How do I hold on to slugs and snails rotten of my just this minute planted vegetable seedling? I have merely planted a small vegetable patch and want to know...
I have merely planted a small vegetable patch and want to know how I can keep pests away, lacking resorting to snail pellets, I own animals and am a little reluctant to use them, Thankyou
Answers: It 's appropriate to hear that you don't want to use slug pellets as masses birds die from eating the pellet or suffer illness from consumption the incapacitated slugs.
There are other much more friendly ways to control slugs and snails:
1. The barrier method involves surrounding your plants next to a good covering of sand, broken egg shell or soot. These are either too dry or too scratchy for slugs to be content to cross.
2. For seedlings and severely small plants, cut the top and bottom off a plastic bottle. Then press the bottle into the soil to surround the plant/seedling. If you've get a few plants/seedlings, cover each one surrounded by the same agency, with a bottle.
3. Or for larger areas, use semi-rigid plastic sheeting buried on it's creep, 4 inches deep and 8 inches above ground to surround the plants.
You could also try planting a stall of sage around your plants as slugs and snails do not like sage.
Here's to some home-grown veg for subsequent year! Best of luck!
salt