My Ruth Stout Garden is Full of Slugs & Snails

[@CoastalGardening]

Back in the old days , folks had to grow their "medicinal " herbs in secluded woodland spots referred to as gorilla gardens . Gorilla gardeners learned long ago that slugs love the woodland environment and will wipe out your garden unless you put down a dusting of limestone under the plants. When the slugs crawl over it they curl up into a "c' shape and dry up. Have a great day =)

[@maritimegardening4887]

I've stumbled across some of those gardens while fishing!

[@johnhazaras3160]

@@maritimegardening4887 I grow my medicine in large pots and some in the ground covered by wood chips but I have never had slug damage. Mind you they are in wide open areas easily spotted by birds. These plants are pretty much pest resistant unless the deers find them but this is my 2nd growing season , so well see how this year goes.

[@christineelsey3104]

Great info!!!!.. Thanks.. 😊😊 Glad I found you .. & Love that you are also another Canadian gardener to watch.. Cuz, I assume you are in the maritimes, Canada. Mind you, I like to watch gardeners from various countries too.. 😊 I Live zone 5, Ontario. I had a horrendous time with slugs last summer. Hoping to change that this spring, lol.

[@bigdogma8456]

I was in a slug battle and used copper scrubber pads cut and added to raised garden bed ledge and the slugs will not cross it. I refused to give them my beer and the other things I tried did not work. I am using straw cover for potatoes, so I pray the slugs are not eating them! D.E. kills all bugs, so I hate to use that for killing good bugs or bees. I did not know that birds eat slugs, they come out at night, so we have no night birds here to eat them.

[@2200chuck]

I really liked this episode Greg. It's a subject I've needed guidance on for a while now. Thank you so much.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Glad it was helpful!

[@xyzsame4081]

@@maritimegardening4887 BTK unfortunately also kills good beetles. I guess a strategy of protective hoods (for kale and the like also against the carrot fly) and lots of offers for useful insects and animals right when setting up a garden. I think most gardeners are so busy getting all in place that they forget to nurture their defensive troops right out of the gate. Lots of flower plants (bees), spaces for lizards, birds, snakes, frogs or toads, spiders. insect hotels, litte spots with water (for bugs that like to eat the eggs of slugs). Plus offers for wasps.

[@williamchamberlin2752]

I'm the same as JJY EMG, the white moth that has a couple of black spots on the lower part of the wings I call a cabbage moth. I chase them down with a tennis racket, my wife thinks I'm crazy cause I'll sometimes be out in the garden in my bathrobe chasing them down, perhaps she's right. Thanks for all the useful info, I wasn't aware of the BTK for the worms.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I have a badminton racket in the garden - so let her know it's not just you :)

[@cheesekake1841]

I really like your approach in this video. It makes sense.

[@juliawitt3813]

We have had a lot of rain this summer on the Hiveld near Johannesburg. I grow without toxic pesticides, and am on the side of live and let live. This year though, I've had to resort to snail bait.....I did one dose. I felt terrible, but they were eating all my baby broccoli and cabbage. Now I have put brambles from my raspberries, to try that in and around my beds. We have huge bird here called hadidas , they are also very destructive.... eat all kinds of peas, beans. Long beaks too, so they get through all my defences. I really think that the healthier your garden, the more the pests love your plants.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I agree - and also, it's important to think of the category "toxic" with nuance. How toxic? Toxic to what? Does the toxicity persist or is it only temporary until the toxin is broken down by sunlight or microorganisms. Many natural things are toxic, and many natural things that we eat have a degree of toxicity, and they produce those toxins naturally - such as the oxalic acid in many greens - and we can eat them and be totally fine. Anyway, my point is that it's ok to use something that's ok to use something that's "toxic - so long as it's toxic in the right way. Acetic acid is toxic in high concentrations - even at 10% it is dangerous - but the right amount in a salad dressing (vinegar is about 5% acetic acid) is delicious :)

[@patriciarussell8450]

Your honesty is very helpful. Great content. You really know and understand the soil and its friends/foe. Thanks.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I appreciate that! Thanks

[@summerbeemeadow]

I always look forward to your sage advice!

[@rivoruss]

Thanks for this informative video! I really appreciate your philosophy of pests and predators… I a new gardener (starting my 3rd year) and I’m beginning to see that pest “management” is something that I’ll need to deal with. Your video has helped reduce the stress and hopefully in a couple of years, there will be a good balance of pest/predators in my garden too!

[@maritimegardening4887]

Good lucks and thanks :)

[@ccccclark2605]

Great explanation of the problem! Even better solution! I laid coco noir around the base of my plants to block out weeds....slugs n snails didn't crawl

[@maritimegardening4887]

coco noir is a pefume

[@erikaboyer4125]

i love your gardening philosophy!

[@maritimegardening4887]

Thank you!

