It looks like the coming month is going to be dry and warm. Personally I have a hunch that the whole summer will go down in history as one of the hottest and driest (I only say this to guarantee a plentiful supply of rain for my allotment). This means, in my experience, that there is a good chance slug activity will be limited this year and the following advice will be useless. But we shall see.
I started writing this blog entry about one week ago. True to form my confident predictions have fallen foul of the fickle finger of fate. This isn't to say the rain is unwelcome, it's just that the timing could be better. A good solid downpour for 3 hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon and between 2.30 and 5.30am on a Saturday night would be perfect. It would also allow easy acquisition of taxi's after binge drinking and suitable punishment for overdoing it. Clearly this is too much to ask for and we now have a relatively warm and extremely wet Cardiff.
Legions of slugs will be on the rise, eager to get their greasy radulas all over your tender lettuce seedlings. These are the armies the Colonel would do well to focus his efforts on. They move silently, under cover of darkness or in the damp grey swirl of a British summer. They decimate your crops then fade into the dark dankness of the netherworlds. Seemingly motionless and bloated with green they vanish into the ether like an army of xerophobic vegetarian vampires morphing into the dark night. They are the bringers of frustration and bare earth where once was green and full of potential. They cannot be defeated. They are death incarnate.
Anyway! Here's my top ten tips for dealing with slugs.
I have tried many of these methods myself, some I have even, frequently, tried on myself. Auto-experimentation has got me drunk and kept me regular and I highly recommended it. But for now all these methods should be targeted at slugs.
1. Beer - The basic theory here is that slugs love beer. This seems like a reasonable premise to me and is the one characteristic that allows me to afford them a scintilla of sympathy. You can either buy a purpose made beer trap or purposely make one yourself. All you need to do is half bury an appropriate container in the ground (a beer glass shaped object would be appropriate) with about 3cm of rim standing proud above the soil surface. Fill it with beer, cheap beer, and if you're feeling particularly vindictive you can toss a bit of salt in there too. The slugs will sniff the beer, gatecrash the party, get drunk (in my mind at least) and drown in the heady brew to be emptied out by you the following day. The raised lip will prevent useful predators, such as beetles, from falling into the beer. A messy and unpleasant option but can be effective as long as you regularly empty and replenish the container. Be sure to cover the trap on rainy days, leaving space for slugs to enter, to reduce the risk of dilution. The slimy grimness can be added to the compost heap (but not with salt).
2. Bran - Not so sure about this one, haven't tried it. Apparently slugs also love bran. If you scatter it around your seedlings the slugs will go for the bran and bloat themselves up nicely for the birds to pick off. If you keep very still you can spend many a happy hour watching thrushes wiping the defensive slime off slugs before swallowing them whole!
3.Pellets - I use Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer, and no other. It is safe for wildlife, cats dogs, children etc and seems to do the trick. Read the instructions and do what they say. I never use the blue pellets as these can harm natural slug predators which is clearly stupid.
4. Physical violence (covert) - For the truly vindictive gardener. Go out at night when slugs are on the prowl with a sharp stick and torch. Hunt them down and spear them, leave their rotting carcasses for the birds to eat. If your allotment backs on to houses this can get you arrested so full SAS tactics are recommended. Not Andy McNabb tactics though.
5. Physical violence (devious) - To avoid lengthy explanations to the local constabulary try this method of direct slug targeted violence. Leave apparently pleasant daytime shelters around the allotment, planks of wood, damp old newspapers (leave them folded so they don't blow away), grapefruit halves, a layer of cabbage leaves are all suitable havens for slugs. Each morning lift them up and kill all slugs found using what ever method you see fit. The law can't touch you!
6. Biological agents - Specifically, in this case, nematodes. Mogg swears by these and has used them successfully for several seasons, hopefully he will confirm this. These microscopic angels of slug doom love to eat slugs from the inside, and even better they love wet weather just as much as slugs do. They can be bought online from many suppliers, I won't express a preference as I've yet to try them (but might give them a go on my potatoes later in the year - I will keep you informed). I suspect the prices are dropping year on year and can confirm that I've seen them for a Pavarotti (a tenor...tenner, geddit? ah hehe), so bear that in mind while browsing.
7. Good housekeeping - Keep your plot free of weeds and debris that slugs can also feed on and hide under (devious violence methods excluded). The best way to do this is with a good hoeing once a week. Well hoed soil will have a good fine tilth on the surface which slugs don't really like to crawl over that much, they prefer a nice flat surface that doesn't soak up too much slime. Obviously this is good allotment practice anyway so everyone is a winner, apart from Mr Slug, bless his cotton sock.
8. Predators - If you can achieve this there are many dividends. I suspect slugs taste disgusting, but this is not an opinion shared by all of natures creatures. Hedgehogs, frogs, toads and newts, thrushes and redwings, shrews, slow worms, centipedes, beetles, ducks and hens, to name a few, all like nothing better than to feast on a nice juicy slug. So encourage these chaps into your allotment. Make a hedgehog friendly nest box, build a small pond for frogs and newts, never ever use poisonous slug pellets. Get some ducks and chickens, if it's for the allotment get permission first. At worst you will have a few more animals to watch during your rest periods and a green glow of smug satisfaction. At best you'll have eggs and fresh duck breast for supper!
9. Strong healthy plants - Both slugs and plants have been around for millions of years. The slugs are still here and the plants are still here, so it's not a one sided battle. Once your plants have got past seedling stage they can pretty much stand up for themselves, the slugs will still have ago, and make a living for that matter, but the plants will be strong enough to outgrow the slugs several times over. So make sure your soil is healthy and full of nutrients, bring your children up on a healthy diet and they grow into healthy adults able to deal with the stresses of every day life. It's not rocket science.
10. Various other useful and hair brained schemes that I don't have time to go into
Coffee grounds - Get a bin bag full from your local coffee shop and scatter.
Hair - Local barbers, as above (coffee and hair both good for the soil).
Don't grow plants that slugs eat - As if!
Sharp sand / gravel - Pointy! Slugs don't like it...ouch, ooh, ah, ooch, eek!
Crushed egg shells - see above.
Copper strips - a bit like electric fences for slugs.
Water in the mornings - that's a good point actually.
Salt on the soil - Come on now, that's just stupid, unless you're planning to grow seaweed.
I am more than happy to update this with any new suggestions, so let me know.
And happy hunting!
wilbach wrote...
kill kill kill kill...
SuperDave replies...
Exactly!
Posted by: wilbach | May 12, 2007 8:32 PM