which type of netting/cage for slug protection??

[leafwoman]

I have an allotment and slugs are terrible this year. Pellets are not cutting it fully. I am looking at those 'plant cages' to maybe help further, but not sure which to get cause many do not mention slugs, just butterflies, birds etc.

Has anyone used anything like this even somewhat successfully and got a link please?

Slugs live in the soil and lay eggs in the soil so they aren't going to be stopped by any kind of cage I'm afraid. Slug traps, egg shells, hand picking (and launching into next doors garden) might do the trick!!

Oh and nematodes

Ditch the pellets though, they are so bad for birds, toads and other wildlife (that might actually eat some of the slugs!)

I've been picking slugs and snails and bagging them. I refuse to use chemicals but stones, egg shells, copper coils, wool pellets are all rubbish. You could try beer traps or sacrificial lures such as bread, cucumber or lettuce but that only works if you scoop them up.

This year is the worst I’ve known!
Try picking them off and disposing of them far away. Also nematodes could have a limited effect for special crops as they’ll work on the ones in the soil.
Try planting plants when they’re bigger and spraying with a garlic spray. Sow lots and lots of spare seed - I think we are going to need it.

Has anyone tried Strulch to keep slugs off? Its not cheap. It also makes a good soil conditioner for clay soil as it slowly breaks down.

Thanks everyone

I've tried these natural pellets (which smell like breakfast cereal to me) - they usually work every other year but not this year. Tried copper tape. Tried 'decoy' rotting veg but I think it's just attracting them!!

Recently we've been going most nights to pick off like 30 slugs 😣😣 , but that's not sustainable as it's a 45 min walk each way!! I will try some of the methods suggested. Thought a cage might help somewhat because I find them on the netting if we use netting, but yeah if they are laying eggs in the soil that won't help too much.

Going demented with them!!

I use Strulch as a garden mulch. It has not protected my plants from slug damage this year. There are just far too many of them. As far as I am aware the slug pellets you buy nowadays are safe for wildlife as they are marked as being suitable for organic gardening. The slugs eat them and they swell in their stomach leading to their demise.

So many Slugs this year , they have just skinned a 3foot sunflower alive , I found about 20 tonight so have given them all a salt bath !
also they have decimated my Basil

Tried 'decoy' rotting veg but I think it's just attracting them!!

Different species of slug eat different things. The ones attracted to your rotting decoy are probably not the ones eating your live plants. Some slugs even eat other slugs - so make sure you know how to identify and spare those

I've got some tomato seedlings waiting to plant out but I really don't want the slugs on them.

I saw a pot to go into a GroBag that had a trough to collect them but now I'm thinking a container sunk into the soil /compost ( the tomatoes are going into a tall large pot so I can keep them near the house ) . The container can have the Marmite drink .

Other plants I'm pissed off at them being eaten in a Slug All You Can Eat Buffet , but I plan to eat the tomatoes

We’ve put beer traps out which are full every morning

I use a slug repellent spray from Poundland, and it works!
They don't like the taste of it apparently, you have to spray until the leaves are dripping and respray after rain (full time job of late!)

I've never had a problem with slugs eating tomato plants. Just the ripe fruit.

While the plants are small you can try protecting them with a cloche, a plastic bottle with the base cut off. If it's windy put a stick or bamboo down through the neck and into the ground to hold them.

I go slug & snail hunting late at night and very early morning (such an exciting life I lead!), it seems to be the only method left. Beer traps used to work really well but they are ignoring them this year and going straight for my basil/cucumber/pepper plants.

They managed to destroy a lot of my crops so I used:

• nematodes
• raised beds and then everything covered with plastic mesh
• slug and snail hunting when it starts raining/early morning
• They seem to have shown no interest in stuff I have growing in pots on a wooden table in the garden.