… maybe that’s the way to go?

LydiaGwilt · 15/01/2023 13:31

Garlic spray worked for my hostas in pots. You can buy it or make your own: www.siennahosta.co.uk/pages/garlic-wash-recipe

Icantstopthisfeeling · 15/01/2023 14:31

Ooh thanks @LydiaGwilt
I will give this a go when I do my dahlia this year.

UWhatNow · 15/01/2023 14:32

“Night time slug patrol.”

This.

IcakethereforeIam · 16/01/2023 11:10

As slugs and snails are molluscs does anyone think the marine anti-fouling paint might work to keep the out of pots and raised beds?

Put sheets of cardboard, etc. around the plants overnight and remove the ones that will use them for shelter during the day.

Paddingtonsmarmlade · 16/01/2023 11:15

Eggshell/course grit or copper ring around the pot.

dreamingofsun · 16/01/2023 16:59

Our dog loved slug traps....really enjoyed drinking the beer. Have you thought of encouraging frogs - look online at dropping a bucket/washing up bowl into the ground. I have barely any slugs at my allotment as a result. Please dont use slug pellets they are very bad for the environment

Whitney168 · 16/01/2023 17:00

Pot them up and don't plant them out till they're a bit less tender and tasty. Apply nematodes a week or two before you are planting them out. Works brilliantly in my slugfest of a garden.

Harrysmummy246 · 17/01/2023 12:15

TheSpottedZebra · 15/01/2023 12:57

Start them in pots and only plant out when they are big and tough.

Keep your pots on gravel too. And regularly check for the blighters hiding

AyeRobot · 17/01/2023 15:16

I put mussel shells around them. Fits well with my gravel garden & seems to do the trick. I only grow in pots, tho.

Silvercatowner · 19/01/2023 11:29

Garlic juice works.

TonTonMacoute · 20/01/2023 13:10

A lazy alternative to the night time slug patrol is to leave an old plank, or large flat stone near your plants.

The slugs will hide under it each morning so you can lift it up and get rid of the slugs each day.

Wildwood6 · 20/01/2023 16:05

A combination of nematodes, night time slug patrols and encouraging frogs into my garden has helped enormously in my garden.

SnackyOnassis · 22/02/2023 09:15

I know this thread is a month old now, but as the ground is starting to warm up and I've just ordered mine - get on the nematodes! Honestly magical. I did three applications from March to October last year mainly focusing on the beds, pots and borders rather than lawn, and I saw TWO slugs all year. No damage, a garden full of healthy, untouched hostas and dahlias and nothing bad for the environment. Would highly recommend!

Icantstopthisfeeling · 22/02/2023 10:45

I just feel so mean for the poor slugs, being eaten from the inside by bacteria. Maybe I’m over thinking it, but they do react to touch so do have feelings.

I love my dahlia’s and don’t want them all eaten but I’m just not sure I can use nematodes.

BooCrew · 22/02/2023 12:07

Nematodes. I have a very damp, shady garden and I wasted so much bloody money buying plants that got eaten (not even slug-friendly plants... almost everything except weeds!) until I discovered them. Like the previous poster, I did three applications last year and it made a huge difference. Definitely aim to do them when it's going to be rainy, otherwise you have to water the whole treated area every day for two weeks or it doesn't work anywhere near as well.

Nematodes are present in the soil naturally, you're just increasing the amount. I do feel a bit guilty but I also want to have a beautiful garden and flowers for the bees and insects, so...

For dahlias, delphiniums, lupins and other plants slugs and snails love, I use copper rings (Slug Rings). They're absolutely brilliant, you can actually watch the slug recoiling from them. I have them around my tulips and daffs at the moment as they're getting nibbled where they're coming up. My slugs are thugs! I lost all my Thalia flowers to slugs last year.