Slugs natural food
 

I have been wondering why it is that we never seem to find any weeds
being chewed by slugs.
I know that a lot of slugs have a natural diet of dead and decaying
plant matter, but you'd think that things like nice young chickweed
would be nice for them.
David @ the showery end of Swansea Bay

Slugs natural food
 

On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 11:37:42 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I have been wondering why it is that we never seem to find any weeds
being chewed by slugs.
I know that a lot of slugs have a natural diet of dead and decaying
plant matter, but you'd think that things like nice young chickweed
would be nice for them.
David @ the showery end of Swansea Bay

But that would be too 'healthy'...

JonH

Slugs natural food
 

On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 11:37:42 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I have been wondering why it is that we never seem to find any weeds
being chewed by slugs.

It is probably because weeds and slugs have evolved in a balanced
relationship. Our garden plants are recent and are not part of the
balance with slugs.

Steve

--
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Slugs natural food
 

David Hill wrote in news:a5anjcF7piU3
@mid.individual.net:

I have been wondering why it is that we never seem to find any weeds
being chewed by slugs.
I know that a lot of slugs have a natural diet of dead and decaying
plant matter, but you'd think that things like nice young chickweed
would be nice for them.
David @ the showery end of Swansea Bay


I always assumed that is one of the reasons why weeds survive so well.
I never see any insect damage on weeds either.
Also rabbits prefer my friends brassiccas rather than dandelions on his
allotment.
Some people say that a weed is just a flower in the wrong place. Could be
true I suppose. I have my doubts. I have probably the biggest and varied
collection on this planet :-(
Well, it seems that way.

Baz

Slugs natural food
 

On 01/07/2012 12:39, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 11:37:42 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

I have been wondering why it is that we never seem to find any weeds
being chewed by slugs.

It is probably because weeds and slugs have evolved in a balanced
relationship. Our garden plants are recent and are not part of the
balance with slugs.

Steve





Also, we expect our plants to be far superior and productive compared to
weeds, so they are generally grown in better conditions than weeds,
making them more succulent and inviting.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Slugs natural food
 

On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:12:39 +0100, Spider wrote:



Also, we expect our plants to be far superior and productive compared to
weeds, so they are generally grown in better conditions than weeds,
making them more succulent and inviting.

Are you implying that my hostas and dahlias, which are entirely
un-nibbled, have been grown in worse conditions than weeds in order to
make them less succulent and inviting? I would challenge you to
pistols at dawn but you would have a minimum advantage of 2:1 ;)

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!

Slugs natural food
 

On 01/07/2012 15:26, Jake wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:12:39 +0100, wrote:



Also, we expect our plants to be far superior and productive compared to
weeds, so they are generally grown in better conditions than weeds,
making them more succulent and inviting.

Are you implying that my hostas and dahlias, which are entirely
un-nibbled, have been grown in worse conditions than weeds in order to
make them less succulent and inviting?


Yup!! Must be so. :~)) Of course slug treatments would make them less
inviting, however succulent.


I would challenge you to
pistols at dawn but you would have a minimum advantage of 2:1 ;)


Oh, easily, and I could lasso you with my web. Bet you'd look dead cute
wrapped in silk :~)).



Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Slugs natural food
 

On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 19:12:21 +0100, Spider wrote:



Of course slug treatments would make them less
inviting, however succulent.

The only slug treatments here are provided by the occasional nocturnal
expedition with bucket of salty water to locate those not already
dealt with by the healthy resident population of hedgehogs, frogs and
toads. I've noticed blackbirds flying off with the odd slug too!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!

Slugs natural food
 

On 01/07/2012 19:16, Jake wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 19:12:21 +0100, wrote:



Of course slug treatments would make them less
inviting, however succulent.

The only slug treatments here are provided by the occasional nocturnal
expedition with bucket of salty water to locate those not already
dealt with by the healthy resident population of hedgehogs, frogs and
toads. I've noticed blackbirds flying off with the odd slug too!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!




I reckon that's enough to deter any slug from eating your succulent
leaves. I could *almost* feel sorry for your poor gastropods.

What do you do with your bucket of salt and snails? I can't imagine
you'd put them on the compost heap ... far too unhealthy for your army
of mollusc-munchers. Sewer, perhaps?

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Slugs natural food
 

On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:07:08 +0100, Spider wrote:


What do you do with your bucket of salt and snails? I can't imagine
you'd put them on the compost heap ... far too unhealthy for your army
of mollusc-munchers. Sewer, perhaps?

Makes a nice, if a little salty, soup.

It usually gets tipped into the "inspection chamber" that serves the
downstairs loo to avoid possibility of shells getting caught or not
flushing away inside. I only empty it about every 5-6 weeks as, apart
from any shells, the rest seems to condense itself into a nice jelly
in the bottom of the little bucket.

Occasionally I go out a bit earlier and find the odd sluglet which I
simply chop in two with scissors and leave on the path. Then later on
I can collect half-a-dozen slugs from around each half. Cannibals!
Snails don't seem to do this.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!

Slugs natural food
 

Occasionally I go out a bit earlier and find the odd sluglet which I
simply chop in two with scissors and leave on the path. Then later on
I can collect half-a-dozen slugs from around each half. Cannibals!
Snails don't seem to do this.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!


Scissors?
I normal get them between thumb and forefinger and just flick them in half
David @ the very wet end of Swansea Bay

Slugs natural food
 

On 02/07/2012 16:11, Jake wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:07:08 +0100, wrote:


What do you do with your bucket of salt and snails? I can't imagine
you'd put them on the compost heap ... far too unhealthy for your army
of mollusc-munchers. Sewer, perhaps?

Makes a nice, if a little salty, soup.

It usually gets tipped into the "inspection chamber" that serves the
downstairs loo to avoid possibility of shells getting caught or not
flushing away inside. I only empty it about every 5-6 weeks as, apart
from any shells, the rest seems to condense itself into a nice jelly
in the bottom of the little bucket.

Occasionally I go out a bit earlier and find the odd sluglet which I
simply chop in two with scissors and leave on the path. Then later on
I can collect half-a-dozen slugs from around each half. Cannibals!
Snails don't seem to do this.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!




You may keep the soup for yourself. Yuk!

That bucket must reek after 5-6 wks. Double yuk!!

I've also seen slugs chomping merrily on their dead cousins. Although
snails don't appear to do it, slugs most certainly tuck into dead snails
with relish (No, I don't put out ketchup for them!).

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Slugs natural food
 

On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:19:11 +0100, Spider wrote:




That bucket must reek after 5-6 wks. Double yuk!!

Surprisingly, not at all apart from an aroma of salty water.

I've also seen slugs chomping merrily on their dead cousins. Although
snails don't appear to do it, slugs most certainly tuck into dead snails
with relish (No, I don't put out ketchup for them!).

It can be fun if a hedgehog just beats me to the gathering. Hogs are
noisy eaters but they'll vacuum up half-a-dozen sluggies in seconds.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!