What’s been eating my courgette?

bouicca21

Slugs? Birds? How to protect the rest of the crop? I’ve only got two plants, so really don’t want to lose out.

Farway

Slug damage, it's pellets or slug patrols

ArbitraryRandom

My advice would be to get a torch and go out a couple of hours after dark... then introduce them to cold steal (chopping them always seemed 'kinder' than salting) 

You could also try the traditional beer traps if you have a spare can or two

Katiehound

That's what i am having to do with my hostas. They are in pots with   rims smothered in vaseline but in my absence one particular plant has been munched to glory.
 I think it may be tiny snails- so out in the dark with a torch and hard heels on the shoes: crunch! before I went away I spotted a frog in the garden, I think he may still be around (miles from a pond) because there aren't many slugs.

bouicca21

There is certainly an abundance of slugs in the garden, some have slimed their way into the flat.  I will be on slug patrol tonight.

i did install a small frog friendly pond, several years ago but so far not a sign of a frog (or a newt).  It’s positively rude of them not to bother visiting.

twopenny

I've just been collecting sheeps wool from the fences. Wrapping that around works to stop slugs.
Or you can buy wool pellets in a pack. They last well through all weather and can be moved to something else at the end of the season.

bouicca21

The pot with that courgette plant is clearly the equivalent of a party house for slugs.  Tonight’s patrol netted 6 titchy ones, 1 medium sized and one big one plus a snail.  None of the other pots have slugs, so there must be something about this one (the only one that is a smooth plastic) that makes it easy for them to slime their way up.

twopenny

At a garden during 'Open Gardens' day I saw someone was growing hostas in old zinc baths and buckets.

She said it keeps the snails off.

Could you perhaps find an old zinc bucket to put the pot in?

Or put your pot on a tray of sand?

Poundland used to do self adhesive copper tape to put around pots. It worked for the first year then needed replacing - or doubled up.

YoungBlueEyes

I saw that copper tape the other day so they still do it  

ArbitraryRandom

If you use copper tape, make it a good wide strip - It needs to be long enough the slugs can't Strreeetttch their way across  I've heard sharp sand or diatomaceous earth around your plants also works as they don't like crawling over a dry/loose surface. 

You can also do some strategic redesigning to make your garden a 'hostile environment' (spread everything out so there's light/airflow around the base of pots and garden furniture, clear any bits that they might sleep under, encourage birds like thrushes)

Katiehound

I used copper tape in the past and it was--- useless IMHO. I gave the new packet to a charity shop! luckily I had bought it reduced at end of season

A thick line of vaseline works quite well on the outside of rim. There are large tubs in the cheapie shops- petroleum jelly at around £1 rather than the trademarked stuff. The only drawbacks are when you move pots- get hands covered, and in boiling heat it melts down pot sides.

I moved my hostas yesterday- I had put them in a darker damper place to avoid hot sun when I was on holiday. That never happened! They are back in the original spots, not touching each other. The palest juiciest leaves seem to be snail fodder.

last night I bagged a fair few fat snails(crunch) and there was my frog too. It was dark at 10 pm so didn't have to burn the midnight oil. no slugs- thank you Fred frog!