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wellington womble

nemaslug

This year, I'm planning on using nemaslug to keep some plants. My single frog simply cannot eat enough of them, and is facing obesity problems. As far as I know, I have no birds, except pigeons, and attempts to feed them are rebuffed (I can't put up nest boxes because of other peoples cats)

So, I've been scrabbling around for plastic containers for beertraps (we don't seem to have many, all of a sudden!) and I'm going to order some nemaslug from HDRA. Has anyone used this before? It says that the soil temperature should be at least 6 degrees - any idea when that might be in south east anyone?
Treacodactyl

We did use this and it seemed to help. Do you have any ponds near by as I was a little worried it affected our pond snails but I have no way of knowing if it did. Not sure when the soil will stay at 6°C as that will depend on if we get a late frost.

Bugs, do you remember when we applied ours?
Bugs

I can't remember, but I might have it written down in the garden diary. I'll have a check tonight.

WW, this year, I 'ar mostly bin keeping eggshells because I'd seen a couple of people growing plants with a copious mulch of them (have tried a sprinkling before and it was rubbish) and they were completely protected from the critters. Still worth a go, esp with all the cooking you do?
wellington womble

I have been keeping them - if you bake them (I just shove them in a tin permantly in the bottom of the oven) they don't smell. I'm going for a many legged attack this year, I don't mind a few holes, but they destroy whole plants, that just don't recover. And they won't share!
Bugs

Although it certainly annoys me to have a plant disappear I hate it more when the little sods nibble a stalk, making the plant collapse, and then just leave it.

You know how people use "pig" and "dog" and "cow" as insults? But pigs and dogs and cows are beautiful, useful creatures. I'm going to start using "slug" as an insult. I know they're all part of the glory of creation, but it's a lot harder to remember.

I can think of a few "slugs" offhand... Twisted Evil
onejohndog

I have an allotment that is besieged by the little critters, and have tried the beer traps with good success, only problem is i never seem to much spare beer, the old guy next to me put fresh seaweed in his potatoe trenches last year and got really good results both in crop and slug resistance, possibly something to do with the salt . but i am going to give it a go this year , and possibly try mulching things like courgettes with it ,we shall see.
Being close to the NE there is plenty of the stuff about, my only concern is that the salts could damage young roots. Anybody tried this approach?
Bugs

onejohndog wrote:
only problem is i never seem to much spare beer


We get that problem too Laughing

I've never used seaweed, too far from any to do so, but I think it is quite commonly used and I'm not sure there'd be many problems with it. I'm sure a few people here have mentioned it so hope you'll get some good feedback.
wellington womble

I think that's what they do on jersey to make jersey royals out of international kidneys, so it must be OK, especially if you're rotating.

I know what you mean about slugs, Bugs. I can tolerate most creatures, and am happy to share my veggies with them, but not slugs - they very hard to like!
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