Metaldehyde on brassicas...harvest interval?

[Stuart J]

hi all, I've got some cabbage that has a few slugs present...the cabbage is a month from maturity, is it safe to broadcast metaldehyde pellets across the crop? No danger of pellets getting stuck between leaves etc?
I don't see any harvest interval looking online?

 

[Desangosse Ltd]

The only HI for metaldehyde for my products are potatoes and cauliflowers. You need to be cautious about pellets in leaves but should be OK. But it is difficult to tell with out growth stage picture.

 

[Gav]

I'd be very wary of pellets getting lodged in the leaves of cabbages, especially that close to harvest. Take a look at the label for the brand of pellets you want to use as several have a 21 day harvest interval for edible crops.

 

[Flat 10]

I stand to be corrected but aren't ferric sulphate ones safer. A company l used to work for drilled slug pellets on the surface between the rows to avoid slug pellets in super market crops.......

 

[Exfarmer]

Trouble is ( from gardening experience ) the slugs will stay in the head, so pellets on the ground don't do much good. However metaldhyde or ferric phosphite pellets in the head will impress no customer.
Actually in terms of mammalian toxicity their is little to choose

 

[Kidds]

Having grown 70+ acres of cabbages some years I know a bit about them and we would apply by hand at that stage of growth. Walking each row with a bucket and gloves dropping them between the rows.
We certainly wouldn't broadcast.
Look into nematodes against slugs. They do work quite well in warm weather and although they are expensive they can be worthwhile on high value crops.

 

[richard hammond]

The only HI for metaldehyde for my products are potatoes and cauliflowers. You need to be cautious about pellets in leaves but should be OK. But it is difficult to tell with out growth stage picture.

Has said harvest is only a month away so pellets getting into leaf folds will be a problem I think!, can you drop leg onto the soil around the crop! (ie gran applicator with pipe feed!!)

 

[Devil's advocate]

Having grown 70+ acres of cabbages some years I know a bit about them and we would apply by hand at that stage of growth. Walking each row with a bucket and gloves dropping them between the rows.
We certainly wouldn't broadcast.
Look into nematodes against slugs. They do work quite well in warm weather and although they are expensive they can be worthwhile on high value crops.

I was walking between the rows of various veg crops, a couple of nights ago doing just that with ferric phosphate. Won't really make the slugs less, but will slow down the increase in population. Broadcasting onto crops which are 6 weeks plus off harvesting tomorrow.