[@dbbdeb2327]

Thank God. Someone who actually tells the truth.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I try :)

[@PrinceCbass]

This year we have a really bad slug problem. I think it is because we didn't have a hard winter. We had only a few days of below freezing temps. I have collected thousands and I can see thousands more in the yard. The pressure has subsided a bit in some areas because there is border paths of stone and gravel. We live in a pretty damp area that they thrive in. We are getting 10 chickens and using a chicken tractor to at least let the chickens eat them from the major parts of the yard. I will fence off small areas of the garden and let the chickens do their thing.

[@janinemcqueen5441]

I use lots of mulch compared to my husband who tills constantly (old school) Just the other day he called my way “Trash Gardening” Needless to say we have Mr. And Mrs. gardens. I have no problem with snails and slugs but the snails ate his cabbage last year. Lol.

[@cannonsovercharged]

I have been wanting to get into Competitive Gardening, but never knew quite how to do it. Thanks!

[@xyzsame4081]

ramp up your defeinsive troops (birds, toads, snakes, beneficial instects incl. wasps), then best him ;)

[@MegaLegend76]

I used to fill buckets with slugs, now i dont even kill one if i see it. What i changed was. Removed any divisions like raised beds or rocks, the soil gap allows access to ground and provides protection. Mulch everywhere including the paths. Replaced tender species with perennials, or abandoned them altogether. Beans and squashes are brought up in greenhouse using big pots, evict any slugs for the first week, grow plant till big then transplant. Sprinkle saw dust as a mulch around them.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I used to mulch everywhere including paths, had no effect on slugs. Sounds to me like you're only planting things that slugs don't like - or planting things out once they are bug and are relatively slug proof - nothing really earth shattering there - and offers nothing for people with no green house - but glad it's working for you mate :) .

[@PrinceCbass]

They demolished my squash and pumpkin plants. These were transplanted into raised beds and it is like they can smell it a mile away. They already had many larger leaves. It only took a couple of days and they were gone.

[@SimplyGarden]

Great guidance on dealing with pests. My biggest pests are the four legged ones. We do tend to keep them under control.

[@eternalfizzer]

Thanks - I needed that :-D I notice with my peas, the slugs attack the first few leaves, but once they're a good 5 or 6 tall, the slugs don't get up that high and the plant can grow leaves faster than the slugs can eat them. I just have to make sure they're big enough before I set them out. (You hit the nail on the head: the reason pests like seedlings and not so much mature plants is because the seedling hasn't developed the noxious compounds yet. It's also why our tasty sweet greens and such are preferred by pests over the blasted weeds around them - we've bred out the bitter compounds which protected the plant in its native form.) My favourites are things like garlic, which nothing touches ... because we like the noxious compound in that family ;-)

[@japhillips08]

This made me feel much better about the slugs or snails currently enjoying my brassicas! I did put out Monterey Sluggo Plus as well as beer traps so hopefully that will help. Now what to do about the rabbits digging up my newly planted flowers and making holes in my asparagus bed!

[@maritimegardening4887]

The only solution for your rabbits is a fence

[@japhillips08]

@@maritimegardening4887 waiting “patiently” on my husband for an updated one. 🙏🏼 The old one either was chewed or just broke down over the year. We did what we could afford. Found baby rabbits inside about a month ago. They were cute but not welcome lol Currently trying to hold them at bay with Liquid Fence deer and rabbit repellant and Bonide Repel All 🙏🏼 Best I can do without being a nag lol

[@boryanaantonova3044]

I had a huge problem with slugs, I would go out on a rainy night and pick up over 150 slugs feasting on my veggies. What worked out miraculously for me was putting out cornmeal on small plates in the beds. Turned out that slugs prefer cornmeal to any other food but they can't digest it and just die. I have 2 year olds coming in my garden and I was perfectly comfortable because cornmeal is safe to use around them.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Slugs like cornmeal but it does not kill them. www.gardenmyths.com/does-cornmeal-kill-slugs-snails/

[@lifeisshort99]

I pick them up in early morning. At first I got hundreds of them. As time goes few a day.

[@patriciarussell8450]

Really enjoy watching your videos, I find little bits from many masters, like you. Just trying to grow good food.

[@maritimegardening4887]

So nice of you

[@garthwunsch]

