Slug Wars

[dontdarepokethebear]

The bastards are back.

They have decimated my salvias and daisies. Egg shells and tossing them over the back fence hasn’t deterred them.

What works???

Or should I just give up and tarmac over the garden.

Any slug stopping wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Watching with interest. Nothing I have tried works. Thinking of using slug pellets. I’m assuming they’re not great for the other wildlife though? Are there any safe ones?

No, because if they are safe, they wouldn’t kill them. Isn’t it illegal to use them these days?
Drowning themselves in beer works, but also encourages them!

Pray that the forecast good weather will help restrict them!

Go out late evening/nights with torch and hand pick the bastards (they’re already bringing out the foul language!) and choose your method of execution. It really helps in you can control the population before it explodes.

Set yeast traps, cheaper than beer. 1tsp yeast, 1tsp sugar, 1 litre of water. To minimise dilution, cut slits in the sides of plastic bottles, jars, with the slit sitting above soil level allowing them to crawl in but with the cover left on.

Boil garlic and spray solution over plants.

I hear that wool is very effective but never tried it.

Good luck! You have a sister in arms here!

Nematodes/Nemaslug - works a treat

I tried wool last year. The slugs just evolved to overcome it.

This year I have gone with nematodes. It's definitely better than last year (but I think it's better anyway).

But I also abandoned the hostas as a lost cause.

Well, no, but I meant safe for birds and cats. The slug bastards can die! They still sell them in shops so can’t be illegal. I used to do beer, until I read it encourages them! I can’t pick them up (I’m a wimp) and the wool pellets didn’t work at all. I think I need to hire an evening slug picker-upper!

Crushed welk shells is what I use.
look up. “Shell on Earth” for sustainably sourced ones.

Ooh nematodes… will try that.

Have you tried copper mesh yet? Worked well last year for me rescued my veg plot especially while the plants were seedlings!

Can get a roll on Amazon simply enough 👍

Thank you for the nematodes tip - I’ll try that, along with the more hardcore crushed welk shells. Is there anything that they don’t eat?

This was on Radio 2 yesterday and the Welsh gardener on the Jeremy Vine show said to buy nematodes. These feed on slugs apparently.

Pond with frogs/toads or newts

they don't eat woody shrubby things i find. Annual bedding plants are toast. the trouble is you can put stuff on top of the soil like egg shells or pellets, but they are in the soil, eating the roots of stuff. I have tried everything and the only thing which works is nematodes as you water it into the soil itself. I do 2 or 3 applications per year in the summer.

Copper rings for the most important plants (clematis, tricirtis, hostas). The really good big thick rings from Slugrings. Also I use copper tools for everything. And the odd dose of nematodes.

Gardens illustrated have a really good article this month with 50 slug-proof plants.

Birds! I have several feeding stations which attract blackbirds, starlings, Robin's, sparrows, all sorts of tits plus magpies, jackdaws and a crow! This year I have zero slugs and very few snails.... Last year I lost so many things to the slugs and only started feeding the birds in the autumn but have really seen the difference this year.

The lady over the fence from me spent last summer going out just as it got dark with a torch and scissors. It was fascinating.

Will be part of my MO this year!!

Have headtorch at the ready 😂

We usually have loads of slugs and they ravage all my seedlings. This year...no sign. Not a seedling gone!
We have had a very small pond for about 5 years now and it attracts loads of frogs for breeding. I wonder if our colony now has frogs big enough to take on the monster slugs? About time they started earning their keep.

I heard about someone who put her husband's hair clippings round her hosta - worked a treat apparently.

😂

My dad used to go out after dark and pour salt over them.
Worked a treat.

Last year we really tried companion planting. It helped a lot

Basically any plants like herbs or other scented plants helped a lot. Things like chives, lemon thyme, rosemary, mint, onions, basil with tomatoes . Put anything that scented neat things you want protected. You can see online what worked best with what.

This year I am trying strulch and garlic spray.

I have also bought a pot of meal worm bird food which I scatter around vulnerable plants. I haven't used this method before but the theory is that it attracts robins and blackbirds, which then also eat any slugs and slug eggs that are lying around.

It's good to really hit them early in the season to stop them breeding. Two slugs now will be 500 by September! Bastards!

I only plant what they don’t eat now. Geraniums etc. saves the battle!