Grow Your Own Magazine

Has anyone used nemaslug instead of the beer trap for killing slugs?

someone told me about it today and not to sure on whether I should use it or not.

Thanks

I used it this year for the first time - however, also my first serious year of growing (not very serious compared to most on here though). I have seen fewer slugs but harvested a lettuce today that had 3 weeny slugs on it - no damage to the lettuce though.

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Shirley

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Supposed to be really good but you need to repeat the operation to make sure you get the eggs once they hatch.

Ian

I used it last year a couple of times. I think it did cut down the numbers, and I put some down again about 5 days ago. I've got some radish seedlings just coming through so it will be interesting to see if they get less damage. Nemaslug doesn't work well on clay soils, the nematodes can't get through to hunt the slugs, and you do need to keep the soil damp, but not too wet or they drown. Not necessarily easy (with water etc) or cheap, but I intend to do at least 2 treatments to cut down the population again this year. Do make sure you use a coarse watering can rose, I enlarged the holes on my plastic one, otherwise the carrier stuff can clog it.

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I've never used it but I'm contemplating it...

Went to a gardening thingy at the nursery this morning, and the teacher (Dr Something from Hartpury College, who ought to know what she's on about and says she has been gardening organically for over 25 years) swears by it. She says she has her garden in balance with natural predators etc so needs very little in the way of additional pest controls - but does use the anti-slug nematodes (she didn't say what brand). She does it once a year, about now when the slugs are about to breed.

Not sure whether it's worth it for my tiny garden, but if I get another 40+ slugs tonight I might be rethinking that one! And for the city farm, I'm wondering whether I want to deprive the chickens of their favourite snack... hmm.

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Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

My mum has used it for years and she thinks it's really good. She won't use pellets and couldn't grow things like carrots, lettuce etc before using it - so it has made a real difference! She is on clay and it has worked fine for her althought I know it's not supposed to be as effective.
There are drawbacks - it's doesn't kill snails or all species of slug, you have to keep the soil moist, it only lasts 6 weeks, doesn't work below certain temperatures and it's expensive.
We always 'give' it to her at christmas, she gets a gruesome picture of a slug in an envelope as you order it at any time and it gets delivered march ish when the soil warms up.
However, when I used it I found it made little difference! It's worth trying once would be my suggestion

Hi, I have used them for the first time this year and have just laid down my second application, I must admit that I have noticed a lot fewer number of slugs coming on to my vegies, also the ones I do get are real real big ones from next door, so I do think it works. I also have two jars as beer traps in the vegie patch which gets the large ones great. I would use them again next year.

I ordered a three treatment plan and they send them out to you every 6 weeks, I only have a small garden so have gone halves with a colleague at work which cuts down the cost also.

I applied a treatment of Nemaslug mid May all over my back garden. There is a path leading to the shed and divides the garden into two parts. In the sunny part I grow vegs and flowers, and applied also the slug and snail pellet (contains Metaldehyde, I think), and grow nothing on the shady half. Before the nemaslug treatment, in a good morning I can find some 4 or 5 slugs killed by pellet (from late March to May). Now it is almost none.

However, on the other part of the garden which also received the nemaslug but not pellet, I can still see quite some number of happy slugs during the night. So my guess is that nemaslug works but didn't kill all slugs in my garden. But it does bring down the dose of pellet largely.

Now it has been raining for weeks in Norwich, I wonder if all my nematodes are all drowned?

Been using it for about 3 years in my garden and now virtually no slugs at all (seen 2 this year) BUT it doesn't work on snails, so the chooks get those lobbed over the fence for them to "chase" / squabble over

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View my blog - http://chooksandveggies.blogspot.com/ updated November 1st 2008

Hadn't used it for a few years but found they were selling it half price at Tatton Show so put it down a couple of weeks ago. Slugs don't seem to have been as bad this year as last and OH seems to think it makes a big difference.

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