Greg, many years ago I discovered how to almost 100% protect my baby anything from slugs... I don't know if it works on snails becasue I don't have any, but it should, as they crawl via the same mechanism. This is counterintuitive, but I use fine compost to control the slugs. I have a garden shredder and make a lot of compost, which normally goes through the shredder before going on the garden. I screen some of that compost through a 1/4" hardware cloth sieve, dry it out and save it. Just as the beans, cucumbers, carrots etc are starting to emerge, I put down about 1/2" covering about 2" each side of the plants just before dark... and it works! Took me along time to figure out why it worked. Slugs need to lay down a slime trail to move on, but when they hit the fine fluffy dry compost, it sticks to their body and they can't move... out comes the morning sun - et voila - escargots! If it rains hard on the compost, I just fluff it up a little with my fingers. Your disappearing carrots (covered by mulch) may be succumbing to "damp" - not sure - just a thought. For the last eight years, I've had so much trouble getting a carrot crop. I have a lot of mulch - hence a lot of slugs. I'm now quite certain the slugs were eating the emerging seedlings because there was basically nothing else to eat. I tried to give the baby carrots every chance to grow, so I took away all the mulch. No food left for the slugs. The fine compost seems to now be protecting the emerging carrots. KZbinr Cutis Stone Urban Farmer recently shed some light on helpong me get a better germination/emergence rate on my carrots too... he and other farmers have been experiencing lots of difficulty with carrot germination... until they started planting in pure compost, and keeping it consistently damp until germination. For me, that means a watering can full to 4' x 6' bed each time I water. Problems come and problems go... and for a few years the birds were also re-tilling my garden ( but I haven't tilled for eight years now). My solution was to lay a few twigs over the bed... usually from my annual raspberry bed cleanup. It worked wonders. I suspect chicken wire would work too, but never used it. BTK is also amazing to control the Leek moth larvae on my garlic, but a cheaper solution I've discovered is a 10% solution of common household ammonia... it's nitrogen, so the plants don't seem to mind. It only kills what it touches, so is safe for bees. I also use it to control tent caterpillars, earwigs, slug overwintering sites, etc..

[@maritimegardening4887]

Every time I do a slug video I get this suggestion in one form or another. Thank you for taking the time to wrote this, but honestly, I've not found it to work well here. Perhaps I was doing it wrong - but I spent three years trying every non-slug-pellet option under the sun, including the one you mention above, and this is the approach that worked for me. On the scale that I'm gardening, it works for me, and I don't fear the chemicals because the one's I'm using need not be feared.

[@olgakuchukov6981]

I used a furry type of “slug repellant” product around an ornamental perennial, an orange heucherella, and photographed the slugs crawling over the stuff. That heucherella did not survive.

[@johncourtneidge]

Again, many thanks. I've had the same problem with some of the curcubits at our new-to-me allotment (melon, squash eaten) I'm using fine mesh plastic netting on my brassicas. Thank-you for the btk and ferric ETDA hydroxyl slug approach at the most vulnerable time. Yes, a wetland/pond and birds. Nice carrot tip, too.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Thanks :)

[@PaulLeMay3218]

Thank you for sharing. Greatly appreciated. 🇨🇦😎

[@maritimegardening4887]

No problem 👍

[@macskahegyi8848]

Celery/ celeriac keeps cabbage whites away. Plant them around and in between brassicae. It does work!.

[@xyzsame4081]

6:36 the iron "pill" (Ferric Sodium Hydroxy EDTA) he uses sparingly to kill slugs and a little later he mentions that he uses a spray based on pyrothren 8:30 against ? flea beetles 8:54 He also mentions the moth that specialized in brassica moths (the white butterfly, with the caterpillars that eat even large plants). That is if the wasps do not take care of them. 11:28 BTK to kill caterpillars (but it also kills the good ones).

[@DianneLSmith-xk7ky]

That's why you only spray it on the plants you want to grow, not everywhere; it will only kill the bugs actually eating the sprayed plants. Maybe I'm egocentric, but I don't consider any bugs that are eating plants I've planted are good ones (unless I've planted a plant to support something like butterflies).

[@michaellippmann4474]

You are a wise man! Great video Greg...we always had a large population of robins, red wings, etc., but since I reactivated my veggie garden a few years ago I swear we have way more! Every morning when I head out the driveway and past my garden there are loads of birds getting their snacks. Now they are a pain at times kicking mulch around but I don't mind....in the overall scheme of things they help more than harm. Yes I have some slugs and flea beetles but not enough to loose sleep over. I bring toads home to turn loose in the garden which I think helps out as well. Now...if only you could find a predator to eat all your black flies!! 🤣 Have a great weekend and stay safe! Mike

[@maritimegardening4887]

Was out fishing in the woods the last 2 nights - just got back - flies were INSANE. Only solution was sitting by the smudge fire (punky wood) and drinking beer...

[@michaellippmann4474]

Yeah the drinking beer part is perfect but did you catch any fish? I do not miss the black flies of Northern Ontario! Hope the beer was cold...we celebrated a lovely day with Makers Mark Bourbon! We launched our sailboat today (about 2 months later than normal due to COVID restrictions) looking forward to getting out... Have good one man! Mike

[@michaellippmann4474]

Oh and yeah I am familiar with smudge fires!!! 😒

[@1skinnypuppy]

Still loven it ! Thank you !

[@trae74]

I keep hearing people say they won't go after older cucumbers but that is not true for me. I just had to pull all of mine because they destroyed them. I was picking snails off from leaves over my head. Made me so sad to have to pull them. I had pollinated cucumbers coming in all over them but the snails stunted them all.

[@BGraytful]

I do the mulch-no til gardening and have for a number of years. (I've gardened for 30+ years). I learned many years ago that snails and slugs will not cross ground oyster shell (available at feed stores because people who raise chickens use it). I clear the mulch and put a circle of ground oyster shells around a new planting and they survive. Once the plants are bigger I pull up the mulch again. Its inexpensive and better than anything else I've tried.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Do you have to replace it every time it rains?

