Slug Pellet's - To Use ?.. Or Not To Use ?

[Adrian]

Yesterday we planted out our young French bean's in containers inside the poly/greenhouse...

A Slug or Slug's have had an overnight feast...

Is Slug Pellets the answer to this problem & the question is... are they Safe to use?...we have a pet cat, also lots of birds feed in our garden & the occasional Hedgehog & Frog pay us a visit.

according to this report ive just read...Slug pellets are Safe !!!...????

Slug pellets - harm to wildlife. Safe to use


Adrian

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Adrian, slug pellets are made of cereal soaked in Metaldehyde which is officially classed as moderately hazardous by the World Health Organisation. So aswell as killing slugs it is also harmful to children, pets and wildlife if they eat the pellets. You could put copper tape around the top of your containers which gives the slugs an electric shock when they touch it or use beer traps, which do work, sunk into the greenhouse soil.

[MarkOlliethe2nd]

I use them but not in the tunnel as the pellets turn into massive balls of mould and I'm not sure if this is good for the other tunnel residents.
I also find that after a few showers the pellets vanish (naturally) and unsure if they are still effective in the area. For long term effect I last year found steel pot scourers did an amazing job on my lettuces that were being eaten, this year my chillis outside were being attacked:

My chillis were being eaten by slugs and out of the 3 outdoor plants 2 were replaced as nothing but small stalks were left... since my steel pot scourers have been down not a leaf has been eaten and no slugs have been harmed... And I used 2 scourers out of 6 for 89p

Do I Need To Protect My Lettuces From Slugs, Etc? (as mentioned in this thread).

[heskie]

An even more pressing problem with the rain we are now having.

I have tried every single barrier method and the torch-hunting approach, beer traps and talking nicely toads. They all work to varying degrees, but each leave the balance of power very firmly and often destructively, on the slugs' side.

A few years ago the Organic Gardening Catalogue started to sell Advanced Slug pellets - they are not made in the same way as described above. They are reasonably effective, don't leave harmful residues and are safe for wildlife as the still slug-munching toads on my patch would agree.


(Just in case you are wondering, I have no association with the Organic Gardening Catalogue)

[Greenie]

for slugs and snails, i put crushed egg shell over the garden, and it seems to work, i have a few frogs that seems to live in the corners of my patch, but nothing else i dont think =]

[Adrian]

Many Thanks everyone for all the advice, which i will use to help keep the slug's & snail's under control...

Yesterday i got a 575g tub of Organic Slug Pellet's at Wilkinsons for only £3.49p...this is a lot cheaper than any of the online trader's & eBay.


Any more wildlife/pet friendly suggestions welcome.


Adrian

[tigerella]

Originally Posted by MarkOlliethe2nd

I use them but not in the tunnel as the pellets turn into massive balls of mould and I'm not sure if this is good for the other tunnel residents.
I also find that after a few showers the pellets vanish (naturally) and unsure if they are still effective in the area. For long term effect I last year found steel pot scourers did an amazing job on my lettuces that were being eaten, this year my chillis outside were being attacked:

My chillis were being eaten by slugs and out of the 3 outdoor plants 2 were replaced as nothing but small stalks were left... since my steel pot scourers have been down not a leaf has been eaten and no slugs have been harmed... And I used 2 scourers out of 6 for 89p

Do I Need To Protect My Lettuces From Slugs, Etc? (as mentioned in this thread).

Fab tip!!

The tiny slugs that live underground and emerge for a nightly feast are another problem. They can appear within a ring of pellets etc and still get their snack.

I never use pellets, yeah I'm a softie but cannot stand to see any creature suffer, even if they do devour my plants. For container gardening, I use a thick smear of vaseline around the rim.
I have found a wondrous anti-slug mix from Wilkos. Glorified cat litter, really but it's excellent. You get loads for just over a quid. Rain stops it from being as efficient but it's worked well for me.

Fito Slug Stoppa Granules 1.65ltr at Wilkinson Plus

[heskie]

Originally Posted by Adrian

Many Thanks everyone for all the advice, which i will use to help keep the slug's & snail's under control...

Yesterday i got a 575g tub of Organic Slug Pellet's at Wilkinsons for only £3.49p...this is a lot cheaper than any of the online trader's & eBay.


Any more wildlife/pet friendly suggestions welcome.


Adrian

Thanks for the price tip!

[MarkOlliethe2nd]

Originally Posted by tigerella

Fab tip!!
The tiny slugs that live underground and emerge for a nightly feast are another problem. They can appear within a ring of pellets etc and still get their snack.

I never use pellets, yeah I'm a softie but cannot stand to see any creature suffer, even if they do devour my plants. For container gardening, I use a thick smear of vaseline around the rim.
I have found a wondrous anti-slug mix from Wilkos. Glorified cat litter, really but it's excellent. You get loads for just over a quid. Rain stops it from being as efficient but it's worked well for me.

Fito Slug Stoppa Granules 1.65ltr at Wilkinson Plus

I know, Alan Titchmarsh eat your heart out! I been using it since last year, I dont have to keep buying and then topping up with pellets, I put the wire down in about late april when I planted the pant and is very healthy, no slugs all leaves in tact...


What a wicked Idea... I shall have to get onto Thelma for some Vaseline I hear she is somewhat of a custom to having large stocks of it in First Class!

You, know what with the Mile High club and that....

[whitespirit66]

I started off all 'green' and anti-chemical when slugs started eating my lettuces whole. You don't realise how many slugs and snails are out there until you start growing lettuce!

Anyhow, the environmentally friendly methods I deployed against these varmits, inc. egg shells, used coffee grinds and beer slops from my local, only incited these pests to up their game. Nightly raids on my patch continued regardless.

In the end I had to get tough, and invested in some 'Doff' pellets. They really do the trick. For the first few weeks of using them, my lettuce patch looked like the slug equivalent of The Somme battlefields. Numbers gradually tailed off, as the local population declined.

Don't worry about pets, my greedy tabby doesn't go near them. Get Doff pellets.