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I joyfully planted in some brocolli plants yesterday...only to find that some slugs (I gather) have gone and eated all the green leaves and left the stems.....grrrrr not happy Jan.
Ive heard of planting certain plants together that protect each other from critters....marigolds and garlic....does anyone know of anyothers?
I really dont want to use chemicals as the whole idea is to grow chemical free vegies.
For slugs and snails you need beer!!! You can pick up snail traps from places likes bunnings, dig them into the ground and part fill with beer. You can also use half an orange peel as a bowl for the beer.
The don't like rough ground, so you can sprinkle stuff like sawdust around the seedlings to deter them.
Another way (which we have had to do) is to protect each plant. We have used soft drink bottles over the top of the seedlings, it give them a nice environment to grow in, plus puts a barrier between them and the slimey ones. Also waiting till the seedling is much bigger and stronger before planting helps them survive an attack.
Also check around your veggie patch for hiding places for them. We had a heap living in some rampant celery and parsely. Others where also living between cracks in rocks behind long grass. Either remove the hiding place, or check it daily and manually remove them.
I think there is a spray you can make with strong coffee, but I will have to check with DH when he gets home about it.
apparently a container with beer in it will help - we're still trialling! they are supposed to be attracted to the yeast smell and crawl in and drown in alcamaholic goodness. you can exchange beer with vegemite in water too - apparently....
another thing is something like mulch - but i can't remember which type - but one of them they won't go on because it hurts/dries them out - i "think" it's sawdust.
will find where i read that and post again later hun
BG
YOu can use pyrethrum spray - that IS natural (comes from daisies, that have their own repellent).
You can drown them in beer traps (nice way to go but), but the best way is to pick them off yourself each evening. You have to turn the leaves over because they hide under there - the damaget they do is HUGE!
Ds is only allowed to use his water pistol to spray away the cabbage moths - they are the ones laying the eggs. The white ones that hang around the patch...
Crushed up eggshells are good - they can't (ick) slide over the top and the shells are hopeless in the compost anyway:
Go to your local ag centre (Elders etc) and get a bag of coarse salt and sprinkle a 'border' around your plants. The salt will kill them but don't sprinkle the salt in a general area or too close to your plants as the salt will kill the plants as well.
thanks so much girls :dance:
Im off to my local hardware to see if I can get some sawdust.
Likethe beer idea...little for them...little for moi...little for them...lots for moi
:rofl: maz. The sawdust is good for the compost as well if it's not been chemically treated. Possibly even find a sawmill around your way and ask if you can get some, they would probably give it to you for nothing.
I think you can sprinkle salt around the plants to deter slugs.