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  • Slug Damaged Potatoes

    I always have slug damaged potatoes and it's usually the decent sized potatoes that get it! What tips/ideas do forum users have to minimize this problem. I love my spuds but I,m considering not growing any due to me throwing lots of them out, because of this problem!

  • #2
    I know it sounds a bit yuck but how bad is the damage? My mom just cuts the damage off and uses the potatoes straight away. Ready meals just get frozen.
    What type did you grow? I had Kestrel and Pentland Javlin and they were fine but by Red Rooster and main crop took a battering.

    Found this advice on the internet.

    1. Avoid planting potatoes into heavy soils, as these are favoured by slugs. If this is unavoidable try lightning the soil by adding plenty of compost and well-rotted manure. Also aid excessive watering of your crop as this will only make things worse.

    2. Try trapping slugs by encircling you potato crop with old wet sacks and rotten wooden boards. In the mornings, lift the boards and sacks and remove the slugs by hand.

    3. Dig over your soil once or twice before planting as this will bring slug eggs to the soil surface where they can be eaten by birds.


    4. Avoid sowing potatoes into a site bordering grass, compost heaps or piles of organic waste, as all of these provide a base from which the slugs will carry out their midnight raids.


    5. You can try planting potato varieties offering high resistance to slug attack. Below is a list of the best varieties. If these are unavailable to you plant early cropping varieties and lift them early so as to avoid the time of year when these slugs are at their most active.


    High Resistance to Slugs
    Pentland Dell
    Pentland Ivory
    Pentland Falcon


    Medium Resistance to Slugs
    Desiree
    King Edward
    Majestic
    Pentland Crown
    Pentland Hawk
    Record
    Romano

    Hope this helps. I will be doing 1st earlies and 2nd earlies next year and not bothering with Main crop.
    sigpic

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    • #3
      I used to be demented with this but then invested in §lug nematodes which has eliminated the problem. Have to apply the stuff immediately before earthing up. Not cheap but very effective.

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      • #4
        RHS lists "Slug-resistant cultivars: ‘Charlotte’, ‘Estima’, ‘Golden Wonder’, ‘Kestrel’, ‘Pentland Dell’, ‘Pentland Ivory’, ‘Pentland Squire’, ‘Stemster’, ‘Sante’ and ‘Wilja’ "
        https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=716

        I just put a light sprinkle of pellets when I plant them, then again when I earth up.

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        • #5
          I find it helps not to add compost or manure before planting, each seed potato gets a liberal sprinkling of BFB.
          Location ... Nottingham

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          • #6
            I've grown Rocket, Charlotte, Desiree, Sarpo Axona and Sarpo Mira in buckets of compost (home made/reused) this year and had almost no slug damage. I have also used nematodes, which I treat the whole garden with twice a year (spring and autumn).
            A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

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            • #7
              If you want to go the organic route and you don't intend to grow huge amounts of tatties this works quite well..

              Use squeezed out orange or grapefruit skins upside down and they little blighters will crawl underneath them as for some very random reason they love citrus.
              I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Thomas A. Edison

              Outreach co-ordinator for the Gnome, Pixie and Fairy groups within the Nutters Club.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by marcofez View Post
                I love my spuds but I,m considering not growing any due to me throwing lots of them out,
                That's exactly what I'm doing next year marcofez as they are so cheap to buy.
                sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
                --------------------------------------------------------------------
                Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
                -------------------------------------------------------------------
                Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
                -----------------------------------------------------------
                KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

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                • #9
                  try growing in tubs

                  if you can get it soot is a good one for stopping them

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                  • #10
                    The previous occupant of my plot was called sooty and was a chimney sweep. I have very little bother with keel slugs!
                    I grow kestrel and Desiree spuds mainly both of which are slug resistant.

                    Often wondered how slug resistant varieties work, as surely the slug has to taste the spud to find out whether it likes it or not?

                    Earlies are a good choice as they aren't in the soil so long!
                    My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
                    to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

                    Diversify & prosper


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                    • #11
                      Thanks for all the replies folks. Much appreciated! Will use a few tips and see what happens.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Snadger View Post
                        Often wondered how slug resistant varieties work, as surely the slug has to taste the spud to find out whether it likes it or not?
                        Maybe they can smell it?
                        A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Penellype View Post
                          Maybe they can smell it?
                          Never seen a slug with a nose!
                          My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
                          to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

                          Diversify & prosper


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                          • #14

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                            • #15
                              So if I put my finger on the hump in the middle it should suffercate?

                              Bet it don't.....
                              I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Thomas A. Edison

                              Outreach co-ordinator for the Gnome, Pixie and Fairy groups within the Nutters Club.

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