[@BGraytful]

​@@maritimegardening4887 It will stay in place for weeks or even months. Oyster shells are hard but the kind I use is ground to a texture approximately like gravel and will stay in place unless the soil is turned or it is covered. It is sold as a chicken feed supplement to increase calcium for egg shell strength. I make a circle of it around the seedlings. It is not expensive so I spread it fairly thickly but just where I've recently put out my seedlings. My guess is the snails and slugs find it too rough a barrier to cross.

[@SamStone1964]

@@BGraytful Unfortunately my slugs are not deterred by oyster shell grit.

[@BGraytful]

@@SamStone1964 Recently the formula for it has changed. I used to be able to get plain ground oyster shell and that worked . . .but lately all I can find is a prepared, packaged product . . .doesn't work for me either.

[@SamStone1964]

@@BGraytful Interesting. Wonder why the change. I buy 25kg sacks for my chickens and the slugs don't mind it. I use the bran and iron pellets sparingly when I'm sowing seed. Mostly for peas and beans, just to get them started. I seed brassicas so thickly the slugs never get them all. Unfortunately very few of my chooks eat slugs. I've never seen birds, lizards or frogs eating them either. Maybe the snakes do but it's snowing today in the last month of Spring so the snakes are still brumating. These slugs are not native either, otherwise they'd be welcome.

[@DsHomeyGarden]

Still a great bit of information. Thank you.

[@maritimegardening4887]

My pleasure!

[@650sFinnest]

I have a lot of snails and slugs in my area. First time planting decided to plant carrots and cucumbers 😂. Had to go out there every night killing 20 each night. Until I just got some sluggo and they were completely gone over night. Apparently sluggo turns into fertilizer after a while 🤔. They got like 50% of my carrots. But I think I’ll replant and use a bit more until like you said they are big enough to defend themselves

[@maritimegardening4887]

Yes that works good - I guess it also turns the slugs into fertilizer :)

[@moramen2855]

Agh...broccoli worms...I usually hand pick them off when plants young and use a garlic/pepper/soap spray. Once plants get to certain size it's strong enough to "lose" leaves to the worms and my florettes are safe. I still pick off the big ones if I see them. Hornworms another pest but luckily none showed up last year.

[@georgepresod1423]

Good day to everyone, all of my gardens are covered with leaves and my fruit trees with this kind of mulch.I don't use any kind of chemical to get the rid of slugs and snails I have two methods, a soak away with waste water,I go out on mornings look for the slugs and snails if I find any of them I collect them and put them in the soak away. Other method is a 310watt solar panel hooked up to a charge controller and then to two 12 v batteries in parallel with a inline 30 amps fuse,I have 3 inch plastic strips with positive and negative wires one inch apart so that when the snails and slugs try crossing to get my plants they get shock

[@patriciamcintosh9792]

What if you add a cattle panel that forms a hoop over the beds. Tie to rebar or posts and grow the squash up. it will climb and you can tie to the openings. Have seen this done on "Roots and Refuge Farm " on KZbin. Will slug and snail make their way up the stem?

[@maritimegardening4887]

Once the squash gets a few inches high the slugs leave it alone

[@Kghost0311]

I have enough worms, and a bumper crop of slugs that eat more of my strawberries than I do. I have to get rid of them. I've been using DE and the beer traps but they still eat my poor strawberries 😢😢

[@trollforge]

White fly is a bug in the size range of fungus gnats & fruit flies this far north usually only seen indoors or in greenhouses. The butterfly has a few names; Cabbage white, Cabbage butterfly, Cabbage moth, all 3 of these names are applied to 2 species, Pieris rapae(small white), & Pieris brassicae ( large white), Cabbage Moth really is something different. It sounds like you don't get the Black Swallowtail butterfly, their caterpillars can decimate Carrot, Parsley, Dill, and Celery. BTk works on them too, and Tent caterpillars.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I can never remember the name of that - "small white" is I think the correct one for one I'm talking about. I don't rehearse these vids - I turn on the camera when I have an idea for a theme and go for it. It keeps things real and genuine, but I sometimes lose points on taxonomy :)

[@trollforge]

I don't know about out east, but in the Ottawa area we get both the small white, and the large white. The most easily identifying feature is the large white has a black leading edge on its front wings...

[@valerietromble]

I put insect painting on my brassica this year and they have left it alone, but last year they decimated Wright crap my crop

[@nicholaceho9679]

I like the idea with wood on top, I do that with carrots too. Just until they germinate.

[@tinaluise9308]

A time lapse video of the birds working in the garden would be awesome

[@maritimegardening4887]

I agree

[@tinaluise9308]

@@maritimegardening4887 is that something you want to do LOL. In your "spare time".

[@goldenages7089]

I put down spent coffee grounds in copious amounts and it seems to protect my plants from all pests..

[@maritimegardening4887]

It didn't work for me

[@Doitallgp]

I saw a video awhile back where all of these various slug remedies were placed on a table and the slugs had no problem crawling all over the coffee grounds and everything else.

