Slugs...aaargh

fwoodles

Any idea how you can stop them coming into the house?
I'm getting tiny slugs in my living room - on the carpet and up the walls.
No idea where they're coming in from though I'm guessing the air brick at the front - so I probably shouldn't block that up..

I *hate* slugs

Leonie

I found this site very useful: -

http://www.greengardener.co.uk/index.htm

I bought their copper tape to put round my hosta pots - for the first year ever I have beautiful healthy hostas. I'm thrilled to bits!

I also bought their hosta pots - you just pop them over your new small plant and it gives them a chance to grow without being eaten by slugs and snails - they can't get over the 'collar' - this is definitely true, I've seen the snail track in the condensation - it did a U-turn at the top and went off elsewhere. You can get hosta pot covers too, which turn the pot into a mini greenhouse for seedlings.

I'm growing a couple of poppies successfully for the first time - they were always slug salad before now!

They also do biological pest control with nematodes - you water them in to the soil, and they use the slugs as a host. Safe for children, pets etc.

I don't like killing things, so I'm happy using the barrier methods, and these really have worked for me this year.

Leonie

Do you have pets? I used to find they hitched a ride in on my long furred cats.

And sometimes, in old houses, they seem to come in round the waste pipe of the toilet, if it's not sealed off properly - they certainly do travel!

You could try some copper tape round your air brick, if you're sure that's where they are coming in from - that wouldn't block it, just make a barrier that slugs don't want to cross - it gives them a shock.

fwoodles

Right - I'll have to move the telly this weekend to see if I can find out where they're coming from. And get some of that copper tape - sounds like that might be a winner once I find out where they're coming in from. Thanks!

troll35

Last week on Gardeners World Monty Don attached copper plumbing pipe to the top edges of his raised beds to stop slugs and snails, which is probably a more cost effective way of protecting a large area than the copper strips. You would also need to use something within the veg patch to combat the slugs and snails already there such as nematodes.

I haven't tried the copper pipe yet as I have had great success with the slug pellets by Gardening Success which are suitable for organic gardening and safe for all other wildlife except slugs and snails. My mother religiously goes out every night with a jar of salt to put the offending blighters in. It made me squirm and cringe when I tried it and it took ages searching under all the plants.

bunking_off

I've always found Nemaslug to do the job best, but it does need repeated application, particularly when the soil's dry.

In_for_a_Bargain

I heard that a line of something like vaseline round pots or along walls stops slugs too. Can't say if it works as I haven't tried it. I agree with the other poster that a nice jar of salt does wonders!! Can't do with the little blighters!!! I had a re-arrangment of my pots recently and must have put something there that slugs don't like as my hosta is in tact this year and I have a columbine that I have been trying to grow (unsucessfully for three years) and now it has flowers finally.Hooray!!! Only trouble is I don't know which plant I have moved that is helping but for now they are all staying put.

kethry

troll35 wrote: »

My mother religiously goes out every night with a jar of salt to put the offending blighters in.

yours too? Mom's slug hunting got to be the family joke.... until i've had to start doing it myself this year!! .. fortunately mine tend to be snails, not slugs, and snails i can just chuck over the fence into the road - there's that handy dandy shell to pick em up by!!

keth
xx

emmaroids

slug pellets ftw.

Lord_Gardener

kethry wrote: »

yours too? Mom's slug hunting got to be the family joke.... until i've had to start doing it myself this year!! .. fortunately mine tend to be snails, not slugs, and snails i can just chuck over the fence into the road - there's that handy dandy shell to pick em up by!!

keth
xx

They'll come back! Best option is to bag and bin - or eat!!!!!