Kitchen Garden Forum

For the last two years, I have had some slug damage to my spuds - especially those still inthe ground at the end of summer.

My neighbour says he always sows his with some slug pellets in the soil around them.

I am happy to try this, but wondered whether pellets would sustain their effect over the growing season of spuds (itwas the ones harvested in the autumn that had the worst damage).

Also, I was keen to dig some compost round my seed potatoes, but understand that compost also attracts slugs.

How do you guys tackle slugs?

Hi Colin

I tried this method and, frankly, found very little difference. You're going to get some slug damage. I either lift the crop all at once and store them or I takes my chances and leave them in the ground. I just discard the ones that have damage on them.

Or, you can keep them all, nothing wrong with a bit of protein

lizzie wrote:Or, you can keep them all, nothing wrong with a bit of protein

Mmmm. I have trouble getting my wife to eat a potato that isn't completely clean and white. I think Id have to tempt the slugs out first and cook them separately (maybe with some herbs & garlic) to get away with your approach.

Anyone else got any views on minimising slug damage? It's hard since all the advice says keep spuds well watered to get the best results.

Try the caffeine trick. Buy the cheapest instant coffee powder you can find and make up a solution in a watering can that looks like weak tea with out the milk.

Water around your spuds every 2 weeks and the slugs move house as they cannot stand the caffeine. I tried this least year and got a good clean crop.

HTH

Jerry

Morning Jerry,
You learn something new everyday I think I will give it ago, I wonder what other crops would benefit from it.

Regards


Kevin

I works with carrots too, not for fly protection where I rely on fleece, but it again deters slugs.

Might also work in the ornamental garden for things like hosta's but have not tried that yet.

Jerry

My deterent against slugs are my ducks.

I let them have free range over freshly turned soil, or as the picture shows a load of compost just put into a plastic greenhouse. They deal with anything small enough to be eaten! and delicious eggs as a by-product.

I was joking Garlic Guy.

The point is, you have slugs well below the level of the planted spuds that never see the light of day. Some don't even get near the slug pellets.

I didn't know about the coffee thing so will give it a bash. However, if i've got some spuds that the slugs have had a go at, does it really matter? Pick them out or put them on the compost. In the end, you've still got a harvest of superb tasting tatties.

I'm not sure if it is the caffeine, but tea works just as well. And if you drop slugs in tea or coffee they don't crawl out, and end up tanned (like leather).

We use tea and coffee dregs to water all our patio pots of herbs and ornamentals including the hosta and it does help alot. It doesn't completely stop the snails though.

One of my fellow allotmenteers swears blind that sulphate of ammonia is the answer to the slug problem. He sprinkles it libearally in the trench into which he puts his spuds. As well as feeding them he says it bumps them off!
He has so impressed us on the plot that I and another plotholder are doing a small experiment to test it out!
Has anyone else ever heard of this?

No - but we will do so now!!!!