[@olgakuchukov6981]

The video mentioned is on a site called Garden Myths and yes, they crawled over diatomaceous earth as well.

[@alangaillard2988]

Ferric Phosphate?

[@ccccclark2605]

On it. But pill bugs would and they ate my plants! 😕 So, what do you do for pill bugs infestation?

[@maritimegardening4887]

I have them but they don't bother my plants. Perhaps with lots of rotting wood around (their favourite stuff) they just leaves the plants alone?

[@Doitallgp]

@@maritimegardening4887 my garden is mulched with deep cypress wood chips and the pill bugs are always after my strawberries. Maybe their just into cypress

[@Doitallgp]

*not into cypress

[@valerietromble]

I used slug bait for my strawberry and it worked

I've heard that you can use a copper strip as a protection around a plant. It creates a physical barrier and produces an effect comparable to licking a battery to slugs. I didn't try it yet, however.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I've tried it - numerous way and times - I don't find it to be reliable

@@maritimegardening4887 Good to know. I've ordered the granulas now as slugs are raiding my young broccoli. It is the first year of really growing anything in my new garden so I also observe what is happening in the garden. I've noticed that broccoli in the raised bed gets less damage compare to broccoli on the ground level. But, I have one plant of broccoli that was planted just outside any bed in a place that was last year mulched with woodchips (so there are still some woodchips) and it stands without damage so far.

[@Change-Maker]

Didn't try what? Licking a battery?

[@gwensmith9596]

I used beer in a small amount to rid my Squash plants of slugs and snails. It works. Hopefully they will be able to make some squash soon.

[@laurenjacobsen7273]

Do you ever have voles damage your garden? I’m in the Pacific Northwest, I have trouble with the voles. They burrow under things and they come up and chew young plant stems off.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I have moles and voles in the garden - but in general they don't cause too many problems.

[@kendo2377]

A 16oz bag of slug and snail bait expires before I use it all; that's how little it takes. Fun fact; the bait still works after it 'expires'. The bag I have is 3 yrs old.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I totally agree, and the same thing happens to me :)

[@troy5007]

I highly recommend trying out a black light/UV flashlight - the slug caterpillars glow very brightly and can be seen from an impressive distance. . Peace

[@maritimegardening4887]

My garden is 2500 square feet man.

[@troy5007]

@@maritimegardening4887 lol just an idea. We have a 5 acres and expanding garden. Our problem is caterpillars with a few slugs. Green hoppers glow to, but harder to catch lol.. I Only spend approx. 1 hr a night over 7 days to keep everything under control. Sounds like you are working things out, so much love to you. Your garden looks great✌

[@DsHomeyGarden]

Well if you build it they will come. I love nature and all forms. We all work together.

[@maritimegardening4887]

That's a good way to view it man :)

[@nicholaceho9679]

Copper tape is great too, if they are already inside then use that inside.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I've tried that - and seen the climb right over it.

[@rscott1724]

I use beer to get rid of slugs. Use the tops off cottage cheese container it makes a shallow dish. Set it by your tender plants. Slugs love beer. Natural no chemical

[@LeudisGittens]

It the yeast in the beer.

[@lindasands1433]

Every time you say 'slugs and snails', my mind replies "& puppy dog's tails" 😂😂😂

[@maritimegardening4887]

That is what boys are made of :)

[@lindasands1433]

@@maritimegardening4887 😂🤣😂

[@pozzee2809]

What happens to birds if they eat bugs/slugs killed by the products??

[@maritimegardening4887]

The slugs are killed by an overdose of iron... an overdose sufficient to kill slugs. The birds gets iron-fortified slugs. My guess is that the birds are able to produce all the hemoglobin and myoglobin they need.

[@tamarap387]

Hello! I'm returning to NS after many years away and will be starting a garden hopefully with the Ruth Stout method (It appeals to me a lot!) Am wondering where in NS you're located. Thank you!

[@maritimegardening4887]

Near Terence bay. It's a tough place to garden, so wherever you are it will likely be better unless you're right on the coast. :)

[@tamarap387]

Oh, wow! Yes, I may have an easier go...haha. Will be between Annapolis Royal and Bridgetown. Will surely keep up with your videos though...Very enjoyable to watch!

[@wildedibles819]

Interesting my carrots came up through light mulch...no problem...i don't chop and drop around the carrots ....but they have light mulch lightly covered... rabbit poop, pine shavings and bit of hay

[@maritimegardening4887]

It could simply be that you don't have a lot of slugs in that bed - or the ones you have just aren't that fond of carrots. I hear lots of people complain about slugs attacking lettuce - but my lettuce is always slug-proof. No idea why :)

[@wildedibles819]

@@maritimegardening4887 some of my lettuce is fine too but i do have slugs everywhere....some years i do see damage if i remember right but usually most of them are ok...i over seed tho so snails might be thinning for me lol

[@scottaubin8491]

I know this is sacrilege but i have always had incredible success with a cup or cut can half full of beer. They fall in and down. They love the smell of beer

[@maritimegardening4887]

My garden is 2500 square feet, and there are millions of slugs in it - the beer thing works in tiny gardens, but in a large garden I'd need about 100 cups of beer, or possibly more to ensure that every vulnerable plant has a cup of beer nearby that the slug will hopefully prefer to my tender young seedlings. It's just logistically impossible in a large garden.

