Kevin Chisholm wrote:
....
> The basic question is: Does it make sense to set out slug traps now,
> with the objective of reducing the population available for
> overwintering, OR, will I be just as far ahead next summer if I simply
> start trapping them in the spring?
If you have any fall Brasssicas at all,
it may be a good idea to trap them now.
Bill
When checking out the tomatillo patch today, I noticed lots of slugs.
They aren't really a problem, in that they don't seem to damage whole
fruit.....they only go for fruit that cracked because I didn't water
consistently, and don't have enough organics in my soil.
The basic question is: Does it make sense to set out slug traps now,
with the objective of reducing the population available for
overwintering, OR, will I be just as far ahead next summer if I simply
start trapping them in the spring?
Thanks very much.
Kevin Chisholm
They lay eggs for overwintering at this time of year so go ahead and trap
them Kevin.
kathryn
> The basic question is: Does it make sense to set out slug traps now,
> with the objective of reducing the population available for
> overwintering, OR, will I be just as far ahead next summer if I simply
> start trapping them in the spring?
Hi Kevin,
My sympathies - the battle is ongoing here on the wet coast, year round.
Although I know a lot of OGLers swear by traps, it has been my experience
that they simply draw greater numbers of the beasties to feast on my
plants! From my pov, a useful suggestion for you at this time of
year would be to ensure there are no hidey-holes for the little sluggards.
After you harvest your crop(s), cruise around and eliminate large pieces
of wood or piles of branches or twigs, rocks that have edges parallel with
the ground that a slidey critter could slither under, and so on, anywhere
near your crops. If you use sides on raised beds, inspect the materials
for gaps or holes, and eliminate any that are there.
With a slug problem as bad as you seem to have, I would avoid any rough
winter mulches, but would instead go for (if you still have enough time in
your climate) overwintering ground covers or (if the season is getting too
late) fine mulches. My experience with mulches last year was that
unshredded leaves over manure or partly-finished compost or bare soil
seemed to provide them a perfect nesting ground, while compacted flakes of
straw (natural dividing points of the bale) over the same manure or
compost or soil didn't appeal whatsoever. Go figger.
You might also want to disturb the surface of your beds really well in the
spring, if you don't anyway, as this exposes the eggs they've laid in the
soil. If you use rough mulches for water conservation, you might want to
reconsider, and use fine mulches, close planting, or underplanting
instead. [The gentle and the squeamish may stop reading here!] Slug
hunting is also very effective: go through your patch just at "slug light"
(otherwise known as l'heure bleu) and with your spade or edging blade chop
all you see in half. Then go around again, and you'll get a whole whack
more who've come to feast on the bodies of their sister-brothers (they're
cannibalistic hermaphrodites), but this time you should pick up all
remains, to avoid attracting greater numbers toward your plants.
Hope this helps,
Diane Ridout, Instructor, ACP.............................................
Kwantlen University College, "Talk
12666-72 Avenue doesn't
Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 2M8 cook rice," they say.
Tel: (604) 599-2964 Voice mail 9837.......................................
Well, I frequently ponder this also. I understand that slugs move around
(migratory ? not sure if that always implies seasonal movement or if slugs
relocate according to the seasons or just randomly in search of food), so
eliminating all slugs in area only leaves it vacant until a new wave moves
in. Bear in mind that Gardens Alive! claims that only 5% of the slug
population is above ground at any one time.
I have wondered if there is a population limit which would preclude other
slugs moving into an area. Because I have literally picked hundreds of slugs
in a night in a relatively small area, I've not been willing to experiment
to discover what that upper limit number might be.
I've been using Escar-go (same ingredients as Sluggo, but Sluggo is quite a
bit cheaper). I applied it once or twice in early spring and have had a
remarkably slug free year so far. I have noticed some slugs moving in, so I
will probably reapply when the fall rains begin. If I didn't have a
fall/winter garden filled with the things slugs seem to like, I might skip
the fall application.
My hope has been that by judiciously applying the iron phosphate based bait,
I can achieve a balance between thousands of voracious slugs mowing down
every plant (like my first spring here) in sight and relying on the bait all
the time (something I'm not willing to do).
Tom
Portland OR, Zone 8
http://www.teleport.com/~scut/garden.htm
Dear Dianne
Thank you for your thoughtful reply
Perhaps I should have expanded on the question somewhat....basically, I was
wondering if trapping some slugs will have any significant effect on future
slug populations. For example, if I had 1000 slugs in a given area, and
trapped 500 of them now, would the Spring Slug Population actually be reduced,
or not??? With only 500 slugs to lay eggs, perhaps the slugs resulting from
those eggs would be "twice as successful" in growing, due to lack of
competition for food supply. In this case, it would be pointless to trap slugs
now.
On the other hand, if slugs lay relatively few eggs, and if their
overwintering success was relatively high, and if competition for food was not
a problem, then trapping half the slugs present now may indeed result in about
half the future slug population.
A third scenario is as follows: If there is a very large initial population of
slugs next Spring, perhaps this will encourage slug predators to move in, and
this may lead to a very much reduced slug population by late spring, or early
summer.
Thanks again for your helpful comments.
Kevin Chisholm
Diane Ridout wrote:
....del..
What about setting out ducks instead? They'll eat the eggs for you, and are
less likely than hens to dine lavishly on your plants. - JTT
Hello Kevin,
Thank you for your clarification.
There is plenty of slug life-lore in Des Kennedy's highly entertaining
book, _Living Things We Love to Hate_ and that might help you with some of
your questions.
Based on my personal (intimate!) experience with slugs and snails, I would
think that the populations, like any other animal populations, depend very
much on local conditions and seasonal variations. If there is a very
early, warm, wet spring, slug pops will rise and you will have to deal
with them. If, on the other hand, there is a very cold winter and a late,
dry spring, you will not have so great a population to deal with.
Having said that, I still maintain that an ongoing program of maintenance,
watchfulness, regular patrolling and good cleanup procedures will bring
any slug problem, under any conditions, under control and keep it that
way. Ongoing cultural practices, as you know, can favour either an
increase or reduction of a population. By applying a year-round program,
designed with an eye to control of slug populations, you won't have to
worry about them ever again! (BIG promise, there ;-) )
Diane Ridout, Instructor, ACP.............................................
Kwantlen University College, "Talk
12666-72 Avenue doesn't
Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 2M8 cook rice," they say.
Tel: (604) 599-2964 Voice mail 9837.......................................
