Can anyone suggest what may be attacking my pansies? They're in troughs
on a window sill and, one by one, something seems to be lopping the tops
off very cleanly at ground level. No soil or root disturbance, and no
damage to flowers or foliage.

Any advice welcome

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest what may be attacking my pansies? They're in troughs on
a window sill and, one by one, something seems to be lopping the tops off
very cleanly at ground level. No soil or root disturbance, and no damage
to flowers or foliage.

Any advice welcome

Slugs

Put a ring of copper wire around your trough.

My daughter and son in law were away for a couple of weeks and we looked
after their place. EXACTLY the same thing was happening to a pair of tubs
either side of the front door, until .......................................
I put the copper wire round :-)

Mike

stuart noble writes
Can anyone suggest what may be attacking my pansies? They're in troughs
on a window sill and, one by one, something seems to be lopping the
tops off very cleanly at ground level. No soil or root disturbance, and
no damage to flowers or foliage.

Any advice welcome

Slugs.

They're active at night so you won't see any signs during the daytime,
but they eat through soft stems at ground level.

I don't know whether you're experience will be the same, but I've found
that violas don't get slug damage whereas pansies do. It seems quite
strange to me, since they're so closely related.

--
Kay

K wrote:
stuart noble writes
Can anyone suggest what may be attacking my pansies? They're in
troughs on a window sill and, one by one, something seems to be
lopping the tops off very cleanly at ground level. No soil or root
disturbance, and no damage to flowers or foliage.

Any advice welcome

Slugs.

Of course. Why didn't I think of that? Thanks to both. Copper rings it
is then.


They're active at night so you won't see any signs during the daytime,
but they eat through soft stems at ground level.

I don't know whether you're experience will be the same, but I've found
that violas don't get slug damage whereas pansies do. It seems quite
strange to me, since they're so closely related.

'Mike' wrote:
"stuart noble" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest what may be attacking my pansies? They're in troughs on
a window sill and, one by one, something seems to be lopping the tops off
very cleanly at ground level. No soil or root disturbance, and no damage
to flowers or foliage.

Any advice welcome

Slugs

Put a ring of copper wire around your trough.

My daughter and son in law were away for a couple of weeks and we looked
after their place. EXACTLY the same thing was happening to a pair of tubs
either side of the front door, until .......................................
I put the copper wire round :-)

Mike



Ah. Copper wire you say. Maybe I'll try a length of 2.5mm cable round
the base of the trough, or would it be better round the top edge?
I'd better locate the slugs too. Wouldn't want to be trapping them
inside the troughs :-)

The message
from stuart noble contains these words:

Can anyone suggest what may be attacking my pansies? They're in troughs
on a window sill and, one by one, something seems to be lopping the tops
off very cleanly at ground level. No soil or root disturbance, and no
damage to flowers or foliage.

Any advice welcome

Slugs.

hint They prefer slug pellets to pansies. /hint

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...
'Mike' wrote:
"stuart noble" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest what may be attacking my pansies? They're in troughs
on a window sill and, one by one, something seems to be lopping the tops
off very cleanly at ground level. No soil or root disturbance, and no
damage to flowers or foliage.

Any advice welcome

Slugs

Put a ring of copper wire around your trough.

My daughter and son in law were away for a couple of weeks and we looked
after their place. EXACTLY the same thing was happening to a pair of tubs
either side of the front door, until
....................................... I put the copper wire round :-)

Mike



Ah. Copper wire you say. Maybe I'll try a length of 2.5mm cable round the
base of the trough, or would it be better round the top edge?
I'd better locate the slugs too. Wouldn't want to be trapping them inside
the troughs :-)

If you click on the photo and then click again it enlarges it and you will
see a groove under the bowl. I put the wire in there :-))

http://www.myalbum.com/Album-LYIEPEI...d_streets.html

Mike

The message
from stuart noble contains these words:

Ah. Copper wire you say. Maybe I'll try a length of 2.5mm cable round
the base of the trough, or would it be better round the top edge?
I'd better locate the slugs too. Wouldn't want to be trapping them
inside the troughs :-)

They'll be in the soil of the trough.

That's why I suggested hint slug pellets /hint.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

On Nov 10, 1:19 pm, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:
The message
from stuart noble contains these words:

Ah. Copper wire you say. Maybe I'll try a length of 2.5mm cable round
the base of the trough, or would it be better round the top edge?
I'd better locate the slugs too. Wouldn't want to be trapping them
inside the troughs :-)

They'll be in the soil of the trough.

