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Dahlias and slugs. Advice needed

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  • Dahlias and slugs. Advice needed

    Hi all. I've been bringing on my border dahlia tubers in my blow away only to find the shoots have been decimated by slugs. I am wondering if this is it for them or if I can go ahead and plant them and they'll be ok and re-shoot? The tuber clumps are pretty big as I've had them for 4 years and have been regularly dividing them. Please tell me all is not lost........


    Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum
    Sanity is for those with no grasp of reality

  • #2
    Do something about the slugs first. Slug bait if you use it or beer traps. Check carefully all the possible nooks and crannies where slugs could hide then give them a while and they should put on new growth.
    Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

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    • #3
      The tubers have plenty of energy in reserve, so they will re-sprout - but need to stop them being repeatedly attacked! I would leave then in the blowaway to hurry them up. I don't plant mine out until end of May - not so much because we might get a late frost (although we might ...) but more because if I bring them on more, before planting, I think it brings forward their flowering date.
      K's Garden blog the story of the creation of our garden

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      • #4
        That's a relief. I have some lovely specimens and didn't want to lose them. Slug bait has been liberally sprinkled in the blow away and I actually found a snail under a pot. I soon got rid of that little cur.


        Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum
        Sanity is for those with no grasp of reality

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        • #5
          Originally posted by robmarston View Post
          . Slug bait has been liberally sprinkled
          Remove most of it then: the pellets should be about 4" apart from each other. Laying a blue carpet won't catch any, because it repels them. They'll then wander off to eat something else.

          It's also dangerous to pets, if you have a stoopid dog that will eat anything it can get in its mouth.

          What you want to do is bait them, so they aren't able to make any baby slugs/snails.
          All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by robmarston View Post
            I actually found a snail under a pot.
            I was going to suggest looking underneath your pots. The culprit won't have gone very far from an easy meal.
            Also, do some midnight patrols with a torch and a bucket of salty water: you'll find more than you ever thought possible
            All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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            • #7
              Too much bait? Goodness I'm beginning to feel like I'm getting everything wrong! I've now moved everything out of the blow away and onto a windowsill indoors ( partner not too happy) I checked all the pots and have moved the blow away. Only found 1 snail.......


              Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum
              Sanity is for those with no grasp of reality

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              • #8
                And I'm going to make some beer traps.


                Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum
                Sanity is for those with no grasp of reality

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by robmarston View Post
                  Too much bait? Goodness I'm beginning to feel like I'm getting everything wrong!


                  The Destructions should say "sparsely" or something like that.
                  K's Garden blog the story of the creation of our garden

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