slugs, bugs and pests

[ukok]

no, not the human variety! - how do you get slugs, bugs, and pests, off your plants, or stop them eating the veggies? I have let the children plant lettuces and carrots and other small produce in a V. small patch of the garden, and the pesky little horrors (not the children) are eating many of our edibles before we get to eat them! Any advice welcomed.

 

[Philip]

For slugs, take a shallow bowl and fill it with beer. Leave this in the garden over night. The little guys can't resist it. In the morning, you'll have a bowl of drowned slugs.

 

[Icystwolf]

Natural methods, are growing a herb garden, some herbs push away a lot of insects as a natural defence, it's the chemicals of the smell. I think the strong mint is one of them.

Mealy bugs, I get these on my orchids...argh!!! ....we have natural insect agents, such as lady beetles.

Slugs...nothing beats the beer. But it dosen't work if someone drinks the beer....I realise my dad was drinking the beer whilst I though the slugs were too strong in my garden. But now I'm impaling them....grrrr


have fun!

 

[Grizzly]

Natural methods, are growing a herb garden, some herbs push away a lot of insects as a natural defence, it's the chemicals of the smell. I think the strong mint is one of them.

Be careful with the mint. It can take over a whole garden. If you want mint around your other plants, plant the mint in a plastic container and plant the whole thing. Otherwise you are going to end up with a mint garden....

 

[RaptureTicketHolder]

Ive had great luck with beer in the butter tub trick. I think its great - except clean it out every few days.

​

 

[ukok]

i can't help thinking about where i am going to put the poor drowned slugs...


Good ideas all, thank you so much for responding.

where do you put your deceased slugs ? LOL.

 

[Philip]

where do you put your deceased slugs ? LOL.

Most go into the composter. Sometimes I see birds taking them.

 

[Philip]

Be careful with the mint. It can take over a whole garden. If you want mint around your other plants, plant the mint in a plastic container and plant the whole thing.

Good advice.

Otherwise you are going to end up with a mint garden....

Or, as in my case, a back lawn of mint.

 

[JohnR7]

Slugs...nothing beats the beer.

I have heard it said you can use caffeine also. It speeds up their heart rate so that they get so nervous and they will clear out of there. I am not sure how they get the blood preassure cuff on them little guys though. I wonder if they put them on the tread mill also?

Here is a BBC artical on it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2067214.stm

 

[Icystwolf]

i can't help thinking about where i am going to put the poor drowned slugs...


Good ideas all, thank you so much for responding.

where do you put your deceased slugs ? LOL.

Give them to animals that eat slugs, like birds, ants, blue tongues, carniveous snails...

I'm rather queezy about the french delicacy of eating snails....which are related to slugs....yuck....
I can eat insects, all sorts of mammals and sea creatures, except sea slugs...but just the feeling of slimy ness....ewww

I remembered there was a giant slug, the large ones that are around 30cm long in australia, or if you in asia theyre not as long but around 10cm thick....
one was crawling back into the mini forest in uni, and I left it, but 5mins later, walked on the same path some guy stepped on it... and you could see that that guy was wiping the remains all around the area......

 

[ukok]

blurgh!... that is gross, i have seen squashed slugs and they truly are disgusting. My son is facinated by all things gory though so he'd have been enthralled!

 

[Icystwolf]

blurgh!... that is gross, i have seen squashed slugs and they truly are disgusting. My son is facinated by all things gory though so he'd have been enthralled!

You'd better keep an eye on him, because theres a craze out about using a bit of small tiny explosives, like fire crackers, then smacking a slug or snail with it....

These kids were doing at night the otherday in the backyard after the BBQ, I came out, they blew one up and a part of the slug went on my lips. I didn't know what it was, until I saw other slugs with firecrackers on them...I swear that was horrible.

Probably why I'm so afraid of slugs....

