The potatoes I dug up this year were badly damaged by slugs,
how can I reduce, or stop that damage in the future?

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

Alan Holmes wrote:

The potatoes I dug up this year were badly damaged by slugs,
how can I reduce, or stop that damage in the future?

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

Seems very dependent on variety. And I'd guess different varieties
respond differently in different areas.

Last year, having acquired a much larger garden, we bought a potato
"variety pack" - about 10 different varities. Fascinating to compare how
they developed, resistance to pests, disease, drought, etc, taste and
productivity. A couple of varieties were badly damaged by slugs whereas
others were completely unscathed.

Taste also varied enormously - some simply wonderful and others almost
tasteless.

Unfortunately, names were written on tags with non-indelible marker -
so, we must repeat experiment again this year!
--
Larry Stoter

"Larry Stoter" wrote in message
.uk...
Last year, having acquired a much larger garden, we bought a potato
"variety pack" - about 10 different varities. Fascinating to compare how
they developed, resistance to pests, disease, drought, etc, taste and
productivity. A couple of varieties were badly damaged by slugs whereas
others were completely unscathed.

Taste also varied enormously - some simply wonderful and others almost
tasteless.

Unfortunately, names were written on tags with non-indelible marker -
so, we must repeat experiment again this year!
--
Yes I've frequently come unstuck with labelling such trials. Another piece
of bad news is that various qualities of spuds are not consistent from year
to year. So much depends on weather, nutrition and other factors that you
need to repeat your trials over many years to see anything like a pattern
emerging. It should go without saying but I'll say it anyway that you need
to try to control as many aspects of culture as you can in a consistent and
repeatable manner otherwise you just end up with good years/bad years - good
spuds/bad spuds for no reason you can put your finger on. That's about where
I'm at now.

Rod

The potatoes I dug up this year were badly damaged by slugs,
how can I reduce, or stop that damage in the future?

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk


Grow the potatoes in barrels, or some similar container(s) and protect the
container(s) from the slug attacks. If you need further info just ask, but
this method has the advantages of being easy to earth up, having larger
pest/disease-free crops and easier, more efficient harvesting. If you need
reasons why I'd be happy to explain, but trust me and it will give you better
results.

Dave.

On 26 Nov 2002 20:20:04 GMT, (DaveDay34) wrote:

The potatoes I dug up this year were badly damaged by slugs,
how can I reduce, or stop that damage in the future?

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk


Grow the potatoes in barrels, or some similar container(s) and protect the
container(s) from the slug attacks. If you need further info just ask, but
this method has the advantages of being easy to earth up, having larger
pest/disease-free crops and easier, more efficient harvesting. If you need
reasons why I'd be happy to explain, but trust me and it will give you better
results.

Dave.


But what to do if you get wire worm ? We usually plant out at least a
stone of seed potatoes and I can't envisage that fitting in barrels
;-)


Paul Mc Cann

in article , Paul Mc Cann at
wrote on 26/11/02 10:04 pm:

On 26 Nov 2002 20:20:04 GMT, (DaveDay34) wrote:

The potatoes I dug up this year were badly damaged by slugs,
how can I reduce, or stop that damage in the future?



Grow the potatoes in barrels, or some similar container(s)
snip


But what to do if you get wire worm ? We usually plant out at least a
stone of seed potatoes and I can't envisage that fitting in barrels
;-)

Nematodes for the slugs. Don't know if it works on wireworm but it's worth
researching.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk

"Paul Mc Cann" wrote in message
...
But what to do if you get wire worm ? We usually plant out at least a
stone of seed potatoes and I can't envisage that fitting in barrels
;-)

Wireworm is not usually a permanent problem. Attack can be quite severe in a
new plot of freshly broken grassland but not in a plot which has been
cultivated for some years.

Rod

On Wed, 27 Nov 2002 18:17:23 -0000, "Rod"
wrote:


"Paul Mc Cann" wrote in message
.. .
But what to do if you get wire worm ? We usually plant out at least a
stone of seed potatoes and I can't envisage that fitting in barrels
;-)

Wireworm is not usually a permanent problem. Attack can be quite severe in a
new plot of freshly broken grassland but not in a plot which has been
cultivated for some years.

Rod


I'm afraid we are the opposite of that. We have been growing
vegetables on this plot for nigh on 10 years. Strange to relate but
last year it was left fallow as we had a lot of work to do on the
decorative side of the garden.

My understanding is that it is not a simple thing to cure, if it can
be cured at all that is.

Paul Mc Cann

Wireworm is not usually a permanent problem. Attack can be quite severe
in a
new plot of freshly broken grassland but not in a plot which has been
cultivated for some years.

Rod


I'm afraid we are the opposite of that. We have been growing
vegetables on this plot for nigh on 10 years. Strange to relate but
last year it was left fallow as we had a lot of work to do on the
decorative side of the garden.

My understanding is that it is not a simple thing to cure, if it can
be cured at all that is.

Paul Mc Cann

When I was a kid we had a lot of wireworm, my Mom grew mustard and then dug
it into the soil. That was the end of the wireworm! She read it somewhere
and it worked, you might want to try it.

Peter


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.423 / Virus Database: 238 - Release Date: 25/11/2002