Help needed with snail and slug control please!

[happyhippy]

Hi all,I'm not that new to veggie growing.We used to grow our veg in raised beds,and most of the time,did'nt have a problem with snails and slugs eating our seedlings.However we recently moved house and decided to just have ground level veggie beds.I've just planted out some french beans and within 3 days have already lost a few.HELP!!!!!!!!!!! I am trying to not use snail repellent pellets ect,so was wondering how any of you manage to grow veg without it being eaten before its had time to grow more.I keep chickens and will let them roam the garden when the veg is more established but until then,I don't know what else to do.Would welcome any suggestions,thankyou!x

[grahamhobbs]

I don't use any slug pellets, so my tips are

1. Do not plant out seedlings until they fairly big and have been fully hardened off, so that they are not young, sweet, tender things that slugs will love. Also plant carefully not to disturb roots and set back plants, especially with courgettes, pumpkins and beans.

2. Make sure that all grass around is well mown and that there are no moist patches or plants overhanging for slugs to hang out in.

3. Keep soil fairly flat, don't leave rough clods of earth on the surface.

4. Put out bottles (small french beer bottles are ideal) with small amount of beer a few days before you put your seedlings out.

5. Put out upturned halves of grapefruit and collect the slugs sleeping under in the morning

6. Go out in the evening, especially after it has rained, and kill the slugs with a pair of scissors (ever so efficient)

7. Copper strips around plants are supposed to be good, but I've only found them any good around plants in pots, not in the soil

8. I will let you know later, but I'm currently experimenting with mulching with eucalyptus cuttings, perhaps the strong smell will distract them.

[DeneciePie]

We are having some success using Diatomaceous Earth. Prior to that we were just setting a buffet for the slimy little things! I have heard of using little beer tubs, but we seem to have a crop of tee-totalling slugs.

My sympathies. I have been told that it becomes less of a problem over time as the slug eating beneficial bugs are encouraged to arrive by your perseverance in avoiding chemicals.

In a fit of the yucks I also went out and sprayed them after dark with a 5;10% solution of household ammonia, which wipes them out on the spot. Night time forays out to get the blighters by hand is also quite effective. The more you remove early, the better off you will be.

Good luck

DeneciePie

[ADG]

ducks
best slug control on earth

[dave45]

I have tried surrounding the seedlings with baked crushed eggshells... results as yet inconclusive, but a small amount aint no good - you need to use loads. The eggshells are supposed to be had to slime over.

Also found that our chickens are indifferent to slugs fed to them (whereas they love caterpillars and worms)... maybe if they find them themselves by scratching they are more motivated... dunno.

One batch of 12 cabbages is almost wiped out by slugs, another in a different part of the garden is doing fine..

[Millymollymandy]

Move to a drier climate! It's one of the benefits of soil always bone dry on the surface.

[MKG]

... and if you can't do ducks, try frogs (we have loads of frogs and very few slugs). A small pond will very quickly have a frog population, and all gourmet frogs love slugs. Lipsmackin' Encouraging the thrush population is good too (we also have a lot of thrushes).

Mike

[DebbieP]

You could try this slug deterrent - I got it because all I could find to buy were slug killers and poisons which I didn't want to use and other natural methods that I tried didn't work.

Basically, it's granite shards, so not pellets which is good and this is cheap and safe for animals and kids. This is the only thing I've ever found that makes a difference!

http://www.primrose-london.co.uk/natura ... ath=24_311

[theabsinthefairy]

I use beer traps with the last musty sludge bits of homebrew in them and they work a treat. I use tin cans with a sharp metal edge (those with a ring pull type top), buried in the ground with just a inch or so showing, beer in the bottom and they go in but can't get out even if there is no beer in because of the metal edge.

Crushed nut shells around the base of plants are good too, they work like eggshells but you need less of them.

But frogs and toads are unparalleled slug munchers closely followed by ducks.

Morning and evening bucket collections are great, just leave some salt in the bottom, collect 'em up and drop 'em in!! Very satisfying.

[JillStephens7]

What a shame

I too have found frogs have helped. We just have a small washing up bowl filled with water and a few stones. We upgraded it last year and introduced an oxygenating plant though to be hones the frogs never seemed bothered by it getting slimey!

I have in the past had some success from cutting the tops and bottoms off plastic bottles and sinking them into the earth over bean plants, as a sort of collar if you see what I mean?

Good luck

[Gem]

When I had my allotment I built myself a 'slugtopia'. A pile of wood and bits at the bottom far away from my plants where the slugs would snuggle up during the warm weather. Every so often (whenever I was at the allotment!) I would go on a killing spree!

Since I got the chocks I have not really had a problem with slugs and snails. Whenever I do find one I just add it to the chook feed

Gem

[dave45]

Do frogs really eat slugs? I thought they were insect-eaters.
I have plenty of frogs in the garden (I nearly strimmed one today!) Maybe they are as fussy as my chickens - they won't touch slugs either. Nor woodlice.

[red]

we dont use any slug pellets either - we do a nightly slug patrol.. killing session.
and i raise a lot of plants in the greenhouse and pot out, rather than sowing direct

[MKG]

Do frogs really eat slugs? I thought they were insect-eaters.
I have plenty of frogs in the garden (I nearly strimmed one today!) Maybe they are as fussy as my chickens - they won't touch slugs either. Nor woodlice.

Nicked from BBC science website ... "Common frogs do not feed at all throughout the breeding season, but when they are active they will feed on any moving invertebrates of a suitable size, such as insects, snails, slugs and worms, which they catch with their long, sticky tongues. Adult frogs feed entirely on land, whereas younger frogs will also feed in the water. Tadpoles are herbivorous and feed on algae but become carnivores when they mature into adult frogs."

Have a stern word with your frogs, Dave - they're slacking.

Mike

[Jessiebean]

I know you were after non pellet solutions but I found them so exasperating that I turned to pellets. We have iron based pellets which just break down into the soil adding to the iron content when they are done and are pretty safe for animals and kids. I have two little ones into everything and they know what the pellets are but surprisingly aren't interested in eating them, the youngest one loves dirt though.
the iron based pellets do a great job and I have heard no bad reports about them...