What's a good way to keep bugs from eating my strawberries!

[aee96]

My strawberries have just started producing (I have about 12 plants). Well I turned over one of my almost ripe strawberries and saw that the bottom had been eaten! Would DE work to keep the bugs away? Or is there a good organic type spray I could use? I want to eat these berries so I really don't want anything too nasty on them.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
aee96

 

[digitS']

Aee96, slugs are probably eating your strawberries. You may not even be able to find them during daylight but at night, out they come.

This information from Minnesota Cooperative Extension says that "Diatomaceous earth (tiny fossilized skeletons of ancient aquatic diatoms) is moderately effective as a slug barrier." They caution that DE has little effectiveness when it is wet. Since slugs like moist environments . . . maybe it's a good choice and maybe not.

What has worked for me with slugs is iron phosphate (Sluggo). The Coop Ex article refers to this as a "less toxic bait for slugs. Iron phosphate is mixed with a food product that draws slugs to the bait. Once slugs consume this bait, they stop feeding and die three to six days later." It says on the box that it "can be used around pets & wildlife" - of course, slugs are wildlife . . . And, you need to know that after it soaks up water, it dissolves but the bait will be there are few days if it doesn't rain or the sprinkler isn't turned on. During that time, it should kill the slugs.

Steve

 

[Agilityscots]

Hi Steve,

I've ordered 6 strawberry plants and I'm so glad to know there's something ahead of time I can use for slugs! Can you tell me if iron phosphate is considered organic? In other words, will it harm anything (the soil, animals who might eat it) that comes in contact with it? I don't use any chemicals and don't want to start now...and I'm still learning as a newbie gardener.

Amy

 

[digitS']

Amy, I'm not really sure if iron phosphate is considered organic.

Here's the most recent (June, '06) mention of that issue I can find of "Baits made with iron phosphate (i.e., Sluggo and Escar-Go) are an environmentally friendly way to manage snails and slugs. The allowed use of this material in organic production systems remains undecided at this time . . ." (ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service )

The EPA says, "Iron phosphate is a common chemical with a variety of uses, including as a human nutritional supplement and as an ingredient in fertilizer. The substance is not harmful to humans, to other non-target organisms, or to the environment. It is an alternative to a more toxic chemical that has been used for controlling snails and slugs." (Iron (Ferric) Phosphate Fact Sheet - EPA )

Of course, it harms slugs when they eat it. I guess they eat too much of it.

Steve

 

[quadcam79]

if it is slugs...just give em some beer.
you can pour beer in a shallow pan, slugs crawl in, drink the beer and drown. they are attracted to fermenting liquids

 

[Subirdban Farm]

if it is slugs...just give em some beer.
you can pour beer in a shallow pan, slugs crawl in, drink the beer and drown. they are attracted to fermenting liquids

Be cautious if you have dogs and use this method! I ended up with a drunk boxer. The thought of her actually drinking it didn't even cross my mind. Poor thing was hung over the next day.

There is a good article in this months Mother Earth News about using row covers. I'm going to try it myself this summer. Here is a link to the article. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2008-02-01/No-spray-Way-to-Protect-Plants.aspx

good luck.

 

[beefy]

get chickens.

whats a good way to keep chickens from eating my strawberries?

 

[digitS']

get chickens.

whats a good way to keep chickens from eating my strawberries?

Fence them out . . .

A couple things I've read: Ducks work well on slugs, as to whether they eat ripe strawberries too - I imagine so. Beer costs $$ but a little bread yeast in sugar water is supposed to also attract slugs.

I've wondered if one can spray beer on the weeds then the slugs would eat them instead of the veggies and strawberries . . . could just drink the beer and forget the garden . . .

Steve's digits

 

[patandchickens]

For a small strawberry patch, you can do a pretty good job of slug control without Sluggo or other things like that. Shallow dishes of beer, with a brick mostly (not entirely) covering each, are good. So is putting out boards etc for them to hide under during the day, and going 'round every day or two and flipping over the boards and picking the slugs (use tweezers if you're all oooogy about it) and offing 'em. (My chickens LOVE eating slugs, btw...)

Or just to wander around out there at night with a flashlight, pick 'em and feed 'em to the chickens or whatever other way you prefer to have your slugs meet their Maker.

A good mulch of straw makes it easier to keep the berries up where you can find 'em more and where they are not so much already "in the slugs' faces" -- BUT it makes it harder to do any sort of hand-picking.

Good luck,

Pat, where everything is still covered by a whole lot of snow, sigh