Last year I built a coldframe. My wife moved three flats of marigolds into
it and something promptly ate the tops off of every one of them.... I didn't
think anything ate marigolds! What do you suppose it was? Slugs? Cutworms?
Mice?

Any suggestions to avoid the issue this year BEFORE I move plants out this
year?

Thanks
Ron H. in West Central Wisconsin



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"Ron H" wrote in message
...
Last year I built a coldframe. My wife moved three flats of marigolds into
it and something promptly ate the tops off of every one of them.... I
didn't think anything ate marigolds! What do you suppose it was? Slugs?
Cutworms? Mice?

Any suggestions to avoid the issue this year BEFORE I move plants out this
year?

Thanks
Ron H. in West Central Wisconsin


1) Dishes of beer, recessed into the ground so rims are level with soil.
Remove drowned slugs and put them in your wife's purse, or elsewhere.

2) Some sources say to spread sand around plants, because slugs don't like
the sharpness of the particles. Never tried this.

"Ron H" wrote in message
...
Last year I built a coldframe. My wife moved three flats of marigolds into
it and something promptly ate the tops off of every one of them.... I
didn't think anything ate marigolds! What do you suppose it was? Slugs?
Cutworms? Mice?

Any suggestions to avoid the issue this year BEFORE I move plants out this
year?

If the tops were completely gone I would suspect slugs or large numbers of
some kind of snail. Sprinkling salt around the outer and inner frame should
discourage both of these gross slimy little individuals.


Thanks
Ron H. in West Central Wisconsin



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In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"Ron H" wrote in message
...
Last year I built a coldframe. My wife moved three flats of marigolds into
it and something promptly ate the tops off of every one of them.... I
didn't think anything ate marigolds! What do you suppose it was? Slugs?
Cutworms? Mice?

Any suggestions to avoid the issue this year BEFORE I move plants out this
year?

Thanks
Ron H. in West Central Wisconsin


1) Dishes of beer, recessed into the ground so rims are level with soil.
Remove drowned slugs and put them in your wife's purse, or elsewhere.

2) Some sources say to spread sand around plants, because slugs don't like
the sharpness of the particles. Never tried this.

I haven't quit worked this all out yet, philosophically I'm opposed
using chemical poisons BUT anecdotally, coincidentally, serendipitously,
my snail and slug problem has disappeared with my casual use of
"Sluggo". What the down stream ramifications will be, I have no idea.
All I know is that I have 16 pea plants in the middle of what used to be
a snail infested, slug nirvana and, they (the peas) haven't been
molested at all for the past 10 days. Twelve days ago, I sprinkled
"Sluggo" around my garden area before planting the peas. The container
says (caveat emptor) that it is safe to use right up to the day of
harvest!!? This seems too good to be true but I sure want to believe it.
Anyway, take it from "ol' alligator mouth" and check it out.

As usual, criticism is welcomed and expected.

- Bill
Cloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

On Apr 10, 8:50 am, "Ron H" wrote:
Last year I built a coldframe. My wife moved three flats of marigolds into
it and something promptly ate the tops off of every one of them.... I didn't
think anything ate marigolds! What do you suppose it was? Slugs? Cutworms?
Mice?


Snails luuuurve marigolds.

Any suggestions to avoid the issue this year BEFORE I move plants out this
year?


Find whatever it is. Look for snails and slugs under and around the
frame and in any nearby sheltered spot. Put something tasty that you
won't miss out for bait and go out at night with a torch and catch
them in the act.

David

On Apr 10, 8:21 am, "
wrote:
On Apr 10, 8:50 am, "Ron H" wrote:

Last year I built a coldframe. My wife moved three flats of marigolds into
it and something promptly ate the tops off of every one of them.... I didn't
think anything ate marigolds! What do you suppose it was? Slugs? Cutworms?
Mice?

Snails luuuurve marigolds.

Any suggestions to avoid the issue this year BEFORE I move plants out this
year?

Find whatever it is. Look for snails and slugs under and around the
frame and in any nearby sheltered spot. Put something tasty that you
won't miss out for bait and go out at night with a torch and catch
them in the act.

David

Didn't we sprinkle slugs with salt when we were kids?

Johhny

On Apr 9, 6:56 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

1) Dishes of beer, recessed into the ground so rims are level with soil.
Remove drowned slugs and put them in your wife's purse, or elsewhere.


NO- leave them a 1/4 inch above the soil and the slugs will enter and
drown just fine.
What won't drown are the beetles who are predatory on slugs.