Comments on: How can I get rid of slugs reusing/recycling stuff (or other green ideas)?

By: louisa

louisa — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:20:48 +0000

I’d definitely agree with that – the only place we could grow salad was on our metal balcony — we got the odd intrepid explorer up there but otherwise the little young seedlings were left unmolested.

I’m definitely going to plan to grow more stuff up there next year – and more stuff in wall planters, hoping the climb will deter the molluscs.

The downside of planting up there though is that we have to water them more than the beds – not only because they hold less moisture but because they’re sheltered more when it does rain. A small drawback but better than “stems of gratitude and slime” ;)

By: Alexis

Alexis — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:20:00 +0000

I put winter planting in pots or grow bags on the patio. Last year I recycled my old grill – turning it into a flower pot for leaves and herbs – for whatever reason I had no problems with slugs or snails with it throughout this summer, or last winter. Currently my young chervil is in it – not a snail in sight. All summer I’ve had basil in troughs on the patio – again no problems. Wonder if its more about location rather than what you might put down to control them. For example – I can’t plant basil in my herb bed – the snails have a party and leave me with “stems of gratitude and slime” – put them in a pot on the patio however, and they leave it alone.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:18:28 +0000

We dont have that big problem with snails, we just eat them, or sell them to eat. Actually, they are ssold in jars for festivals, like New year.

By: Plastics Recycling

Plastics Recycling — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:44:09 +0000

we are market leaders in buying post-industrial scrap plastics, converting and supplying various industries with clean, reclaimed resin…..

By: mammacat

mammacat — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:38:09 +0000

I just LOVE it when scientists prove that an old wives’ tale actually works! Many plants have NASTY defense mechanisms to protect them from predators (poison!!!). It turns out that beautiful, velvety, common
types of MOSS have a built in chemical called “oxylipins”, and although
it’s not toxic to humans or pets, slugs will AVOID this stuff like the PLAGUE!!! There’s two ways you could take advantage of this;
1) Plant/nurture moss around the base of your plants. 2) grow some moss (it’s pretty!) and throw some of the green part into your blender along with some water, a little bit of oil (3/4 parts water to 1/4 part oil)
then add just a drop of dishwashing liquid (I use Dawn) and voila! Now spray this around the base of your plants to keep the slugs away.
Also, RUN (slugs work fast LOL) to the nearest library to peruse books by Jerry Baker. He is an expert on these homemade, old time non-toxic
household fixes for all your garden problems! Happy Gardening!!!

By: louisa

louisa — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 09:59:25 +0000

so the trick is to put the beer pot outside of your vegetable garden to lure the slugs away…and not bring any new ones from afar.

Oh, that’s very interesting!

I had quite the slug harvest when I emptied the traps yesterday but I’ll try moving them this afternoon, see if it helps.

By: louisa

louisa — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 09:57:04 +0000

I think it’s just anything copper and if you’re sourcing it new, it’s probably cheaper to get wire than piping (I’ve also seen copper tape, sold specifically for the slug-abatement purpose). I mentioned piping because I have some around – any wire I have goes into my craft box ;)

By: Ripe Green Ideas

Ripe Green Ideas — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:55:06 +0000

about the beer traps: they slugs do drown in them, but the smell of beer also attracts more slugs from afar. so the trick is to put the beer pot outside of your vegetable garden to lure the slugs away…and not bring any new ones from afar.

should work better.

also protect your sprouts by putting a cut plastic bottle over it

By: chicgeek

chicgeek — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:03:35 +0000

It isn’t copper pipe you need, but a strand of copper wire. Or, so I’ve heard. Good luck.

By: Fran

Fran — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:16:14 +0000

Try anything gritty and sharp, hense the egg shells, they don’t like the feeling on their foot. Another option is putting down little mounds of porridge oats, they love it. It then expands inside then, you can imagine the rest! The other option is going out at dusk or dawn and collecting them, then taking them to a park with a pond and feeding the ducks. Good luck.

By: Pet

Pet — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:58:10 +0000

For really sensitive plants I use escar-go from ecostyle. It’s based on ferri fosfate and save for other animals, humans and the environment. But expensive. So I only use it on plants that really suffer from the snails.
For the rest, I go outside after a rainy day and catch them and kick them with my feet or feed them to the chickens. (sorry).

By: anna

anna — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:39:21 +0000

I tried it all in Ireland but the snails were still growing gigantic from my garden’s stuff…
Egg shells work moderately. If you mussels, clams or snails, save the shells, rinse and break them (a stone against concrete works as a low-tech solution). Those seem to be a bit sharper and last a bit longer + work a bit better.
Beer works quite well. :)