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Slugging it out in the garden |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 07 February 2007 |
I wandered out into the garden this morning only to shockingly discover that the new shoots of my Hemerocallis had been savaged. As quick as the shoots emerged from below ground, they were eaten back, but by what?
It was slugs, of course, those greedy gastropods ruining my freshly
leaved plantings by nibbling them to pieces. The munched Hemerocallis
(Daylily) was just planted last autumn. I have never even seen it bloom
yet. If those slugs get their way, I won't see it blossom this year
either. So, what to do?
Most
people's first instinct is to rush to the local garden centre and grab
a pack of slug pellets. Now, while this product is effective if topped
up regularly, it does have its down points. Firstly, the pellets can
look quite unnatural and unsightly scattered in your borders, due to
their bright blue colour. The reason why they have this bright blue
colour is to discourage birds and family pets from ingesting the
stomach upsetting pellets. However, this does not stop your garden
birds from eating the odd slug with a harmful blue pellet attached.
There
are, of course, more natural slug control methods, such as mulching the
base of the target plants with sharp edged gravel or crushed eggshells,
items that are uncomfortable for slugs and snails to crawl across.
Another natural preventative measure is to encircle your prized
plantings with mounds of moisture absorbent bran or crushed oats. Slugs
and snails very rarely make it past this barrier, as it absorbs all
their secreted slime that they use to travel.
To make slugs'
lives more comfortable, why not offer them a ready supply of beer, in
the form of the classic beer trap. Construct a beer trap by carefully
cutting the bottom half off a 2 litre plastic bottle. Create a jagged
top to this by cutting a series of turrets, similar to those found atop
castles. Create a hole close to the target plants to place this trap
into, with the turrets above the ground, then backfill the soil around
the sides to secure. Half fill the trap with your beer of choice and
place a flat stone or piece of slate on top of the turrets to prevent
dilution by rain. Slugs and snails have poor vision, but a keen sense
of smell, luring them into the inescapable trap for the longest lock-in
of their lives. You may substitute cold coffee for beer; it is just as
attractive to slugs and leaves them with less of a hangover.
If
you're wondering what method I used to protect my own Hemerocallis
plants, well, I opted for the mulch of sharp gravel. I was fresh out of
beer that day!
Answer to last weeks gardening brainteaser:
Before lawn mowers were invented, gardeners used to cut their lawn with the scythe.
Here is this week's question:
When is the best time to examine your plants for slugs? Is it?
(a) Midday
(b) At night
(c) The evening
There are no prizes; this is just for fun and education. I will have the answer next week.
As
well as his horticultural writing, James Kilkelly provides a garden and
landscape design service based in County Galway. Contact him through
his website www.gardenplansireland.com or alternatively by phone on
087-2067846. For free access to an incredible wealth of gardening
information visit his gardening forum www.irishgardeners.com.
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