slug problem

Soil or pots, Clara?

Pots - you can spread vaseline around the base which stops them being able to climb up. I'm off out to do this myself later as the little blighters have been at my hostas. Grrrrrrrrr!!!!

Soil - you can put a bit of gravel or broken egg shells round the seedlings until they grow bigger or the slug weather is past.

Hi Clara and welcome to GoY! You've given me the chance to do my nematodes thing again!
Nematodes are microscopic 'worms' and there is a particular group which lay their eggs in slugs and thus kill them. These have been commercialised and are available from quite a few sources under the tradename Nemaslug (there may be other names too, but Nemaslug is the one I know). All you do is mix the carrier medium they arrive in into water and water them onto the garden. It takes about a week for them to get going then you need to reapply the nematodes every 6 weeks or so to keep their population up and the slug population down. The nematodes themselves, and slugs killed by this method, are harmless to other wildlife, pets, kids, etc.
If you want more info on suppliers, Private Message me and I'll give you details of the suppliers I use.
Hope this helps ...

If you live near the coast try putting seaweed arround your plants, they will not go near it as it is salty. they also do not like sharp gravel, Or the old beer trap works, bury a jam jar with about 1 cm above the ground and half fill with any beer, Not lager!, they love it so they get it but cannot get out. and drown in the beer.

how about making somewear that slugs love and going out once in a while and do away with them and snails

you can get this copper tape to put round pots etc they sell it quite cheap on ebay and on most gardening websites
x x x

dont egg shells work to ?

I tried coffee grounds on a large container of french beans last year because I'd heard they had some repellent effect. but they just ended up with snail trails all over them the next morning and half-eaten french beans. All that caffeine probably sped them up. :) Haven't found egg shells particularly effective either.

Copper collars seem to work round my Hostas - also, as my garden is filled with slatey-limestone rocks, some of which crack off in shards, I make little maze-fences around plants with shards of stone stuck in the ground. The slugs-snails either have to think - which they can't; or get sliced to pieces on the sharp shards - which they won't.

i had my doubts elleme now i know.i guess if you could keep something very powdery dry it would work but you cant.i buy plants that arnt effected bye them noticeably.

Although so many remedies exist, the one I always rely on, for concrete results, is hand-picking and destruction of the slimy enemies of the garden. I have been known to patrol the garden after sundown - flashlite in one hand and sissors in the other - guaranteed results!

like i said and i agree you just got to look into there life cycle ie the slug.find out the ideal hiding/overwintering place and purpous build a few.i go roound the garden flower and feed them to my fish and i dont use any kind of insecicide etc.i just fee water and maybe tidy up.

You got it - they love hiding under stones and rocks, in the cracks between sidewalks and where the soil begins. They will turn hosta into Belgium lace where I live (Illinois - USA)! Although I must say that earwigs were much more predominant last year than anything in my garden....THOSE are almost impossible to erradicate with the use of chemicals, unfortunately....unless someone has a suggestion.... : 0 )

Ah, earwigs. Sorry to go off topic slightly but although I don't know how to eradicate them I know a way to help control them. My poor dahlias suffer terribly with them. Stick a small drinks cup (plastic) upside down on a stake/bamboo cane, fill it with straw and put it near your plants. The earwigs will retreat into this and then you can just take it away, shake them out and get rid.

sounds good though like i say my plants arnt realy botherd.i get black aphids on my globe artichokes but im not even convinced there hurting it they just dont look nice

i thaught hostas were snail food lol

such intricate designs - real craftsmanship..lol

thanks Llew...I'm always looking for new remedies

well all nature be it slug or lion is quite amazing when you realy study it.