Slug corner

As the weather turns wet (again!) in the UK, and slugs flourish, what are people doing to protect their precious plants?

Well Mr JG goes out slug hunting as it gets dark. we planted 3 hollyhocks a few weeks ago. two of them are fine and one is being munched.

We are thinking of buying some slug pellets

Various things, Dandelion. I do still use the blue pellets, but cautiously and mainly on the greenhouse bench, where I don't have any worries about wildlife eating dead molluscs. Outside, where things are under cloches, I use some granules that are meant to be wildlife friendly - I suspect they are no more than something like salt and they disappear the minute they get damp (hence using them under cloches). They work by direct contact with the slug/snail and the resulting foamy slime isn't pleasant. Being in the trade, I also have some old bits of 10mm copper tube that is no good for gas or oil work anymore. I have these in rings around some vulnerable plants and that seems to help, though I'm thinking of cutting them up into shortish lengths and threading them on string like necklaces, so that they will be in better contact with the ground.

I've considered biological controls and also the thing that Billy put the link on for quite recently. It's tempting from the gardening point of view, but there is something about just killing the lot that doesn't sit easy with me. I don't like killing things if I can help it. I'm quite glad I've just written all this, as it has clarified my own thoughts about it. Copper is probably going to be the one I try most with.

Miss JG has just told me she didn't come into the kitchen to put her bowl and mug in the dishwasher before she went to bed last night because there were two large slugs on the floor. There will be a line of salt outside the back door later.

Urgh !

I have used more slug pellets than I like. Please use the more environmentally friendly iron phosphate ones rather than the nasty metaldehyde ones though, which are toxic to a number of animals (including cats and dogs).

They don't seem to much like slithering over wood ash either, which fortunately I make myself throughout the winter !

I did a bit of a double take the other morning when I pulled the bread board out of the cupboard and found a slug on it. Only a little one, but still... I think they must come in under the floor somehow. I put the slug on top of the guinea pig's cage, while i was making my sandwich, to take out to the chickens, and when I went to get it it had vanished. I then found it hiding under a tray of cauliflower seedlings I had put ready to take in for a friend at school. I haven't got any bright ideas for tackling indoor slugs (house slugs??) as I don't really fancy the mess which salt makes. Never mind, once I've got hold of the little blighters the chickens know what to do with them!!

I'm afraid I bought a thing of slug pellets today. Mr JG has just sprinkled a few around the poorly hollyhock.

Before I go to bed I will lay a line of salt by the back door to keep the lugs at bay.

I'm guessing a copper doorstep would be a bit expensive...?

It's a thought.

Didn't put enough salt down - there was a large slug trail over the door mat this morning