Monday, February 18, 2008

Slug-death Plan

Due to 2007's appalling and pretty much non-existent summer I suspect that slugs on our plot may be more of a challenge than previous years. After all - they've had lots of muddy water to writhe around on and populate like crazy so I need a plan to reduce their numbers significantly.
By the way, if you're interested in how slugs get jiggy with it then this video may be of interest. From the BBC Life in the Undergrowth documentary with David Attenborough.
Right then....this is ze plan.
We have a nice planked up area where we keep the compost bin and chippings which is raised up from the allotment ground. Over the years we have noticed that slugs tend to be the most vicious and pretty much anything planted there gets munch up and slimed over. Yuk! (They must be breeding here)
So, I'm planning on digging a trench with some guttering which I will seal at both ends. I will put some cider in here (Welsh slugs love a bit of 'Bow) but I'll go with Sainsbury's cheapo stuff. Then I'll place a path of chippings next to the first bed so that even if the cider doesn't get them - they'll have dry chippings to contend with. Ah-ha!
I'll top this off with a plank of something that will stop the rain washing away the cider.
Fingers crossed it will work!!

4 comments:

lilymarlene said...

Nice idea.....and the planks will have the added bonus of watering your beans every time it rains.......clever!!

Anonymous said...

Well, I'll be interested to see how this pans out, looks like a slug attractant to me, but hopefully your defences are impenetrable.

Nicole said...

There is a high concentration of slugs under the planks which has destroyed any crop growing next to them in the past. We've tried trenches before but this time I'm hoping to bait them before they get any further. Also, they're hatching at the moment so we need to make sure we get them early after last years wet summer encouraged them to mate more! :(

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but this made me laugh, that's one hell of an action plan :D