 

[ukok]

I heard of kids doing things with frogs and fireworks, but i never heard about slugs and explosive substances!...Thank you for enlightening me...i think...

 

[Icystwolf]

I heard of kids doing things with frogs and fireworks, but i never heard about slugs and explosive substances!...Thank you for enlightening me...i think...

Glad to be of your service....i think...

 

[Prophecy Countdown]

Hello gardeners, I am new at this growing stuff, last time I had the time, was many years ago.
My wife and I went down south to a place called Tasmania, a small island south of Australia. The climate is 1C to 15C in the winter and 8C to about 23c in summer.
The soil is so rich, So I just had to get a vegie patch going.
It is winter here half way through in fact.
I tried to dig with a spade and after 2 hours dug about one foot by 20 and had to have a two hour break.
So, I decided to buy a rotary hoe, new I though, until I saw the price $$$,,
I went back on the spade and repeated the whole episode again.

Then driving by a second hand store saw an old rotary hoe, and I mean old,,, drive belts the lot. It is called a Victa and was made in the USA.

$550 he said and I got it for $400 it cost another $290 to fix up and off we went home to the garden.
I left it in gear by mistake and with the choke on,,, well.

I pulled the starter pulley and it took off fast until I slowed the revs down a bit. Got to the vegie patch, turned on the rotary gear and off it went.

I became more and more confident, until it grabbed a stone and it leaped forward,,, I held on tight and it then stopped as fast as it had shot forward.

I landed on top of the thing, causing severe bruising to both my legs and half my shirt was ripped off so quickly by the drive belt that I never even felt it happen.
As I lay on the ground in agony, all I could do was watch the thing continue on its merry way.

With half my shirt still being torn to bits in the drive belt. I had to walk half way down the muddy plot to get the machine back, and it was still going strong when I reached it.

It is strange though, I still had the cuff of one sleeve still on my arm that belonged to half the shirt that was missing.

It had also ripped my undies and somehow pulled them up above my trousers.
I looked around when I got up, hoping that no one had seen what had happened and saw my wife who was hanging on to the kitchen sink laughing her head off!!!!

I was really scared of that machine for a long time!
But now I just let it trundle along at its own slow pace, and we get on just fine. I think it likes me now but its like a snappy dog you can’t afford to take your eyes off the thing for a second.

All I’m doing is just digging the soil with the rotary hoe, I have put in mulch and with the digging done I can’t wait to plant.
What a great way to spend time.
It is hard work at times when weeding but it makes your mind relax into gardening bliss,, until I use the dreaded machine!!

I must get some more fruit trees, cherries and pears I think.

Well, must go, I have enjoyed reading all your E-mails.
What nice folk you all are.
Thanks to all.
May our Lord bless you.

 

[Icystwolf]

Hello gardeners, I am new at this growing stuff, last time I had the time, was many years ago.
My wife and I went down south to a place called Tasmania, a small island south of Australia. The climate is 1C to 15C in the winter and 8C to about 23c in summer.
The soil is so rich, So I just had to get a vegie patch going.
It is winter here half way through in fact.
I tried to dig with a spade and after 2 hours dug about one foot by 20 and had to have a two hour break.
So, I decided to buy a rotary hoe, new I though, until I saw the price $$$,,
I went back on the spade and repeated the whole episode again.

Then driving by a second hand store saw an old rotary hoe, and I mean old,,, drive belts the lot. It is called a Victa and was made in the USA.

$550 he said and I got it for $400 it cost another $290 to fix up and off we went home to the garden.
I left it in gear by mistake and with the choke on,,, well.

I pulled the starter pulley and it took off fast until I slowed the revs down a bit. Got to the vegie patch, turned on the rotary gear and off it went.

I became more and more confident, until it grabbed a stone and it leaped forward,,, I held on tight and it then stopped as fast as it had shot forward.

I landed on top of the thing, causing severe bruising to both my legs and half my shirt was ripped off so quickly by the drive belt that I never even felt it happen.
As I lay on the ground in agony, all I could do was watch the thing continue on its merry way.

