Very small slugs eating my lettuce what is the best way to deter/kill them?
Question:could i put salt on the soil or would this affect the soil for future veg or affect the of the lettuce
Answers:
There are a couple of safe methods that I use:
1. Organic Slug pellets, made by Growing Success, which are safe for other wildlife, pets, children etc. About £3.50 from Wilkinsons, and also from many garden centres.
http://www.growingsuccess.org.uk/detail.
These are safe for hedgehogs, which live in abundance in my garden.
2. Traps, of various types, some home-made:you'll need to collect and empty them.
3. Copper mats, placed underneath the plants, slugs hate the electric charge, and won't crawl over it. You can buy them ready made, but a bit too costly for a larger growing area.
4. Natural predators called Nematodes. You can buy these tiny, microscopic attackers of slugs, typically slugs upto around 4'' long. The slugs become infected from the attack and go away to die. Each treatment will last a few weeks, you just mix the powder sachet into water, then pour around the garden with a watering can. These microorganisms already exist in the garden, you are just boosting their numbers, to drive out the slugs. Even Amazon sell these now:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/slug-killer-40-s...
Otherwise, I have used an internet co. called Green Gardener, which are better value, I think:
http://www.greengardener.co.uk/slug.htm...
You can also get material to scatter around the lettuces that slugs won't crawl over, but I find this costly. Some people suggest broken egg shells, but I've not found these particularly helpful. I used to get free coffee ground wastes from Starbucks and had a little success - I think they may charge for these now though. Of course, rain will disperse many things away, such as sprays etc. Steer clear of salt, which is not good for gardens:think of the restricted growth that you'll find on land by the sea.
I'd go for the rain proof pellets, (see 1) that are safe for animals etc, as well as the nematodes (see 4): these are the typical products I use in my farm garden. You can always have traps as a backup, and use deterrent materials, but I find 1 and 4 are generally good enough for my produce and flowers to look great.
Good luck! Rob
slug killer
beer in bowls they love it Then you can get rid of themX Cindy
One great and reliable method of a non toxic method to remove not only slugs, but most lettuce eaters is to use dish soap and water in a spray bottle. Spray the leaves liberally. They don't like the taste and tend to leave it all alone. Make sure the soap is heavier than your normal dishes amount. Try 4 tablespoons to one spray bottle of water. just make sure you rinse it off before you eat it lol
slug pellets ,or use beer in old yougurt pots burried in ground or fill the pots with water and yeast mixed in ,the slugs are attracted to the yeast and they seem to either drown or overdose on the yeast
soapy water works well and is kind to the environment. Hedgehogs eat slugs and snails so if you put slug pellets down you are also poisoning hedgehogs and other wildlife
put some beer in a plastic cups in holes around the plants. this attracts the slugs and once inside they can`t get out so you can dump them or kill them.
Salt in the soil will kill the lettuce. There has been a "great" new type of pesticide on the market now for about 15 years. It is actually a bacteria that attacks the slugs. It is non-hazardous to mammals (including humans). I will take a stab at the name-'baccillus thuringensis' . That is not spelled correctly-but it should be close enough for you to find it at the feed store. It is somewhat similar to yeast. Mix it with water and spray it on all your garden. You can ingest this product without harm. It is safe.
Soapy water is great and slug pellets are bad for everything else too. Another trick is to put broken egg shells around the plants, slugs and snails don't like to slither over them.
slug pellets, but if youve got kids or pets read the label first, or beer in a small shallow tub, or crushed eggshells that youve put in the oven for a while to harden them up. xx
The non green way ...slug pellets..salt makes slugs explode have you noticed ??...the green way spread crushed egg shells around you plants the slugs don't like scratchy surfaces hurts their tiny feet ?? foot??
Salt is not good for the soil or your plants.
Try one or more of these methods:
1. Coffee grounds spread around area deters slugs. Strong coffee poured directly on slugs kills them.
2.Chile Pepper...Sprinkle on plants & around them. Snails won't cross materials containing the naturally repelling properties of chile pepper.
3. Galic spray is great for getting rid of slugs, cutworms, wireworms, & whiteflies. Blend well 1garlic bulb & 1 onion add 1Tbsp cayenne pepper & 1 quart water. Steep ingredients for 1 hr, then strain & add 1 Tbsp dish soap and your non-toxic spray is ready to use. (1)(2)
4.Repellent mulches: Wormwood, prostrate rosemary, basil, rue, acacia bark, and oak leaves are disliked by snails and make good repellent mulches. Wormwood is also effective as a spray.
5. Barriers: Dry, dusty or sharp material can be a barrier to snails, such as hydrated lime, wood ash, sharp sand, crushed egg shells, or diatamaceous earth. Snail fences may also be made from galvanised metal, window screen wire and similar materials.
6.Traps: Place board on ground & scrape off snails when they gather on the underside, &/or place shallow containers sunk into the ground and filled with beer or other fermenting substances such as sour milk, or even a mixture of water and bakers yeast.
7. Mix 2 tbsp baby shampoo ( or mild dish soap) in 1 gallon of water & spray.
8. Onions repel slugs.
Ha Ha Ha! Best One I've heard all year!!
I wouldn't have believed it until i saw it for myself. My neighbor showed me. The beer thing really works. Inexpensive and non-toxic. Also you may want to enjoy some suds as you apply the deterrent. Happy gardening!!
Any brand of cheap lager usually attracts them.
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