Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi
I've just been reading a lovely book called Spade, Skirrit and Parsnip: The Curious History of Vegetables from Alan Sutton.
Full of fascinating info but this sobering facts caught my eye

in 1977 Laurence D Hills "unveils the slug trap, filled with a mixture of 1 part beer to 2 of water, sweetened with 1 dessert spoon of barbardos sugar to 1 pint of the mixture. Hills reported the capture of 60,000 slugs in one garden in a year".

60,000!!! It didn't say what he did with his slug carcase mountain.

I've not tried beer traps as have been worried about beetles falling in, does the twig thing work, do they manage to climb out? Looks worth trying, puts my hand picking 10-20 a day right in the shade.
And the little blighters are in my greenhouse too and have discovered their gourmet tastes in basil seedlings, as I couldn't dig a beer trap in would they investigate a shallow plate filled with the brew?

Sue

Twigs don't seem to work for me. You could try putting the jam jar/saucer up proud of the soil: the slugs will climb up the sides but the beetles won't.
Now, I place pieces of wood about the place...during the day the slugs congregate underneath, then I scoop them up for the chooks, or usually just chop them in half with a trowel.

__________________
~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Best way to catch slugs is in the dark with a torch. (Preferably with a glass of wine in hand and on a nice warm evening). There are loads and loads of them and when you imagine them all eating your lovely plants you will have no trouble disposing of the little blighters. Chosen method up to you. Cut in half, drop in bucket of salty water, throw over fence, whatever.

My MiL swears by this method, she goes out and count how many she catches. The current record is about 150 in a 1 hour stint last year - I remember she phoned to tell me!

She takes great delight in slicing them with a knife - not a lady to cross.....

I must admit I felt a bit bad about bumping off several slugs and snails hiding out in a load of old pots I was clearing today. So, I spread the remains out on a slab for the birds, who were very interested to help out with the clean up operation. Result!

An old remedy for slugs and snails was to half fill a bucket with snails and slugs, kill with boiling water, then alow to mature for a couple of days, strain off the resulting liquid, dilute by adding water to double the quantity, use to water around not on tender plants. It kept the blighters off my lettuce.

Jumped on a snail yesterday the little blighter had been following me round the lottie all day!

__________________
I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

They make a satisfying crunchy noise when you shake them off the plants then walk on them.

Might scrub the terrace today...

__________________
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

I often find slugs wandering around on the hall carpet
Easy to find because of the trail!
Longhaired cat seems to pick them up on his coat and leave them as gifts!
(aswell as live mice )

live mice is supposed to be a gift to you, Kitty loves you Nicos. I find slugs inside the lid of my black recycled compost bin every time i dump my kitchen waste and have much pleasure cutting them in half.

__________________
Best Wishes
Happy Growing
blue-and-green

http://blue-and-green.blogspot.com/

Did you know the majority of slugs just eat debris- they were probably aiding your composting b&g. There are loads of differant sorts but only a few will eat your plants and the worst of those live underground. Love the idea of the soup round the lettuce.

I found a couple of monsters in the pots in the greenhouse when i cleared out for the begining of the season and they seemed to be absolutely crawling with tiny lice-YUK!

Snails can be killed on night patrol especially after rain if i didn't go out in spring I'd probably never have grown a dahlia. If you listen you can actually hear them munching away. but I collect hundreds by leavin a few strategic dustbin lids about and collecting up. At least they have handles!

I've buried some beer pots this evening... The blighters have been having ago at my pak choi

__________________
I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy

ive bought those slug traps. Got them half price at the end of last season. Seem to be doing the trick. Cant bring myself to squidge or chop them. I find them disgusting.
Remeber last year when gardening a few came flying over the fence. The bloke in the next garden was throwing them over the fence and into the entry but they were not landing there and coming into my garden.! He wont be doing that again!

__________________

I use slug pellets. The birds get first choice of the dead ones and the rest rot back into the ground

I didn't know you could get"Bird Friendly" LJ. Are you able to give any further details as I don't like to use the blue ones.

__________________
It's not the growing old I mind but the growing stupid with it!

get the same organic slug pellets cheaper at B&Q!! and my usually very expensive local nursery sells 750g for £3.99, with the website as above it is £8.15 inclusive of delivery. so worth shopping around.

__________________
Best Wishes
Happy Growing
blue-and-green

http://blue-and-green.blogspot.com/

Yipes! they are pricey but not as bad as Nemaslug! Think as we have so many birds coming into the garden I might just say Bugger the expence. Thank you for your help O Queen of the Peasticks

__________________
It's not the growing old I mind but the growing stupid with it!

Thanks for the tip blue and green due a trip to B&Q this coming week so will check for them

__________________
It's not the growing old I mind but the growing stupid with it!

I got some cheap in poundstretcher yesterday.

__________________
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

Much as I hate admiting defeat - stopped using pellets, can't be sure that my toddler won't eat them! Not to mention the hens, not that Pippa eats much mind you, except pasta, but if she shouldn't.......

I either have to do the evening patrol (which I hate) or let them get away with it - close race at the moment.

My poor brassica bed is getting most of the unwanted attention of flea beetles and slugs.... Just doused them in derris solution.
My beer traps are catching the big slugs but the smaller ones prefer my cabbages... Grrrrrrrr
I may have to resort to pellets after all.... I had wanted to avoid it but manually catching them isn't practical as I'd have to dismantle my netting cage every time

__________________
I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy

If you net the bed the birds shouldn't be able to get to the pellets should they? Mine are netted because the pesky pigeons eat new shoots of just about anything!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

in have heard soap powder isgood it frofs up and clogs up thry slime glands its ment to be fun to watch

__________________
Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colors
Dobby

Lidl have got an offer on slug and snail barrier,made from copper alloy - starts today. 18m for £7, You could try surrounding your plants with that?

__________________
Jules AKA Inca'smum