With half my shirt still being torn to bits in the drive belt. I had to walk half way down the muddy plot to get the machine back, and it was still going strong when I reached it.

It is strange though, I still had the cuff of one sleeve still on my arm that belonged to half the shirt that was missing.

It had also ripped my undies and somehow pulled them up above my trousers.
I looked around when I got up, hoping that no one had seen what had happened and saw my wife who was hanging on to the kitchen sink laughing her head off!!!!

I was really scared of that machine for a long time!
But now I just let it trundle along at its own slow pace, and we get on just fine. I think it likes me now but its like a snappy dog you can’t afford to take your eyes off the thing for a second.

All I’m doing is just digging the soil with the rotary hoe, I have put in mulch and with the digging done I can’t wait to plant.
What a great way to spend time.
It is hard work at times when weeding but it makes your mind relax into gardening bliss,, until I use the dreaded machine!!

I must get some more fruit trees, cherries and pears I think.

Well, must go, I have enjoyed reading all your E-mails.
What nice folk you all are.
Thanks to all.
May our Lord bless you.

I'll pray to God and thank him for your recovery!

Try Lychees, the chinese fruit. If it's sour, you use it for cooking and it becomes sweet. If it's sweet, as usual, then enjoy lychee with tea.

Oh also, does tasmania have fruit bats?
Those flying foxes have increased in Sydney so much, they hang around paddies fruit market every saturday and sunday, just to eat the fruit. And I have to find some way of protecting my gumgut.

But have fun with fruit growing. I prefer Orchids, but I have a peach tree growing...I can't wait......

 

[RaptureTicketHolder]

Oh my what a garden horror story. I would have never guessed that gardens could produce horror.

Sure Ive watched Poison Ivy on the big screen with Bat Man, but heck, in reality?

Well, I lived in Australia and TRIED to grow something. We wound up with ONE super long vine from a watermelon seed that produced ONE basketball round mellon.

Nice....

I did learn, though, that many garden items in aussie land can kill ya. I had these white flowering bushes that were like 8 feet by 8 feet that could kill ya. Those horrible spiders - ugg horrible spiders around there - ugg I shudder just to think of them, and I saw some FREAKY looking things.

Well anyway, I wont be taking up gadening in Australia if I ever live there again!

 

[Prophecy Countdown]

I'll pray to God and thank him for your recovery!

Try Lychees, the chinese fruit. If it's sour, you use it for cooking and it becomes sweet. If it's sweet, as usual, then enjoy lychee with tea.

Oh also, does tasmania have fruit bats?
Those flying foxes have increased in Sydney so much, they hang around paddies fruit market every saturday and sunday, just to eat the fruit. And I have to find some way of protecting my gumgut.

But have fun with fruit growing. I prefer Orchids, but I have a peach tree growing...I can't wait......

Greetings Icyswolf’s, Have you heard of gooseberries? They are sweet if left to ripen but are tart if picked too soon.
The climate here is perfect for them to grow.
I remember them from the UK.

I will try the Lychees, as you have kindly told me about and see what happens. I must try the lychee with tea.

We are fortunate, not to have fruit bats where we are, we live in a place called Wilmot. We have no mosquitoes, they used to get really bad in Sydney when we lived there.

Orchids are lovely the varieties astound me, when my wife and I see our friends in Sydney we head off to their back garden and straight into their greenhouse.

It’s a bit too cold down here for peaches.
We came down to Tassie 6 years ago after studying Daniel and sure enough Iraq was dealt with by America now we wait for Iran to be dealt with in the same way.
I think to be as self sufficient with clean fresh water and good soil, will be of at least some little help, when we can’t buy or sell.