[@scottaubin8491]

@@maritimegardening4887 logistically impossible and a big waste of good beer!!! Love your channel. Great content!!

[@gwensmith9596]

Me too. It works. I don't drink it but if others do. it can't hurt my plants so I'm all for it.

[@davidspahr4020]

@@gwensmith9596 Beer attracts slugs too. It does not capture them all. It's like having a cat to control mice. They catch a few and it makes you feel good but in the end does not work.

[@xyzsame4081]

@@maritimegardening4887 I heard that people make distractions with very low dug trenches (very shallow) and put rotting food in it. Look like they especially like dandelion flowers esepcially when tehy are a little rotting already.

[@michaelboom7704]

You made me laugh Greg as I had sent you a Charles D comment without a reply..no more of him. BTW I never see snails but slugs... I do a garden check around 11pm for slugs over 2-3 weeks until the plants are stronger,more so when we have a wet period. I am still trying to know what flee beetle is but am sure in time I will.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Sorry about that. Charles D. clearly knows what he's doing, and it obviously works, but I think my way is easier.

[@michaelboom7704]

@@maritimegardening4887 It was a video which was a two boxes ,one no dig and the other dig over a number of years. It was showing how no dig like you follow out did the other.

[@johncourtneidge]

Flea beetle

[@commoncents6889]

Stupid birds ate all my young kale and spinach plants , they also ate my beet seedling tops. I used to think it was the slugs, but then put bird netting over some of it and left some without and only the crops with the bird netting made it.

[@j2d4oi]

So maybe a possible constructive alternative option may be: how do I make my garden more attractive to pest predators?

[@maritimegardening4887]

The pests are what draw them in

[@SamStone1964]

My garden is full of birds, insects, frogs, snakes and lizards. It is also full of non native slugs.

[@desleymendoza7445]

I lost almost 3 entire crops of tomatoes this year to slugs. I've had to throw hundreds of tomatoes in the compost. I lost 2 crops of cucumber seedlings as well and had to grow again twice. Now at the end of the season, I have only been able to harvest about 10 pickling cucumbers. I've tried beer traps, diatomaceous earth, eggshells, etc. Next year I'm going to try the pellets. I spent 3 months caring for hundreds of tomato plants only to lose 3/4 of my produce. Never again. My slug problem is getting worse every year since I started mulching with organic matter. The soil is great, but if I have nothing to show for it, what's the point?

[@maritimegardening4887]

That's the drawback of the mulch. It's worth it because it is so good for the soil - but you have to deal with the slugs and snails when the plants are young or they are doomed

[@desleymendoza7445]

@@maritimegardening4887 They're crawling up my tomato plants and eating the tomatoes. We're talking 6' tall plants. I grew these giant heirlooms this year and they're all rotting from slugs. They're even eating the green ones. I tried ripening them to cut the pieces off, but they just rot, whether on the vine or off. I tried salvaging what I can, but they dig themselves right into the tomatoes. Big fat things. Ugh. The ones in the greenhouse were spared, thankfully. I appreciate the advice. I'll give the pellets a go next year. 🤞

[@SamStone1964]

@@desleymendoza7445 The iron chelate and bran pellets are the only chemical I use in my garden. I only use them sparingly when seedlings are emerging. Once the plants are established I just let nature take its course. My garden is full of birds and frogs and insects. And the slugs are not native so they're a feral pest anyway.

[@leticiagr2222]

Aphids and spider mites are horrible in my area. They will literally take down a pepper plant in a week or so. The past couple of seasons I have used neem oil. Sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn't.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Try the Safers "end all". It's also organic gardener friendly, but the combination of pyrethrin and Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids does the job.

[@cosmovedafacility6308]

Did you try the coffee groud?

[@charlesbuckby8614]

try Nermotodes they eat slug snailes now you can buy lady birds they clean your plants of aphids

[@tamaradore6834]

Do you have any trouble with squash bugs up there?

[@maritimegardening4887]

Luckily no - and now I'm knocking on wood...

[@watermelonlalala]

6:24 to get to the point. "White flies" = cabbage butterflies, I think.

[@johncourtneidge]

Yes Cabbage White butterflies is the term here in England.

[@bobbysmac1009]

There will be losses to pests. We can only minimize that loss. Your heavy seeding concept can mitigate and ensure an adequate harvest. a sharp pocket knife and flashlight are great tools as well.

[@tkzhastings6641]

What do I do with the sharp pocket knife

[@bobbysmac1009]

@@tkzhastings6641 carve those buggers up

[@michelemarble6799]

What is the predator of squash beetles. I have many of those in my garden on my squash and cantaloupe. I live in Maine State close to your area.

