Lets face it - Sheffield is full of the blighters :suspect:

So what method do you use to prevent them from chomping through your plants?

I usually use the beer trap method - just shallow glass jars, with beer dregs in them, and the horrid little things can't keep out :P

Sometimes the path gets a good salting - if they're out in force


Funilly enough, the slug/snail population seems to have dwindled of late, but our wild bird population seems to have increased, and I'm wondering if the two are related

Lets face it - Sheffield is full of the blighters :suspect:

So what method do you use to prevent them from chomping through your plants?

I usually use the beer trap method - just shallow glass jars, with beer dregs in them, and the horrid little things can't keep out :P

Sometimes the path gets a good salting - if they're out in force


Funilly enough, the slug/snail population seems to have dwindled of late, but our wild bird population seems to have increased, and I'm wondering if the two are related

Definitely related Strix! Maybe plant stuff birds are attracted to around your slug heaven plants (like hostas)?

As winter is approaching, one spectacular way to get rid of the little blighters is to turn the soil throughout the season. The frost will kill the eggs as they come to the surface. We were plagued by the damned things, but after a few chilly days turning soil, the following year was much better.

Hehe... I've just posted my slug tips on the eco-friendly thread :P The beer traps, plus sharp sand have been most effective for me - if you put a line of sharp sand down around your plants, then the slugs won't go across the sand :thumbsup: I've found it to be most effective around the edge of troughs and pots.

We've tried beer,wev'e tried salt and sand, we've even tried the soluble stuff you water on the plants but the best method we've found,unfortunately is waiting till its wet or damp and picking them up by hand. Its not pleasent but after several days of this we just about got rid of them all!!

I used the copper tape from B&Q this year, its not cheap but great forr pot and tub plants.

I tend to stick to the hand removal option as my garden is small enough to deal with that way and the other methods are too high maintenance.

While we're on the subject of plant munchers - anyone know a good way of getting rid of vine weevils? They're massacring my plants much faster than the slugs do and they're not so easy to spot :suspect:

The internet tells me sticky tape round the base of plants but this is impractical with some plants...

Doesn't that warrant a new thread? ;)

I'm sure lots of people will want to know about vine weevils, and it'll be easier to find on it's own :)

I've found lots of bark chippings helps to deter slugs and snails

It has to be sand, we've tried almost everything but sand has worked, don't put it too near the plants, but it does work and we've had hardly any this year.

The use of slug pellets is not frowned upon anymore as the compound used these days does not harm other wildlife that would be predators on slugs & snails.

So I'm back to sprinkling instead of salting :thumbsup:

I use slug pellets but i found that crushed egg shells dug into the flower beds deter them too. They hate crawling over the sharp edges.

Crushed eggshells will also reduce the ph of soil if it's too acid :thumbsup:

I was worried about the pellets because i have lots of frogs and toads in the garden so i tried to use them sparingly.
After reading that they arent bad for the wildlife im going to be using more.
The snails here are the size of bloody housebricks.

We've tried beer,wev'e tried salt and sand, we've even tried the soluble stuff you water on the plants but the best method we've found,unfortunately is waiting till its wet or damp and picking them up by hand. Its not pleasent but after several days of this we just about got rid of them all!!
Oh yukkk what do you do with them? :gag:

My missus feeds them! She loves the things. Strange woman.

Snails get lobbed into next doors garden! (Its empty at the moment, so I can get away with it!) Slugs get a-salted! Generally, I sprinkle pellets around their favourite plants but mostly I grow something they don't like. I did try beer traps once but although I caught a lot of slugs, I also drowned a baby frog. I felt so dreadful about that that I took up the traps immediately. In the past, I have used grapefruit skins turned cut side down but it is seriously disgusting having to dispose of the slugs that congregate inside (and next door might notice grapefruit skins sailing over the fence!):suspect:

Lets face it - Sheffield is full of the blighters :suspect:

So what method do you use to prevent them from chomping through your plants?

I usually use the beer trap method - just shallow glass jars, with beer dregs in them, and the horrid little things can't keep out :P

Sometimes the path gets a good salting - if they're out in force


Funilly enough, the slug/snail population seems to have dwindled of late, but our wild bird population seems to have increased, and I'm wondering if the two are related


egg shell around your plants are good :thumbsup:


or get a pop bottle, cut it in half. dig a hole the same depth of the bottle, pour some beer about halfway up the bottle, rub some oil around the top half then place in the whole. this will attract the slugs and snails they will then fall in and be able to get back out due to the oiled edges :D

put them in the compost, they eat each other!

I was going to ask about that, my compost bin is full of rotting waste and slugs (huge things)....surely all its doing is creating a breeding ground for the blighters

Gordon ramsey has a delicious recipy making very good use of the garden snail. ssssssshhhhhhhhlllllluuuuuuuurrrrrppppppp :thumbsup:

I was going to ask about that, my compost bin is full of rotting waste and slugs (huge things)....surely all its doing is creating a breeding ground for the blighters

Apparently not. They're so happy in the compost bin munching all the goodies that they dont bother to come out and eat your plants. They die happy, fat and the eggs just die off..... I can't remember why but the eggs can't survive the compost bin.

Slugs n snails eggs will die off owing to the heat of the compost, however on the edges of the compost eggs will most certainly thrive.. they do in mine!
I chuck any I find into my council green waste bin - they can munch all they want and the council can sort them :)

Slugs get salted, Snails get put into the green garden waste bin:suspect:

Gordon ramsey has a delicious recipy making very good use of the garden snail. ssssssshhhhhhhhlllllluuuuuuuurrrrrppppppp :thumbsup:
You can eat `em? Theres a recipe?

edge of my trowel works wonders ;)