Slug Battle Plan

As they live for up to 6 years so it has to be a year round plan, had a bad year this year don’t wait till next spring and your seedlings are being munched, actions needed now!

Pre season, clear the site of as may gastropods as possible, permanently! If its over 5 degrees slugs are active so on an ornamental bed a product such as Slug Clear liquid concentrate watered on, vegetable or ornamental beds any Slug killer that contains ferric phosphate such as Growing Success Advanced slug killer or aluminium sulphate, we stock a wide range of products which contains this including Slug attack, or Slug killer. If chemicals are not your thing it is very satisfying to round them up using a slug gizmo on a damp day break or sunset and leave on a bird table, feed to the chickens or for the less squeamish amongst us, dunked in a bucket of strong salty water (don’t put salt around your plants to kill the slugs it just kills the plant!). Always remember the more that are removed in autumn the less that will be breeding in the spring when it’s more critical on plants new growth.

Autumn is also the time to remove as many hiding places as possible wet leaves, dying back foliage and container plants are all a perfect foil for slugs to hide in, compost your leaf mulch and have regular slug inspections. Leaving traps down now should yield many slugs and snails as there is little new growth around to tempt them.

Winter is a time to plan ahead, maybe plant some slug resistant plants in the less accessible parts of your garden .Not forgetting to write your Christmas wish list for gardening presents and dropping some heavy hints on how its so easy to present shop online and some new hand tools or a Victorian style cloche would be much preferred to socks or a box of chocs or as I have been known to do, just buy what you want yourself! It’s sometimes just easier!

Come spring time hopefully your autumn preparation will begin to have benefits, but the trouble with slugs and snails is that some always getaway. A cubic meter of soil can provide refuge for up to 200 slugs and neighbours have been known to fling the odd slug or snail into your garden so aiming for a slug free garden is well nigh impossible. Temptation for slugs is now at its highest and whilst traps work all year round slugs have been known to have a nibble or two on lettuces and hostas on the way to the local trap, even if the beer is good.

So now is the time to install some barriers. These can take many forms Victorian style cloches will help promote vigorous growth and look aesthetically pleasing whist keeping gastropods at bay, tunnel cloches work fantastically in the vegetable plot ensuring that gaps are not left around the edges or the little blighters to crawl through, they will seek out the warm damp atmosphere so have regular inspections.

A row or ring around young plants of one of the many temporary barriers that are available such as Slug stop granules, Slug Stoppa or Slug Off all act by dehydrating the slugs and snails as they try to cross it, you could also use Bio Natural Slug barrier which is made of crushed sea shells which gastropods do not like to cross.

Some of the reusable options are slug collars which push down into the soil around young plants and hold the leaves away from the soil so as they don’t act as a bridge, ideal for around lettuces and hostas.

Shoka matting which is a fabric infused with copper which disorientates slugs and snails and gives them a shock much like putting tin foil on a filling (awh) and also acts as a weed suppressant it comes in many sizes and can also be used under containers help prevent rambling slugs feeding on your plants. Seed trays, container plants and trunks of small trees can also benefit from having a strip of sticky copper tape placed around the sides to shock gastropods into submission.

When slugs and snails are a problem on hard surfaces such as patios, in sheds or outbuildings traps or a repellent spray are effective.

Come summer the little blighters don’t seem to be doing so much damage, healthy plants seem to be able survive a little bit of nibbling but don’t think that the slugs have gone away there is just a lot more food about for them so its just less noticeable. When its dry slugs do go into hiding but if you are up early on a dewy morning or after a shower of rain you’ll find them roaming around under leaves just waiting to be grabbed by your slug gizmo and disposed of. Now is the time to ensure all your plants are well supported so they can’t be bridged from one plant to another and have easy access from soil level.

Remember that big slugs and snails have big appetites but once they were small and didn’t eat much but they were ignored by gardeners and allowed to fatten up on your beautiful plants and vegetable. So don’t let the little ones get way as your storing up plant devastation in the future. Whist you can win the battle with slugs and snails you’ll never win the war as Mother Nature takes care that we never quite clear them all.

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