It stays light here until ten in the evening here. Twilight is lovely.
We are truly blessed we can see mount Roland, Cradle mountain and Black bluff along with the sea in the distance.
It is a lovely place to live.
Well I must hit the sack and get some sleep.
Thank you for the advice I will try lychee with tea.
Maranatha,
P C.

 

[Prophecy Countdown]

Oh my what a garden horror story. I would have never guessed that gardens could produce horror.

Sure Ive watched Poison Ivy on the big screen with Bat Man, but heck, in reality?

Well, I lived in Australia and TRIED to grow something. We wound up with ONE super long vine from a watermelon seed that produced ONE basketball round mellon.

Nice....

I did learn, though, that many garden items in aussie land can kill ya. I had these white flowering bushes that were like 8 feet by 8 feet that could kill ya. Those horrible spiders - ugg horrible spiders around there - ugg I shudder just to think of them, and I saw some FREAKY looking things.

Well anyway, I wont be taking up gadening in Australia if I ever live there again!

Hello RaptureTicketHolder, it could have been worse with that machine, it could have been a log mulcher...oooooh.

So you lived in Australia for a while and tried to grow something.
Were you on the big island up North or in Tasmania, because a man can grow anything here in this soil.

Did you say “one melon,” My son in Sydney, tried to grow some rock melons and after being away for only a week, got back and ended up with a long dried up mulch vine. We are fortunate not to get the Sydney Funnel web spiders here. they say if you put a dogs lead on them you can take them for a walk.

I remember living in a place called Cattai out from Sydney I bit in the country ,,, no street lights.
I didn’t have a torch and it was dark, so I took a box of matches with me to get to the mail box, that I should have remembered when coming home.

I got to the gate which was a good distance from the house as it was on 5 acres. I threw the matches in front of me to guide me back to the house, that did not have outside lights.

Well, I ran out of matches and there are lots of deadly snakes in Cattai.
It was then that I stepped on the garden hose and man did I move and of course my wife saw me running. She said my eyes were scary wide when I got back in.
But still it keeps her amused.
I shed twenty years.

I killed a snake once I drove over it, it took me about six drive overs to kill the thing.

We have Tiger snakes, brown snakes, horrible things. I have to keep the farm clean and tidy because they get under things, gives me the creeps.

Well I must get some sleep and try not to think of anything nasty,

I will be glad when our dear Lord gets back and dumps this place into oblivion.

Maranatha.
Your brother in Jesus P C.

 

[Icystwolf]

Greetings Icyswolf’s, Have you heard of gooseberries? They are sweet if left to ripen but are tart if picked too soon.
The climate here is perfect for them to grow.
I remember them from the UK.

I will try the Lychees, as you have kindly told me about and see what happens. I must try the lychee with tea.

We are fortunate, not to have fruit bats where we are, we live in a place called Wilmot. We have no mosquitoes, they used to get really bad in Sydney when we lived there.

Orchids are lovely the varieties astound me, when my wife and I see our friends in Sydney we head off to their back garden and straight into their greenhouse.

It’s a bit too cold down here for peaches.
We came down to Tassie 6 years ago after studying Daniel and sure enough Iraq was dealt with by America now we wait for Iran to be dealt with in the same way.
I think to be as self sufficient with clean fresh water and good soil, will be of at least some little help, when we can’t buy or sell.

It stays light here until ten in the evening here. Twilight is lovely.
We are truly blessed we can see mount Roland, Cradle mountain and Black bluff along with the sea in the distance.
It is a lovely place to live.
Well I must hit the sack and get some sleep.
Thank you for the advice I will try lychee with tea.
Maranatha,
P C.

Interesting, when I immigrated from HK to Australia, I was in Tasmania first, can't remember where because I was only 3yrs old.

But, is my eye sore, or did you say theres no mozzies?

Sydney may be a naturally cool place, but the mozzies are a killer at certain times of the yr. So I see Tasmania is too cold for mozzies, and HK is too polluted to have mozzies...well, looks like inside me is a mozzie lover....