I normally manage to happily ignore slugs and snails EXCEPT at his time of
year when they massacre seedlings or
my Cardiocrinums which only come into leaf for a few months and just sit
there and get eaten down to the bulb before they can put on food for the
following year.

I know about night treks to garden with torch and beer traps etc. I also
use half pop bottles as temporary cloches.
I refuse to use slug pellets.
In the past I have used Aluminium sulphate as it sounded innocent
organic/environment wise.
I have also heard of Iron phosphate??? (or did I mishear that).
Anyone got an opinion on either OR know anything else that works.
I have tried gravel and it just slows them down slightly.

My default is to going to be to use teh cloches for teh greenhouse (tomato
seedlings) and the alu sulphate in the flower bed unless anyone has a better
idea.

Des (Dublin near the sea)

you can use nemotypes (sp?) from places like green gardener. I've found that
this works but you have to do it after teh frosts i think.

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)

"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

Des Higgins wrote:
I normally manage to happily ignore slugs and snails EXCEPT at his time
of
year when they massacre seedlings or
my Cardiocrinums which only come into leaf for a few months and just sit
there and get eaten down to the bulb before they can put on food for the
following year.
snip
I suggest most seriously that you try nematodes. They work here and
while we do have slugs, we have nothing like the quantity one might
expect in green, wet Devon. And - touch wood as I say this - neither
do we have vine weevil. But you MUST use this method exactly as
instructed and certainly repeat frequently, as instructed.
And do all you can to encourage wildlife into your garden, birds,
hedgehogs, frogs, toads etc.

The wildlife side is slowly improving but it is just now that slugs get to
me. I ignore them happily for 10 months of the year.
I will have a look at the nematodes.
The Alu sulphate works well as a barrier in confined spaces. It creates
sulphuric acid in low concenrations if slugs try to cross it (powdered on
soil) and that keeps them out.
I prefer not to use it near the food though.
Thanks
Des


--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

"H Ryder" wrote in message
...
you can use nemotypes (sp?) from places like green gardener. I've found
that
this works but you have to do it after teh frosts i think.

green gardener?
ahhhh
http://www.greengardener.co.uk/
kewl!
thanks for that


--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)

Des Higgins wrote:
I normally manage to happily ignore slugs and snails EXCEPT at his time of
year when they massacre seedlings or
my Cardiocrinums which only come into leaf for a few months and just sit
there and get eaten down to the bulb before they can put on food for the
following year.

With choice plants I get an empty 1 ltr or 2ltr plastic bottle ( Coke or the like)
and cut off the top and bottom.What's left acts as a sleeve which can be
removed
if you wish when the plant grows large (e.g.delphiniums,sunflowers),or
left on if
surrounding plants conceal it.It is free,non-poisonous,and usually
successful.

Sam

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Des Higgins" contains these words:


Anyone got an opinion on either OR know anything else that works.

They don't like crawling over wood ash, so if you have or know
someone with a woodburning stove, save some to make a defensive ring
around each lily. Failing that, fine beach sand. I find they don't like
crushed dry bracken, or roughly shopped comfrey leaves, either.

I just bit the bullet and bought some more Alu sulphate. It looks harmless
enough (as long as you do not get it in any orifices)
and I have even seen it in organic gardening shops. For the greenhouse, I
will try half plastic bottles.


Janet

"Des Higgins" wrote in message
. ie...

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Des Higgins" contains these words:


Anyone got an opinion on either OR know anything else that works.

They don't like crawling over wood ash, so if you have or know
someone with a woodburning stove, save some to make a defensive ring
around each lily. Failing that, fine beach sand. I find they don't like
crushed dry bracken, or roughly shopped comfrey leaves, either.

I just bit the bullet and bought some more Alu sulphate. It looks
harmless
enough (as long as you do not get it in any orifices)
and I have even seen it in organic gardening shops. For the greenhouse, I
will try half plastic bottles.

it has just finished raining here in the evening. I am going out shortly
with some gumboots, salt and flash light to catch some slugs and snails.

rob

"George.com" wrote in message
...

"Des Higgins" wrote in message
. ie...

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Des Higgins" contains these words:


Anyone got an opinion on either OR know anything else that works.

They don't like crawling over wood ash, so if you have or know
someone with a woodburning stove, save some to make a defensive ring
around each lily. Failing that, fine beach sand. I find they don't
like
crushed dry bracken, or roughly shopped comfrey leaves, either.

I just bit the bullet and bought some more Alu sulphate. It looks
harmless
enough (as long as you do not get it in any orifices)
and I have even seen it in organic gardening shops. For the greenhouse,
I
will try half plastic bottles.

it has just finished raining here in the evening. I am going out shortly
with some gumboots, salt and flash light to catch some slugs and snails.

rob

**********
It's my experience and belief that the method mentioned in your last two
lines is the only way to deal with the problem.
Don't tell anyone though, I heard recently that they are now protected by
law.
So go buy some new batteries and add a tin can with a handle to your
armoury.
I have no problem though.. Next door live illiterate thugs with a
back-"garden" weed forest which forces them to keep the indoor lights on.
Need I go on...?.
Dougie never owes.
**********

"The Invalid" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 3 Apr 2006 21:44:24 +1200, "George.com"
wrote:


"Des Higgins" wrote in message
.ie...