That's why I suggested hint slug pellets /hint.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

I tried organic methods, once, of getting rid keeping slugs and snails
off my plants in pots, but, they were in the soil, I handpicked
several times but they still came back and I resorted to slug
pellets. On my parents grave, I have an awful problem when putting
fresh flowers there, within a couple of days they are almost eaten!
They are buried in a lovely old flint walled churchyard and I don't
like to throw green pellets around, any tips???

Judith

The message

from Judith in France contains these words:

I tried organic methods, once, of getting rid keeping slugs and snails
off my plants in pots, but, they were in the soil, I handpicked
several times but they still came back and I resorted to slug
pellets. On my parents grave, I have an awful problem when putting
fresh flowers there, within a couple of days they are almost eaten!
They are buried in a lovely old flint walled churchyard and I don't
like to throw green pellets around, any tips???

Throw blue ones?

D&RFC

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

Judith in France wrote:
On Nov 10, 1:19 pm, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:
The message
from stuart noble contains these words:

Ah. Copper wire you say. Maybe I'll try a length of 2.5mm cable round
the base of the trough, or would it be better round the top edge?
I'd better locate the slugs too. Wouldn't want to be trapping them
inside the troughs :-)
They'll be in the soil of the trough.

That's why I suggested hint slug pellets /hint.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

I tried organic methods, once, of getting rid keeping slugs and snails
off my plants in pots, but, they were in the soil, I handpicked
several times but they still came back and I resorted to slug
pellets. On my parents grave, I have an awful problem when putting
fresh flowers there, within a couple of days they are almost eaten!
They are buried in a lovely old flint walled churchyard and I don't
like to throw green pellets around, any tips???

Judith

I would suggest that if your parents are buried in UK and you live in
France then you do indeed have a problem.
Perhaps using plants that are unattractive to slugs and snails.
I don't really think that the fact that your parents are buried in a
flint walled churchyard would make any difference, except if the local
authorities or Church authorities have a rule against the use of green
pellets. (or blue ones for that matter)
I garden entirely organically and have lots of animals, slug pellets
are out, so I just use plants that they don't like. A thorough shufty of
the ole Internet should come up with several to fit the bill. Lots of
evergreens are quite safe from the ravages of slugs and snails and can
make a year long attractive show. Euonymus come in all colours and sizes
and often have attractive berries.

I hope that helps.

A. Keengardener.:-)

On Nov 10, 3:57 pm, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:
The message

from Judith in France contains these words:

I tried organic methods, once, of getting rid keeping slugs and snails
off my plants in pots, but, they were in the soil, I handpicked
several times but they still came back and I resorted to slug
pellets. On my parents grave, I have an awful problem when putting
fresh flowers there, within a couple of days they are almost eaten!
They are buried in a lovely old flint walled churchyard and I don't
like to throw green pellets around, any tips???

Throw blue ones?

D&RFC

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

I tried egg shells Rusty, that was a waste of time.

Judith

The message

from Judith in France contains these words:
On Nov 10, 3:57 pm, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:
The message

from Judith in France contains these words:

I tried organic methods, once, of getting rid keeping slugs and snails
off my plants in pots, but, they were in the soil, I handpicked
several times but they still came back and I resorted to slug
pellets. On my parents grave, I have an awful problem when putting
fresh flowers there, within a couple of days they are almost eaten!
They are buried in a lovely old flint walled churchyard and I don't
like to throw green pellets around, any tips???

Throw blue ones?

D&RFC

I tried egg shells Rusty, that was a waste of time.

Try some copper filings.

I'm syre you can get hold of a piece of copper water pipe. Grip in a
vice and poke it through a sheet of paper or polythene, then tape it in
place.

Acquire a nice coarse ******* file and make as many filings as you need
to sprinkle round the plants. That should take care of things for a
while, anyway.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

The message
from Martin contains these words:
On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:51:54 -0800 (PST), Judith in France
wrote:
On Nov 10, 3:57 pm, Rusty_Hinge
wrote:
The message

from Judith in France contains these words:

I tried organic methods, once, of getting rid keeping slugs and snails
off my plants in pots, but, they were in the soil, I handpicked
several times but they still came back and I resorted to slug
pellets. On my parents grave, I have an awful problem when putting
fresh flowers there, within a couple of days they are almost eaten!
They are buried in a lovely old flint walled churchyard and I don't
like to throw green pellets around, any tips???

Throw blue ones?

D&RFC

I tried egg shells Rusty, that was a waste of time.

Give them Heineken.

Reaches the prats that other beers...

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

In article ,
Rusty_Hinge wrote:

Give them Heineken.

Reaches the prats that other beers...

Nah. Try Stella or Fosters for that. Or perhaps you don't call them
beers :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.