Gardening
Related: About this forumQuick Response
Two days ago I went up to my lettuce garden, which has quite a bit of cut and come again lettuce, and clipped enough for a salad. As I washed the lettuce, I made note of the fact that there were at least 6 slugs in the water, so of course I washed the leaves numerous times. Made a note to go to the garden and sprinkle some Sluggo (organic control--iron phosphate).
On my way out of the garden, I checked my cucumbers and pole beans. It was distressing to see them lying haphazardly around the bamboo teepees I'd built for them. I built the teepees, but hadn't yet put the string around the base for the plants to climb. Not only were they lying on the ground every which way and that, some of them had significant slug damage. I immediately retrieved some twine and put it around the base of the two teepees. I'll need to put other twine around for them to climb even higher.
The next day I spinkled around the Sluggo.
The following day I returned to find my cukes and beans climbing happily up their structures. The lettuce plot, in only three days, had filled out again, there were no holes or tears in the leaves, and when I cut some, no slugs in the water.
My point: seldom do I get such a positive, quick response. And this is another reason gardening can be so satisfying.
Cher
Ineeda
(3,626 posts)I tried the copper "barrier" route and the "beer in a saucer" route with little (if any) results. Non-toxic gardening can be a challenge but it's the only way to go. I'll remember Sluggo.
alfie
(522 posts)The beer traps didn't do squat. If I don't put the sluggo out as soon as I put the bean seeds in the ground, they will eat every seedling leaving little stubs. I didn't see much evidence of them around my lettuce, kale and swiss chard, a few holes, but not many. Lettuce bolted 10 days ago so it is now composting in my pile.
Slugs are nasty.