Slugs getting at Strawberries

[Mattemma]

Will a thick layer of straw be enough to deter the slugs getting at our strawberries?

I thought animals were eating the berries so I put up a fence.Then I noticed the slugs the next day.I had put some straw out,but not the thick mat that was recommended.

Will increasing the straw help,or just give the slugs a place to hide?

I have some DE that I got for pest control of ants,but don't want to get that on the berries.

Getting some cheap beer to make traps.

 

[lesa]

I think you will find the beer works best. The mulch has its purpose, but it is a place for them to hide. You can put a board out by the berries, when you turn it over in the am it will have slugs clinging to it- squish!

 

[wifezilla]

Straw will not deter slugs. I have a bad slug problem and the only thing that really seems to work is crushed oyster shell. I spread it around the base of the plant. I have to have the oyster shell on hand for my laying ducks anyway so it is cheap and easy.

I also let the ducks lose in the garden beds in spring and in fall to clear out as much as possible, but I can't have them in the garden during growing season. They eat too many of the plants!

 

[krzybo]

Straw will not deter slugs. I have a bad slug problem and the only thing that really seems to work is crushed oyster shell. I spread it around the base of the plant. I have to have the oyster shell on hand for my laying ducks anyway so it is cheap and easy.

I also let the ducks lose in the garden beds in spring and in fall to clear out as much as possible, but I can't have them in the garden during growing season. They eat too many of the plants!

Do you have to keep replacing the oyster shell? I live in "slugville".

 

[justpete]

Will DE work?

 

[digitS']

I find that spraying the ground with an organic insecticide in a line around the plants seems to deter slugs. They "travel" from cover during the night to feed. I haven't had strawberries for quite a few years, tho'. I know that they can be real hard on those berries.

In the greenhouse, where slugs can be a problem, iron phosphate (Sluggo) works fine but it is expensive. Also, if it gets wet - it dissolves. Iron phosphate has now been accepted as an organic pesticide, I believe. It is something of a fertilizer for plants.

I've seen sparrows eat the Sluggo pellets. I hope that's okay. It is supposed to be safe for pets.

Steve

slugs in gardens, Colorado State University

 

[wifezilla]

You do have to reapply the oyster shells, but not as often as you have to reapply DE. I tried DE last year. Much better results with the oyster shell.