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Des Higgins" contains these words:


Anyone got an opinion on either OR know anything else that works.

They don't like crawling over wood ash, so if you have or know
someone with a woodburning stove, save some to make a defensive ring
around each lily. Failing that, fine beach sand. I find they don't
like
crushed dry bracken, or roughly shopped comfrey leaves, either.

I just bit the bullet and bought some more Alu sulphate. It looks
harmless
enough (as long as you do not get it in any orifices)
and I have even seen it in organic gardening shops. For the
greenhouse, I
will try half plastic bottles.

it has just finished raining here in the evening. I am going out shortly
with some gumboots, salt and flash light to catch some slugs and snails.

rob


I've found eggshells work fine for stopping slugs

when I am out in the garden I am always on the lookout for slugs and snails
and cull them as I find them. The last slug hunt found a few grown
slugs/snails and a few very young ones. A kill as find process has kept them
under control round my garden.

rob

George.com wrote:
when I am out in the garden I am always on the lookout for slugs and snails
and cull them as I find them. The last slug hunt found a few grown
slugs/snails and a few very young ones. A kill as find process has kept them
under control round my garden.

Indeedee. Now is very much the time to stop the tiny lil' slugs to turn
into huge specimen, and I salt massacre en masse every evening. It's
the best way. Afer 3 weeks of hunting by torchlight, which is in itself
a very good exercise, picking the big ones and putting them in a bucket
of salted water, I'm fairly confident that I've got most of them and
only then I put beer traps around the garden and can relax )

"George.com" wrote in message
...

"Des Higgins" wrote in message
. ie...

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Des Higgins" contains these words:


Anyone got an opinion on either OR know anything else that works.

They don't like crawling over wood ash, so if you have or know
someone with a woodburning stove, save some to make a defensive ring
around each lily. Failing that, fine beach sand. I find they don't
like
crushed dry bracken, or roughly shopped comfrey leaves, either.

I just bit the bullet and bought some more Alu sulphate. It looks
harmless
enough (as long as you do not get it in any orifices)
and I have even seen it in organic gardening shops. For the greenhouse,
I
will try half plastic bottles.

it has just finished raining here in the evening. I am going out shortly
with some gumboots, salt and flash light to catch some slugs and snails.

rob

**********
I think your last chapter is the more successful method of slug disposal.
However the species is under law protection, - I think, - so if a Bobby
shines his Peeler lamp upon you, your best excuse would to tell him you are
straight out of the pub and micturation is of immediately imminence. He
won't be able to spell that so he'll probably put his pencil away and
shuffle off, muttering that he has an appointment with a big pie which his
favourite servant-girl holds waiting for him in a certain back street
kitchen windowledge.
Doug.
**********

Um if anyone recently heard that slugs and snails are protected species
I think it was on the first of April.
My preferred method sounds revolting (well I suppose it is actually) I
hunt out the little chaps and cut off their heads with a sharp pair of
scissors (only used for this job) its a much quicker death than slow
burning by salt. Whats more slugs and snails love nothing better than
cannibalism and will gather in large numbers to eat the decapitated
remains-thereby providing the next batch for treatment all in one place.

wrote:
Um if anyone recently heard that slugs and snails are protected species
I think it was on the first of April.
My preferred method sounds revolting (well I suppose it is actually) I
hunt out the little chaps and cut off their heads with a sharp pair of
scissors (only used for this job) its a much quicker death than slow
burning by salt. Whats more slugs and snails love nothing better than
cannibalism and will gather in large numbers to eat the decapitated
remains-thereby providing the next batch for treatment all in one place.

I spear them before tossing them in a salted bucket with a Victorian
ivory handle cake fork. Very posh ;o)

"La Puce" wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:
Um if anyone recently heard that slugs and snails are protected species
I think it was on the first of April.
My preferred method sounds revolting (well I suppose it is actually) I
hunt out the little chaps and cut off their heads with a sharp pair of
scissors (only used for this job) its a much quicker death than slow
burning by salt. Whats more slugs and snails love nothing better than
cannibalism and will gather in large numbers to eat the decapitated
remains-thereby providing the next batch for treatment all in one place.

I spear them before tossing them in a salted bucket with a Victorian
ivory handle cake fork. Very posh ;o)

rather than salt I experimented on 2 slugs last night with baking soda and
washing soda. Both worked but not nearly as quickly as salt and I had to use
a whole lot more. I will try using lime as well at some point however either
the crush or salt works best for me.

rob

"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

Des Higgins wrote:
I normally manage to happily ignore slugs and snails EXCEPT at his time
of
year when they massacre seedlings or
my Cardiocrinums which only come into leaf for a few months and just sit
there and get eaten down to the bulb before they can put on food for the
following year.
snip
I suggest most seriously that you try nematodes. They work here and
while we do have slugs, we have nothing like the quantity one might
expect in green, wet Devon. And - touch wood as I say this - neither
do we have vine weevil. But you MUST use this method exactly as
instructed and certainly repeat frequently, as instructed.
And do all you can to encourage wildlife into your garden, birds,
hedgehogs, frogs, toads etc.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Have you found nematodes also work on snails? There are conflicting stories