- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.

My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

On 2009-05-07 07:52:11 +0100, bob said:

- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.

My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

Mice seem fond of Clematis, too. If you do choose the chemical route,
I'd recommend Sluggit and then pick off the dead snails or slugs next
morning and dispose of them.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Sacha writes
On 2009-05-07 07:52:11 +0100, bob said:

- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.
My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

Mice seem fond of Clematis, too. If you do choose the chemical route,
I'd recommend Sluggit and then pick off the dead snails or slugs next
morning and dispose of them.

Alternative is to grow clematis in large pots away from slugs (I grow in
greenhouse) until they have about 4ft of woody stem and then plant them
out. And don't cut them back lower than this. Although they still get
slug/snail damage, it's a lot less at that height, and they soon get to
a level of vigour where they are growing faster than the slugs can eat.

I had a clematis which simply 'disappeared', and didn't reappear the
following year. Something like 3 years later I was rooting around in the
flower bed and came across the roots of the clematis, still alive. So I
dug it up and planted it in the greenhouse, and it grew away happily.
They have a most remarkable will to live!

Also - don't be too ready to assume wilting stems are clematis wilt -
inspect closely, and you may find the stem has been almost rasped though
by a snail.
--
Kay

On Thu, 7 May 2009 10:09:20 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-05-07 07:52:11 +0100, bob said:

- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.

My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

Mice seem fond of Clematis, too. If you do choose the chemical route,
I'd recommend Sluggit and then pick off the dead snails or slugs next
morning and dispose of them.

thanks Sacha, that's what I need - I'm in France, does anyone know if
it's the same brand name?
--

On Thu, 7 May 2009 10:26:16 +0100, K wrote:

Sacha writes
On 2009-05-07 07:52:11 +0100, bob said:

- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.
My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

Mice seem fond of Clematis, too. If you do choose the chemical route,
I'd recommend Sluggit and then pick off the dead snails or slugs next
morning and dispose of them.

Alternative is to grow clematis in large pots away from slugs (I grow in
greenhouse) until they have about 4ft of woody stem and then plant them
out. And don't cut them back lower than this. Although they still get
slug/snail damage, it's a lot less at that height, and they soon get to
a level of vigour where they are growing faster than the slugs can eat.

I had a clematis which simply 'disappeared', and didn't reappear the
following year. Something like 3 years later I was rooting around in the
flower bed and came across the roots of the clematis, still alive. So I
dug it up and planted it in the greenhouse, and it grew away happily.
They have a most remarkable will to live!

Also - don't be too ready to assume wilting stems are clematis wilt -
inspect closely, and you may find the stem has been almost rasped though
by a snail.

Interesting, I wondered if the growth rate could exceed munch speed.

I don't have a greenhouse, nor space for one. I suppose pots, while
not actually snail proof, at least have the advantage of breaking the
continuity with neighbouring terrain. I'll move them to pots in
autumn if the sluggit doesn't work.

K wrote:

Alternative is to grow clematis in large pots away from slugs (I grow in
greenhouse) until they have about 4ft of woody stem and then plant them
out. And don't cut them back lower than this. Although they still get
slug/snail damage, it's a lot less at that height, and they soon get to
a level of vigour where they are growing faster than the slugs can eat.

I note that it is generally advised to prune clematis fairly hard
after flowering, yet some of the most impressive displays I have
seen have been those where it has just been left to itself on a
wall or trellis.

Any thoughts?

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

On 2009-05-07 10:49:38 +0100, bob said:

On Thu, 7 May 2009 10:09:20 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-05-07 07:52:11 +0100, bob said:

- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.

My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

Mice seem fond of Clematis, too. If you do choose the chemical route,
I'd recommend Sluggit and then pick off the dead snails or slugs next
morning and dispose of them.

thanks Sacha, that's what I need - I'm in France, does anyone know if
it's the same brand name?
--

I can't find the name of the manufacturer (Murphy's?) but Mole Valley
Farmers stock something similar called Slug Clear. I don't see why
they couldn't either tell you what to find in France or perhaps send
you some as it's all in the EU. But I believe there's a French
gardening forum and we have a few urg members either living full time
in France or with holiday homes there, who might be able to help. Do
Mamouth have a gardening section - too long since I've been there!
Once you've dealt with your slugs this way, you might like to consider
looking at the use of Nematodes. They're more expensive but they're
environmentally much more friendly. But you can't use them and a
chemical slug poison because that would kill off the Nematodes.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

On Thu, 7 May 2009 11:19:02 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-05-07 10:49:38 +0100, bob said:

On Thu, 7 May 2009 10:09:20 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-05-07 07:52:11 +0100, bob said:

- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.

My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

Mice seem fond of Clematis, too. If you do choose the chemical route,
I'd recommend Sluggit and then pick off the dead snails or slugs next
morning and dispose of them.

thanks Sacha, that's what I need - I'm in France, does anyone know if
it's the same brand name?
--

I can't find the name of the manufacturer (Murphy's?) but Mole Valley
Farmers stock something similar called Slug Clear. I don't see why
they couldn't either tell you what to find in France or perhaps send
you some as it's all in the EU. But I believe there's a French
gardening forum and we have a few urg members either living full time
in France or with holiday homes there, who might be able to help. Do
Mamouth have a gardening section - too long since I've been there!
Once you've dealt with your slugs this way, you might like to consider
looking at the use of Nematodes. They're more expensive but they're
environmentally much more friendly. But you can't use them and a
chemical slug poison because that would kill off the Nematodes.

