RTL here in Broxburn. This was done on the 11th. May but just getting round to posting it--I hope. Here's my tips for slugs.

Put small pieces of wood, slate or anything which will provide cover for them near the item you want to protect and water underneath if ground is dry. Along comes the slugs and after they've had a munch, instead of returning home they hide under your "trap". You go round in the morning with a suitable instrument, turn the wood over and dispatch them. They won't be back. I've got wood near my caulies---got 5 yesterday and another 2 today.

I usually put coarse sand round the plants I want to protect. Only thing is,that after a few rain showers, the roughness has gone and you might have to renew it. Usually by that time the plant has had time to establish itself and any damage the slugs/snails do isn't usually terminal.

Have put some sunflowers in today with a slight modification. It's a fact that slugs don't like copper. They seem to get an electric shock from it. A lot of companies sell copper rings etc. for that purpose---and of course to make money.

http://www.slugrings.co.uk/index.html?gclid=COyO9cT1tJoCFRUhnAodzAFocA

I found a length of electrical cable and stripped the insulation off to leave the bare copper. Then I made several rings to experiment. Have planted sunflowers with:-
sand & 2 rings.
sand and 1 ring.
no sand and 1 ring.

These sunflowers are in a known "slug/snail minefield". It's the fence between me and next door. Their patio is just thru the fence and the enemy get under the stonework to safety. They made a mess of my dahlias last year when I planted there. Will be monitoring over the next few days.

When I put my bedding plants in it'll be back to the "torch method". Wait until it gets dark then go out with a torch and look for them crawling around---best after it's been raining. I usually collect them in a drinks carton using one of those surgical gloves to avoid the slime and then throw them into the farmer's field across the main road. Have never seen any come back across!!

Today is the 19th. and I'm glad to report that all my sunflowers are still thriving.

friendly fire...

Greetings! This is Helen reporting on the sunflower revolution as happening in the Laggan bubble….

Unfortunately I have to report that my little fellows sustained more slug damage in the night, with one sad case beyond all hope of intervention by horticultural science. I also regret to report that Brigadier H whilst inspecting the troops did in fact DROP the flower pot containing 4 of the very finest examples of sunflower-hood, resulting in today’s losses increasing by two. This incident has caused much despair amid the ranks as you would expect. However we are pleased to report that the Brigadier has prepared well for such calamities and promises us that back up troops are ready and waiting in the relative safety of the cold frame… for now. I think it only prudent to plant some more of the giants as soon as humanly possible as all signs point to it being a hard campaign.

Current losses to date 6.

H’s top tip for rushing the Russians- Stick your fellows in a warm dark place, they’ll sprout in just a few days and then you can put them in the light to get green, and plant on in little pots. My back up troops have all been done this way and they are ready to face the slug onslaught…..

Any top tips for negotiations with slugs welcome, as I don’t drink coffee, and I don’t fancy drowning them, and I don’t really want to go down the torch in the night route either…

happy growing!

A warm welcome!

Welcome to the inaugural Sunflower Growing Challenge sponsored by caketops.co.uk!

This blog has been especially created for all participants to share their photos, progress reports and anecdotes on the triumphs and perils of sunflower growing! We've all planted at different times and some of us are considerably more green-fingered than others but please don't be shy - it'll be amusing to discover how everyone's getting on and perhaps there'll be a prize for the most pitiful specimen?!

I'm happy to report that all 21 of the seeds I planted have sprouted and my little chaps growing in the greenhouse are a couple of weeks old now. As yet I don't have a decent spot to plant them outside so goodness only knows what I'll do with them when they're a bit bigger?!


Happy growing!!

Lisa