To deter slugs and other gastropods, simply lay the pellets around the stems of plants. For best results, add Slug Gone in a 10cm radius around the plant, then add water to cause the fibres to bond. Neudorff claims that slugs actually prefer these pellets when wet and that rainy weather won’t affect them, but again, I saw that they started breaking down after getting soaked and then we got the inevitable mould appearing. Slugs and snails can be helpful little creatures. They will happily munch away on dead leaves and other garden debris, and can actually help to keep your soil healthy through their nitrogen rich faeces. Not only do the slug pellets keep Slugs and Snails at bay, the pellets are also a good mix and balance for growing plants, fruit and vegetables. The pellets hold twice their own weight in water so they act as an excellent mulch, a weed suppressant, a soil conditioner and slow release fertiliser.

Most slugs and snails are nocturnal, which means night time is a good time to spot and dispatch them. Slugs and snails lay their eggs in the soil where they remain over winter, growing into mature slugs. But, as long as they eat the poison and die it’ll be ok right? Well, not always. After the slugs ingest the poison, they then crawl off somewhere quiet to live out their last moments. Then the scent of their dead body attracts other slugs and snails, so you have to make sure that you clear those dead slugs away afterwards.After using these pellets, you might find that you get mould spores all over the ground. This is completely normal and natural, and is just the remnants of the pellets being broken down, even if it doesn’t look great. Now, there are few ways that you can prevent slugs infesting your garden, and we’ll go into that in this article, but one of the simplest, and most effective, means of getting rid of slugs is to use slug pellets. Slug Gone: Biodegradable, contains naturally occurring slow release nutrients to help feed plants Its minute fibres form a mat which is an irritant to slugs and absorbs moisture from the slug’s foot Improves water retention. Containing naturally occurring nutrients, Slug Gone consists of a biodegradable protein fibre which releases nitrogen, potassium, sulphur and other trace elements essential for plant growth.

So, from what I experienced these Doff slug pellets work really well under the right conditions, and as long as you are careful when pouring them out, you shouldn’t run into trouble. If you see mould, don’t panic, it’s just part of the process. Pros: Slugs can be harmful to humans through the spread of diseases. One of the most dangerous is rat lungworm, which can cause horrendous problems in humans, including brain damage. To this, I have to answer yes. Slug pellets contain poisons that can be harmful to animals and humans, so you have to treat them with respect and be very careful when using them. Frogs will also eat small snails and slugs and can be encouraged into the garden by the presence of water in a pond or boggy area and they also like wood piles. If you have no room for a pond, create a suitable habitat choosing damp shady area and plant with shade loving plants such as Ferns, astilbes, and Hosta to make an area frog friendly although this one in the image left joined me at the veg plot for a spot of slug spotting.For best results, apply Slug Gone as a 10cm band around the plant and ensure there are no gaps. To prevent slugs reaching the plants ensure no leaves or stems overhang the pot’s perimeter, stand next to containers which do not have Slug Gone protection, or place next to walls where slugs can drop onto the plant. Safe to use around children and pets, Slug Gone can also be used to protect against cabbage root fly. The name Rentokil is synonymous with pest control in the UK, but are their PSS120 slug and snail killer pellets any good? Nematodes are an effective way of getting rid of slugs and snails, and it is an organic method of killing slugs. Slug nematodes live in the soil after watering in and are microscopic transparent worms which feed and multiply inside the slug. An infected slug stops feeding within 3 to 5 days and the nematodes multiply inside the slug. When it decomposes, a new generation of nematodes emerges.

In fact, after getting a bit of a soaking, these Doff slug pellets did what most of these products do, and started to be covered in mould as they broke down. I don’t know if this put the slugs off eating them, or if it was just a coincidence, but I didn’t find as many dead slugs around this time as I had before. They might not be the most intelligent of creatures, but slugs won’t just slither over and start eating poison, so these pellets also contain ingredients that attract the slugs. In fact, these attractants can make the slugs believe they’re getting a tasty meal as they eat themselves to their demise. It may be hard to believe, but as well as the smell of rotting animal flesh, slugs are also quite partial to the smell of beer. This lust for lager can be used against them, in the form of a beer trap. This is a particularly cheap method if you’re into home brew beer!Slug pellets are widely used, but be aware they are toxic to domestic pets, wild animals and birds and no good for gardeners either.

Its minute fibres form a mat which is an irritant to slugs and absorbs moisture from the slug’s foot There is plenty of more info out there on the various chemicals used in slug pellets and the potential dangers of them, but I think this young lad does a decent job of explaining things- For best results, add Slug Gone in a 10cm radius around the plant, then add water to cause the fibres to bond.The swollen wool pellets form a felt which makes it difficult for slugs to travel across. The wool pellet mat also contains abrasive particles which irritate the slug’s foot, physically deterring the slug and creating a 100% natural barrier. On the positive side, the tub that the pellets come in makes them easy to spread around evenly and is easy to grip in one hand. It also seals quite safely, but you should never leave products like this in a place where kids and pets can get a hold of it anyway. Another thing they don’t like is sharp or overly rough surfaces. Common techniques include using coarse sand or broken egg shells, but there are plenty of other natural leaves and such that slugs don’t like to traverse. This person just used a piece of old skirting, but I would have made the surface a bit rougher, personally- Like Neudorff, Rentokil have chosen to do away with the highly toxic metaldehyde in favour of ferric phosphate as it is comparatively safer to use. Again though, don’t mistake this as being completely pet and child safe, as it can still cause problems if ingested. Protect Garden’s slug pellets are yet another product that is deemed to be safe to use on your vegetables, due to the absence of metaldehyde, and the fact it breaks down into iron phosphate after a while, which is good for the soil in the right amounts.