I'd heard of Nematodes some time ago but was not gardening at the
time. It's a wonderful idea. I wonder if they always work, and
without untoward side-effects.

I'll look into it.

--

Try a barrier round the bottom of the plant - sharp grit or something similar. And continue to pick of and destroy any snails you find. No good throwing them over the fence. They come back.

Chris J Dixon writes
K wrote:

Alternative is to grow clematis in large pots away from slugs (I grow in
greenhouse) until they have about 4ft of woody stem and then plant them
out. And don't cut them back lower than this. Although they still get
slug/snail damage, it's a lot less at that height, and they soon get to
a level of vigour where they are growing faster than the slugs can eat.

I note that it is generally advised to prune clematis fairly hard
after flowering, yet some of the most impressive displays I have
seen have been those where it has just been left to itself on a
wall or trellis.

Pruning depends on the clematis species (early, mid season or late
flowering) and is partly to bring the flowers into vision rather than
somewhere in the tree tops.
--
Kay

On 2009-05-07 11:15:51 +0100, Chris J Dixon said:

K wrote:

Alternative is to grow clematis in large pots away from slugs (I grow in
greenhouse) until they have about 4ft of woody stem and then plant them
out. And don't cut them back lower than this. Although they still get
slug/snail damage, it's a lot less at that height, and they soon get to
a level of vigour where they are growing faster than the slugs can eat.

I note that it is generally advised to prune clematis fairly hard
after flowering, yet some of the most impressive displays I have
seen have been those where it has just been left to itself on a
wall or trellis.

Any thoughts?

Chris

It depends on the type of Clematis and they're split into groups with
regard to pruning requirements. That's why it helps to grow two of the
same type together, or indeed with a rose needing the same treatment.
Our C. redehriana is usually hacked back to the ground every year and
is up by the bedroom windows next summer.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

On 2009-05-07 11:27:40 +0100, bob said:

On Thu, 7 May 2009 11:19:02 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-05-07 10:49:38 +0100, bob said:

On Thu, 7 May 2009 10:09:20 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-05-07 07:52:11 +0100, bob said:

- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.

My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

Mice seem fond of Clematis, too. If you do choose the chemical route,
I'd recommend Sluggit and then pick off the dead snails or slugs next
morning and dispose of them.

thanks Sacha, that's what I need - I'm in France, does anyone know if
it's the same brand name?
--

I can't find the name of the manufacturer (Murphy's?) but Mole Valley
Farmers stock something similar called Slug Clear. I don't see why
they couldn't either tell you what to find in France or perhaps send
you some as it's all in the EU. But I believe there's a French
gardening forum and we have a few urg members either living full time
in France or with holiday homes there, who might be able to help. Do
Mamouth have a gardening section - too long since I've been there!
Once you've dealt with your slugs this way, you might like to consider
looking at the use of Nematodes. They're more expensive but they're
environmentally much more friendly. But you can't use them and a
chemical slug poison because that would kill off the Nematodes.

I'd heard of Nematodes some time ago but was not gardening at the
time. It's a wonderful idea. I wonder if they always work, and
without untoward side-effects.

I'll look into it.

--

We use them here on the Nursery area in particular and they do work.
Nothing is 100%, especially as we're surrounded by fields but they're
remarkably effective. We use other biological controls in the
greenhouses, too.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

In article ,
says...
K wrote:

Alternative is to grow clematis in large pots away from slugs (I grow in
greenhouse) until they have about 4ft of woody stem and then plant them
out. And don't cut them back lower than this. Although they still get
slug/snail damage, it's a lot less at that height, and they soon get to
a level of vigour where they are growing faster than the slugs can eat.

I note that it is generally advised to prune clematis fairly hard
after flowering, yet some of the most impressive displays I have
seen have been those where it has just been left to itself on a
wall or trellis.

Any thoughts?

Chris

There are many different sorts of Clematis several diffent ways of
pruning or tidying and no two clematis experts agree on any of it!!, and
different gardeners are willing, or not to put up with the tat in the
winter
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

In article , bob says...
On Thu, 7 May 2009 10:09:20 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-05-07 07:52:11 +0100, bob said:

- only planted last autumn so not much growth on them yet, and most
of the new flower buds tips have been munched on.

My Readers digest book says earwigs/slugs, but I picked off a couple
of tiny snails this morning. Can I win this way, or should I use a
chemical?

Mice seem fond of Clematis, too. If you do choose the chemical route,
I'd recommend Sluggit and then pick off the dead snails or slugs next
morning and dispose of them.

thanks Sacha, that's what I need - I'm in France, does anyone know if
it's the same brand name?
--

Slug Clear is made by Murpheys and used to be called "Slug it" I spray
the plant and its surroundings, just wait for the weather man to say its
not going to rain that night and apply around tea time, as Sacha said it
works a treat
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea