Slugs and more.......

MerylStreep

Has anyone got anything against nematodes. They really do work.

Simply cost. Do you have a supplier who charges a reasonable amount?

Sorry, slug pellets every time. The sort that are non harmful to pets. Apparently the small grey slugs are much more destructive than the big black ones...

Japanese anemones can be very invasive, I have some pink ones bent on world domination, they spread by underground roots and pop up everywhere. White ones are not so bad. So be careful about which variety you go for.

Shrubs get big, too, so I hope you have lots of space. Although they probably won't hurt being cut back sometimes when you feel like it, it's worth finding out which flower on new wood, and which on old wood, and prune accordingly if you can.

I agree with HAZEL93's advice. Japanese Anemones die right back so cut at the base when they become unsightly. Hardy fuscia's we normally prune in the spring just before they start shooting again. The lilac I just cut bits off that have grown where I don't want them as and when.

BlueBelle, not much help now, but next year net them. Debris netting is the best, other netting looks ok but the little buggers fold their wings to get in!

beth20, yes, we used to take them to the local pond (for the ducks) but now I just kill them! I hope you take snails a good distance away - as, I'm told, they find their way home!

Pruning tends to get done straight after flowering if I remember, and that seems to work OK.
Slugs and snails have been taken to wasteland in the middle of the night before now. I've given up completely on sunflowers which they seem especially partial to here.

I have a bench with galvanised wire netting wrapped around the legs and not many slugs/snails climb it. Also, I find crushed sea shells are a deterrent.

I pick up loads of them on damp mornings (hand in doggie bag) and dump them in the garden bin - with some salt. I think it keeps the numbers down, but they soon appear from neighbouring gardens - so some things aren't worth growing here.

Has anyone got anything against nematodes. They really do work.

Bang goes my idea then Bluebelle. I thought I was on my way to saying ‘This time next year Rodney we’ll be millionaires’ ?

Lateral thought - picking up on what someone above said. I wonder if it would help if I put copper tape round the legs of the old bench that the pots are on? I think I might try this - several rings of copper tape going up the legs.

I will let you know how it goes!

Beechnut I watch a snail crawl straight over the copper tape
I have a lot more slugs than snails this year and they are huge
Ohh the thought of cutting one in two makes me squirm I m ashamed to say mine go in the pond
At the moment all my greens are eaten down to skeletons by cabbage white caterpillars ? I could weep

Slugs and snails are the bane of my life. Your seedlings are unlikely to survive unless you use a combination of all the methods already mentioned.
I keep young plants in pots until I feel they are big enough to stand a fighting chance then I drench them with a garlic tea I make, surround them with sharp grit or eggshells and use pellets. Every evening I walk round the garden with scissors and chop any found in two, sometimes morning too especially if it has been raining.
I hate hate, hate the little blighters.
Good luck.

Beechnut

I’ve got some copper tape around some of my pots. This year
so far the leaves are still whole on my hostas. I have read slugs don’t like the blue leaved hostas so much.

We've found that Beechnut. Our blue leaved hostas don't seem to get eaten so much by anything, possibly because the leaves are so thick. We've planted blue ones in the garden and the leaves seem to be pretty intact.

Our hosta leaves seem to be devoured more by pests like aphids at the moment. We try to keep the pots so the plants aren't touching to prevent anything moving from plant to plant. We've also used the copper tape but no idea whether it actually did anything.

Well, the wonderful Christopher Lloyd would often say "I cut back , prune whenever I have the time or inclination "
Damn good advice I think. Plants want to grow so if they are happy in their spot they will bounce back no matter what us mere humans do.

Me too Teacheranne. My son in law calls me hack and slash my name ?

I’ve been having a think about this while in the shower! I wonder if a table type thing was made and placed close to the ground, edged it with copper tape and all found slugs were placed on it. They hopefully couldn’t get off and frogs etc could help themselves providing they didn’t mind the tape. (I know,I know I should get out more?)

It’s quite likely that your plants will all have different pruning times so best to research before planting. You could then only plant those that need pruning at the same time of year or keep a record of the best times for your favourite plants so you won’t spoil them.

I’m afraid I’m a bit of a hacker and just prune the bushes when they need it and accept the consequences!

Oh dear, my gardening friends here in Surrey are reporting havoc caused by slugs and snails this year. Because of the prolonged damp conditions we've had there seem to be loads of them around .. and whoppers too. Perhaps you could try some of the methods mentioned and hope for the best. I think I might even be tempted to bring a few of the seedlings into a cool, airy windowsill in the house although the low light levels could make them grow a bit spindly, I suppose. Sorry I can't be more helpful - we're under siege!

Your raised bed sounds wonderful though, Luckygirl. I'm very envious. As regards pruning I just Google " When should I prune X in UK" and lots of helpful sites will pop up.

I too use pet friendly slug pellets, slugs and snails will climb anywhere, then hide!

Copper tape around your pots is a good deterrent I find but will not mean you won't lose a few ! Nothing but nothing detracts slugs and snails in my experience.
As to your raised bed, vibernum does not like being cut back when young although once established it's not so fussy. Lilac grows quickly and can overtake everything around it so prune once flowering is over .

Hi Luckygirl
I use a four pronged attack on the slugs and snails - organic slug pellets, crushed eggshells surrounding the plant, homemade garlic spray( especially when the new leaves are emerging) and frequent checking of my pots, including under the rims and underneath.
I find I am more successful at protecting hostas in pots rather than in the ground, where they get decimated!
Good Luck!

I started spraying nematodes about 4 years ago. Last year I had 5 slugs, this year, not one.
I will be spraying the other 2 gardens I look after next year.

I put my coffee grounds round my pansies, as slugs don’t like coffee at all for some reason. If you plant them in isolated pots, eg by the front door they also seem to be fine, the slugs don’t find them. I only have one hosta, in a pot that the slugs have never attacked, I think it’s because of the texture, which is very rough. I also use organic slug pellets round plants in the beds, which do work. Here’s the type.

I’ve got some copper tape around some of my pots. This year
so far the leaves are still whole on my hostas. I have read slugs don’t like the blue leaved hostas so much.

I put my hostas that are in pots up on a garden bench and bloody snails climb the metal legs to get to them, every day I remove them and every morning they are back ??. Check them everyday but they may still not be safe I’m afraid.

Thanks! I am so excited to at last have a garden that I can tend without doing my back in!