Korn, I put mine in the compost heap which somebody advised here a while ago....Maybe that counts under arranging a slug festival because they seem to like it in there. Wherever I put them they make their way back steadily..
I remove them
I use the talcum trick
I use copper
I use sand
I use a mulch made of coffee grounds
I use salt
I only grow plants they don't eat
I grow lavender, allium, garlic, wormwood etc. as a barrier/border
Use a few drops of essential oil of cedarwood or pineoil near vulnerable plants
Seaweed
Lava Rock
I avoid watering the garden in the evening
I put mine in the compost heap
I arrange slug festivals
Other
Nothing
Korn, I put mine in the compost heap which somebody advised here a while ago....Maybe that counts under arranging a slug festival because they seem to like it in there. Wherever I put them they make their way back steadily..
Catty collects them at night by torchlight, pops them into a pot and when we go for a walk we take them with us. They've ended up on the clifftops in the gorse, undergrowth alongside National Trust footpaths, hedges on our country lanes, anywhere nice really, but somewhere where it's a long way for them to find their way back here.
Aren't there different types of slugs- I think some just eat rotting vegetation, does anyone know how to tell the difference??
i like slugs.
i think they are absolutly adorable
so if i could, i would vote for the "i arrange slug festivals" option.
i dont mind sharing with them
the aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, dunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.
-henry miller
In my garden its like a slug festival all the time, if the wild rabbits dont eat the plant then the slugs do.
Its a bit like an all you can eat buffet really.
The day breaks and everything is new.
i like the "I arrange slug festivals" option too.
but i don't get any slugs in my garden, only snails. i don't have nice plants so i just leave them to it
'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'
it's very difficult being sympathetic to slugs when you are using you garden to grow food which will actually save you money, not just as a fun project. with the wet summer last year we had hardly anything from the garden -this year we can't afford to spend the time, effort and money on no output.
my husband not being vegan, is totally fed up with them and is ready to use pellets alongside some deterrent methods. unless you are growing stuff on a larger scale and can afford to lose some to slugs along the way and still come out with a pocket-saving advantage, it's important to be realistic.
in our situ, we may have to compromise i fear....
..but what would they do with all the cows?..
We have slugs everywhere, including in the house! There's the cutest wee baby one in the bathrooom at the moment. You should see his tiny horns!
DH, who grows our veg., puts copper round the stalks of vulnerable plants, as well as foil, which is cheaper. But he says the best thing to do is to bring your plants on as far as possible indoors (window ledge or greenhouse) so that when they go out into the world, they're big and strong. A few leaves off big plants are OK, whereas the same amount off a wee seedling will destroy it.
When I last visited my mum, I transported all the ones from her cauliflowers across the road for a slug festival.
I think the baby ones are cute, too, Penny.
certainly
i mean realistic in a couple of ways. firstly, as you mentioned my husband is not vegan and although we have tried to grow veg and deal with the slug issue humanely before, he is getting the hump with working full time, putting in the hours in the garden at the weekend, spending money we can ill afford really on seeds etc, to have rows of parsnip and carrot seedlings go overnight for example. we are choosing to grow our own for two reasons; we want to take some responsibility for our food and reduce food mileage and also a lot of the things we grow are things we eat an exceptional amount of, and even when in season, we find them expensive. we are really looking to cut costs in the veg department. from my husbands point of view, taking into account these reasons, he would say that taking measures to eradicate slugs would be justified. we cannot afford NOT to grow our own at the moment.
the other way i meant to be realistic is that, accepting the precept that there is no vegan police, it's important to realise that everybody is in a different place and what they can achieve may be different from what others may feel is no problem. i'm certainly not 100% vegan in my whole lifestyle i expect, as i probably unconsciously use many items that are not vegan - none of us are perfect. i agree however, that the 'intent' is important.
i understand veganism is about doing what is 'practically possible'. it's also about not killing or harming life.
penny, i start off all my seedlings in pots and only put them out when they are showing me they have outgrown their pots. some things however have to be grown in situ ie root veg, and slugs love to strip these little plants overnight.
we obviously haven't found the right combination of using deterrents and humane prevention yet - does anyone ever? - not sure.
what do folks feel about those nematode worm things that you can buy to water the ground with that actually eat the slugs - i presume they would not be right either as it's the actual introduction of a predator that is not vegan practice?
...but i don't want to upset anyone and will refrain from posting about my garden if it is going to cause stress here.:smile:
Thanks for that cedarblue. I thought that was what you were getting at but wasn't sure.
Fwiw, the copper strip thing works well here on raised beds coupled with a constant policy of removal of our slimy friends.
I really enjoy reading about your garden but would rather prefer not to hear more about your husband's 'pest control' decisions. I absolutely appreciate your position though and thank you again for taking the time to explain it to me.
x
..but what would they do with all the cows?..
we tried the copper tape around one of our bed last year but it wasn't much cop. we also found it far too expensive to go round all our beds (we have 5 1m x 2m beds, one 4m x 2m bed and one 4m x 4m, which is quite a lot of tape needed.
i'm still happy to learn about humane methods but i respect your opinion paul, and will refrain from posing regarding 'regular' pest control. i remain hopeful in persuading him to endeavour with humane methods of prevention. i'm attempting to grow some spring onions and garlic amongst the crops slugs tend to like to see if they act as deterrents - i've heard they may do. i love to talk about my gardening though and will continue to post about my vegan endeavours!
..but what would they do with all the cows?..
where would one find scrap copper piping? they never seem to like it at our dump, if i see something i could use in another way and ask if i can have it, it's generally a 'no'. apparently it's council property once something is deposited there.
If you have a non-ferrous scrap metal dealer anywhere near they will usually sell it to you at cost.
..but what would they do with all the cows?..
Yes, the little baby ones are so cute aren't they Penny?
At certain times of the year I have a lot of slugs on the path at my back door. There are always little families with the big ones and some tiny baby ones following behind.
(Sorry my post is of no help at all to the thread but I don't worry about slugs as I don't grow vegetables and I don't mind them eating my plants. They never seem to do any noticeable damage anyway, but it's probably different if it's vegetables they're eating. )
I like Sandra, she keeps making me giggle. Daft little lady - Frosty
Slugs make me cringe, send shivers down my spine just thinking about them
UuRrGg!!!
What if a monkey made you a sandwich?
I like talking to slugs Oh oh oh and watching them climb up windows and seeing through their wee slug bodies when the light catches them. I think sluggies are fun lil guys!
Go Vegan, stay Human
Tiny horns?! I've never seen a slug with horns, I'll have to look out.
They are cute though, I love the shiny trail they leave on my walkways.
Last year I used a home made garlic wash that you add to your watering can, and rinse your plants with, this seemed to work well.
This year we have grown a wall of garlic plants surrounding the vegetable patch, won't get to see how effective this is though as I'm not planting anything more this year since we're moving house and I don't have time.
I slow down. Easier to evade them.
I find removing them diligently every morning and evening does a lot to reduce the damage. I back that up with some copper tape, and they aren't too much of a bother.
Quitting something because it's hard is wrong, and quitting something because it's wrong is hard. One takes cowardice, the other bravery.
Mrs vegcurry collects them at night and takes them on her countryside walks, where she deposits them in pretty places.
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