Coping with SLUG PROBLEMS (and snails too)
Slugs have got to be one of nature's worst ideas. You will, of course, come across people who say "Oh, I couldn't harm them. I just put them to live on the compost heap", and other who blissfully assert "everything in Nature has a right to exist''. What lovely people they must be.
Whatever the rights of the situation, there are plenty of things in Nature which we do not want to share our lives with: bed bugs, malaria-carrying mosquitos, the bubonic plague and. in the view of many gardeners, slugs. Yes, birds, hedgehogs and frogs do allegedly eat them, but in my experience they don't eat nearly enough!!!
On the other hand, none of us wants to be guilty of accidentally poisoning those very birds, hedgehogs and frogs who are on our side. Most slug pellets contain metaldehyde, a chemical which causes slugs and snails to produce so much slime that they they die of dehydration. Unfortunately metaldehyde is very toxic to warm-blooded animals; just a few pellets can kill a kitten or a puppy - no more than a dozen will kill a toddler: SCARY! The main danger to wildlife comes from the fact that in wet weather, slugs and snails can potentially rehydrate and survive, crawling away with a lethal dose of poison still inside them.
Always read the label on your garden chemicals - if a slug pellet contains metaldehyde it will say so. Don't be misled by fancy brand names and repackaging; chemicals companies reformulate their products to make them more effective but the basic chemical is the important thing. Why do we still use metaldehyde? It's cheap, and it works. There are some very effective alternatives, preferable in every way, but they cannot be produced quite so cheaply. However, as they are more effective, they do work out more economical than you'd think.
If you want to use a metaldehyde-based slug killer, make sure you do so safely. Spread the pellets thinly! Leaving them in piles or pouring them on in quantity won't kill any more slugs but you may accidentally cause the agonising death of creatures you'd never want to harm. Use metaldehyde slug pellets on mild humid nights (never in wet weather) when the next day will be dry and sunny. That way you'll kill the maximum number of slugs with the least risk.
Whatever the rights of the situation, there are plenty of things in Nature which we do not want to share our lives with: bed bugs, malaria-carrying mosquitos, the bubonic plague and. in the view of many gardeners, slugs. Yes, birds, hedgehogs and frogs do allegedly eat them, but in my experience they don't eat nearly enough!!!
On the other hand, none of us wants to be guilty of accidentally poisoning those very birds, hedgehogs and frogs who are on our side. Most slug pellets contain metaldehyde, a chemical which causes slugs and snails to produce so much slime that they they die of dehydration. Unfortunately metaldehyde is very toxic to warm-blooded animals; just a few pellets can kill a kitten or a puppy - no more than a dozen will kill a toddler: SCARY! The main danger to wildlife comes from the fact that in wet weather, slugs and snails can potentially rehydrate and survive, crawling away with a lethal dose of poison still inside them.
Always read the label on your garden chemicals - if a slug pellet contains metaldehyde it will say so. Don't be misled by fancy brand names and repackaging; chemicals companies reformulate their products to make them more effective but the basic chemical is the important thing. Why do we still use metaldehyde? It's cheap, and it works. There are some very effective alternatives, preferable in every way, but they cannot be produced quite so cheaply. However, as they are more effective, they do work out more economical than you'd think.
If you want to use a metaldehyde-based slug killer, make sure you do so safely. Spread the pellets thinly! Leaving them in piles or pouring them on in quantity won't kill any more slugs but you may accidentally cause the agonising death of creatures you'd never want to harm. Use metaldehyde slug pellets on mild humid nights (never in wet weather) when the next day will be dry and sunny. That way you'll kill the maximum number of slugs with the least risk.
There are alternatives to nasty dangerous toxic slug pellets
There are now a huge number of alternatives to metaldehyde for the gardener to choose from. For many years, the only slug controls which were safe for 'organic use' and didn't involve danger to wildlife were barrier methods and deterrents. There are an increasing number of these, and they vary in effectiveness. They can also be expensive and/or inconvenient to use. If you have hostas in pots, for example, they are ideal. For protecting a row of lettuce they are less useful, as one is continually disturbing the layer during cultivation.
One barrier method which the Trading Store has been asked for repeatedly is Slug Gone.
This is extremely effective for any permanent plant such as hostas, and many of our members swear by it. A byproduct of the wool industry, it comes as pellets but, when moistened by rain, fluffs up to form a mat over which slugs cannot successfully crawl. Over time it breaks down slowly and forms a high-nitrate food. It is totally safe and can be used in the back garden where children or pets may be around. Now available from the Trading Store in 1kg packs.
Left: click here or on the picture to go to their website for more information
This is extremely effective for any permanent plant such as hostas, and many of our members swear by it. A byproduct of the wool industry, it comes as pellets but, when moistened by rain, fluffs up to form a mat over which slugs cannot successfully crawl. Over time it breaks down slowly and forms a high-nitrate food. It is totally safe and can be used in the back garden where children or pets may be around. Now available from the Trading Store in 1kg packs.
Left: click here or on the picture to go to their website for more information
Click on the pic to go to the website
Slug Clear Ultra is a new way of using effective but worryingly toxic metaldehyde. It concentrates a metaldehyde powder on the outside of the pellet, where the slugs will first encounter it, eat it - and die. The rest of the pellet is a harmless bait to attract the slugs. This means that the pellets are very much lower in toxicity than most brands, without sacrificing effectiveness. The pellets are rainproof for 14 days, and the manufacturers recommend them for year-round use. However, like all metaldehyde-based pellets, you should try to use them when sunny weather will dehydrate and kill affected slugs. In prolonged wet spells there is the possible danger slugs may recover.
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From personal experience over many years, the product on the left is the most effective and economical non-toxic slug control on the market (The website compiler will be pleased to hear of other effective slug killers). It kills the slugs, very effectively, by blocking their guts and making them think they've had a good meal. They crawl away to digest, and die.
DON'T THINK THAT BECAUSE THERE IS NO DISGUSTING MESS TO CLEAR UP, IT HASN'T WORKED. You will find the corpses if you search for them - but more important, you'll notice that slug damage is controlled! Of course, as with any other slug killer, more slugs will move into the area (perhaps from the compost heap whee your neighbour is gently repatriating them) and you will have to re-apply. But the chemical in Growing Succes Advanced Slug Killer actually works better in wet conditions and lasts for a good time. If you notice the pellets are gone, it's because they have been eaten and done their work. The cheapest place to buy this locally is B&Q. Left - click on the picture to go to their website |
Last but not least, practise good garden hygiene to help control slugs. Keep grass edges well trimmed as slugs lurk there in the daytime. Regularly turn over boards used for paths so the birds can eat the pests under them. With plants that lay their leaves flat to the ground, take your courage and a sharp knife and conduct a search - you'd be amazed at the horrors that can lurk under the leaves of a row of lettuce!