[@maritimegardening4887]

the Tachinid fly is a natural predator. They are drawn to the flowers of queen anne's lace, and flowering parsnips & carrots. If you grew either of those this year - leave a couplew in the ground to flower and go to seed next year - perhaps they'll draw in some Tachinid flies. Another option is an insecticidal soap

[@paracontejo]

where can I get the Edta and the BTK? Thanks.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Should be at any garden center, or hardware store. If not - online is another option; amazon or direct from the seller.,

[@jacocalitz4069]

Maybe a water pond will help. Slugs comes out at night when it is wet. And the frogs do the same.

[@jacocalitz4069]

Even one of my baby cannabis got taken out. So will have to go for a beer with my slugs

[@maritimegardening4887]

I have a water pond

[@goldenages7089]

Snails love coriander. At one point I grew a lot of coriander so the snails had plenty of food and left my food crops alone

[@maritimegardening4887]

The snails seem to leave my coriander alone

[@johnhazaras3160]

Hi Greg. Charles Dowding is a market gardener and sells his product which means it needs to be damage free or almost perfect. Not only does he grow seedlings indoors and in his greenhouse and he also used this covers and netting to keep predictors away. Now getting seedlings to a good size and transplanting does give you a head start and reduces or limits damage, it won't eliminate it. Nothing wrong with your direct seeding method but you do have to monitor your beds and constantly check to make sure all is going well otherwise you need to take corrective action as you did with your carrots. I really don't do anything with predictors except fence off areas from rabbits which are eating my cabbage. Some of my lettuce have tiny holes and some don't, but it all tasted good to me. my parsnips germinated great through a light mulch but my carrots not so great. We have tons of birds which hopefully get rid of most of our predictors but I can safely say we have much less damage now with permaculture methods versus without mulch and no dig.

[@johnnyelectric4844]

Speaking of birds eating worms. I finally figured out why Robins are called Robins. They rob the worms

[@darlenecovey7980]

I haven't tried it yet but a nursery told me to put out a bowl of old beer and the slugs will start to die off.🤪

[@maritimegardening4887]

Some of the slugs that go in the bowl will die - that's about it. It's not a solution for any meaningful slug problem.

[@mishap00]

Now if only someone would come up with a way to get rid of squash borers. *sigh*

[@HenryFinland]

I have had an invasion of frogs - no slugs after that. So a frog pond could be the answer.

[@olgakuchukov6981]

I have the chelated iron pellets and use them very sparingly. In researching the product, it is the chelating agent, EDTA, that is toxic to soil critters and potentially birds, and not listed in the ingredients, that is the problem. Yes, it is better than the super toxic chemical used previously. The best method I found, with a small garden and a killer instinct, going out at night with a flashlight and picking them off manually. I did that for 3 summers and saw a huge reduction in slugs in cool, moist, Vermont, USA, garden. The droughty summers also keep the numbers down. Beer has not worked for me. They crawl in, crawl out. I’m still picking them up and throwing them in and pushing them down. They are most attracted to the beer when it is putrid with their dead and frothing brethren and by then that beer is keeping me out of the garden as well. A more pernicious being overtaking my attention and garden is also a good way to stop caring about the slugs ....

[@xyzsame4081]

17:00 a "mulch" with construction paper and wood boards that the birds (searching for bugs) will not upend.

[@charlesbuckby8614]

anoth🙃er woman that knows nothing

[@stoverboo]

If you have a problem with aphids, let a lambs quarter or two grow in each of your garden beds. Aphids much prefer lambs quarter to any non-native plant, and they will confine themselves to your lambs quarter, and leave the other plants alone. I regularly have huge lambs quarter plants covered in aphids next to aphid-free tomato plants.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I have lambs quarters everywhere - it doesn't keep them off things that aphids really like. Aphids don't bother tomatoes - it's not your lambs quarters keeping them away from your tomatoes

[@farnorthhomested844]

I saw a snail crawl across the edge of a straight razor... and he survived.

[@maritimegardening4887]

..the horror.. the horror... :)

[@amberemma6136]

Have you researched Korean natural farming? There is the original KNF philosophy and then his son coined JADAAM. Its all organic and with in reach and affordable to EVERYONE. MOST of it you actually make yourself 😊 Listening to you talk just made me think it may be something that would interest you and help your plants tremendously 😊

[@maritimegardening4887]

Insofar as KNF takes advantage of indigenous organisms such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes and protozoa to produce maintain/improve soil fertility - I'm pretty sure that's what I'm doing in my garden by keeping it perpetually mulched.

[@j.reneewhite915]

What the slugs eat the worms eat. If it kills the slugs it kills the worms. (I also farm worms) I garden butt up to the forest so I always have moisture, shade and lots of slugs. They are always hungry too. I can't ignore any slug I see. I dispose of it. The neighbors chickens won't eat the slugs when they get big. lol If you want to garden without sprays and powders and all that stuff then you have to out plant them. I tried using tomato leaf tea on all my brassicas and it slows them down a bit but not enough to rely on it. One of the most important things I do is avoid watering in the evening and taking a walk through the garden in the early morning when they're still active and remove them in a permanent fashion. Gardening is working with nature and not adding the next chemical or "organic" substance to wipe out the eco system. Please do be careful with all that expensive stuff you dump onto your soil because in my opinion you can organically poison your soil with the best of intentions. If you have enough space you can plant enough to share with the critters and still get a good harvest.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I'm not poisoning my soil with tiny amount of slug bait that is made from Ferric Sodium Hydroxy EDTA . It breaks down into salt, and iron oxide - both of those things occur naturally in soil. Also - I only kill some of the slugs - I only use the bait for a short period of time. There are plenty of slugs left to do the good work that slugs do. Replanting is a great strategy, but when you have a short growing season there's a limited window of time where replanting will work.

[@SJGardener]

You need to find whatever eats those darn black flys........ : )

[@annestudley8235]

Great points, but why would you want to have the pests in order to attract predators? If there are no pests, there is no need for predators.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Pests are inevitable - if I eliminate them, others will just come in to take their place, and I'll have to do all the work again and buy more pesticides. By simply knocking them back enough for the plants to get big enough to take care of themselves I give the predators a reason to hang around - and they do the work. That was my point.

[@beebob1279]

Dad used beer in a bowl to kill slugs. Seemed to work. Shame to lose the beer though

[@maritimegardening4887]

It's good for killing a few slugs in a small area

[@charlesbuckby8614]

build a shallow pond the frogs will come and clear these slugs try it they can eat there body weight in 1 night make sure when you build the pond make it shallow at one end so Hedgehogs dont drown they love slugs snails try it people it works i promise.

[@markduric7812]

Oh man a snail house , I would suggest losing the walls working more with the earth's floor and building up your soil with food and a nice mulch well in advance , Ruth had a whole field of breakdown going and it wasn't contained like this. Ditch the box beds natural.contours look better use rocks and stuff. Cheers

[@maritimegardening4887]

none of that will prevent slugs and snails - they love mulch, and they don't care if you have boxes or not.

[@amberemma6136]

Unhealthy plants put off a kind of pheromone that pests can see. They are natures clean up crew and if the plant doesn't send the SOS signal then the pests don't come. Its pretty interesting but I am still not a master at raising plants, lol

[@maritimegardening4887]

Pests attack healthy plants and unhealthy plants. There are many types of pests and many reasons why they attack what they attack. Some prefer unhealthy plants, some prefer healthy ones, and some will eat anything. Also, I'm pretty sure pheromones are smelled, not seen; and many pests are effectively blind aside from a basic ability to detect light.

[@jjyemg2397]

Cabbage butterfly

[@VladTheImpalerTepesIII]

You method of reducing slugs by holding the mulch down with cardboard and wood defies all logic since slugs and snails use the cardboard and wood for shelter during the day. In fact, it's one of the methods people use to attract snails in one place so that in the morning they can lift up the wood and kill them.

[@maritimegardening4887]

There is a strip of bare soil, 4" wide between each piece of the cardboard. The slugs and snails have to expose themselves to get to the plants - they are reluctant to expose themselves to the light, and and by doing that they become vulnerable to birds and other predators. That's the logic. I have slugs and snails everywhere - if this didn't work I'd have no garden

[@VladTheImpalerTepesIII]

@@maritimegardening4887 Not at night their not. Slugs don't come out in the day. They venture off out at night when there's no sun. That's why boards are used for shelter traps and checked only in the day time. Check them at night and they will be gone hunting for food.

[@charlesbuckby8614]

another guy thats stupid he knows nothing get off the moon shine

[@vesnaya999]

They eat my lilies every year 🙄

[@NoYes-gz7rz]

Great content , but please say it once , and get to the point. It gets slow

[@brent9516]

Buy slug off,, pellets they eat and die,, organic btw

[@charlesbuckby8614]

dont use these pellets they kill birds if you dont believe me eat one yourself you will die in less than 24 hours

[@charlesbuckby8614]

i use Nematodes one teaspoon over i million hungry chaps they destroy slugs and snails

[@charlesbuckby8614]

Hi do you realise you put the poison pellets down the slugs eat the poison and die the birds eat the slugs and also die your not a gardener shame on you

[@maritimegardening4887]

The slug gets an iron overdose, then crawls into a hole an dies. Even if a bird could find the slug - the iron in the slug would not kill the bird.

[@SamStone1964]

@Charles Buckby - Have you actually seen that happen or are you just assuming it?

[@jjyemg2397]

Iron phosphate

[@maritimegardening4887]

I use Ferric Sodium Hydroxy EDTA, but Iron phosphate also works

[@jjyemg2397]

Maritime Gardening I saw that after I typed it. Love your channel by the way. I use iron phosphate as I get an advantage with the phosphate. I use edta in my industry as a corrosion inhibitor for steel at high temps and would never think to use that. Glad it works for you, though!

[@carlduffin]

Too much waffle.