Slugs

[ollie989898]

Does anyone here apply slug pellets a couple of days before ploughing if you’re seeing a lot of slugs on the land?

I’ve done it a couple of times and I “think” it does a good job of taking out the adults. Granted there will likely be eggs present but it should help the crop to get away somewhat.
Just like poisoning rodents, you’d expect a good uptake of the pellets when the slugs don’t have much else to eat.

I wouldn't apply them ahead of ploughing. Apply them after drilling but leave it a couple of days as the preceding passes of machinery will mess them about. Apply pellets and then walk it again after an interval. If pellets are still evident, no problem. If they are going or gone, hunt around under turf or clods or under the soil surface and see how many adults or eggs you can find. After a week or so in the ground, you should dig around to examine the seed and make sure it is intact.

Half the battle is ensuring the seed is well covered and surrounded by fine dirt so that it will germinate evenly and get away.

Jebus, I never thought ferric was as potent as the earlier alternative products but what you guys have mentioned is scary. Two doses of 7kg not being enough is something else.

 

[DrWazzock]

I applied 4kg sluxx Saturday morning. By Sunday morning there wasn’t a pellet left and still slugs wandering about. Anyway, too late to apply more and none in stock on farm so power harrowed and drilled on Sunday. Monday morning a very few slugs still about. Looked today and couldn’t find a slug and seed still OK but watching like a hawk as I reckon they’ll be back.

 

[Jerry]

Volunteer rape…

 

[DrWazzock]

Volunteer rape…

View attachment 1141651

They completely cleared most of ours.

 

[Jerry]

They completely cleared most of ours.

DD’d into it last night. And just in from rolling it all in.

Hopefully squished a good number!

 

[DrWazzock]

DD’d into it last night. And just in from rolling it all in.

Hopefully squished a good number!

Hopefully they’ll keep eating the OSR and not what you’ve drilled. I found wheat seed direct drilled into OSR didn’t get eaten by the slugs. But you had to watch it later as they’d start grazing the wheat as the OSR died away.

 

[benny6910]

I’ve got 1 last field of wheat to drill after osr, slugs are eating the fallen leaves from the wood.

 

[Jerry]

Hopefully they’ll keep eating the OSR and not what you’ve drilled. I found wheat seed direct drilled into OSR didn’t get eaten by the slugs. But you had to watch it later as they’d start grazing the wheat as the OSR died away.

Yep. There’s plenty fir them to go at before the wheat gets going. But I’m going to give a dose of pellets before the weekend hopefully

 

[chipchap]

Horrendous slugs here in wheat after oilseed rape.
too wet to roll after drilling.

 

[CORK]

I wouldn't apply them ahead of ploughing. Apply them after drilling but leave it a couple of days as the preceding passes of machinery will mess them about. Apply pellets and then walk it again after an interval. If pellets are still evident, no problem. If they are going or gone, hunt around under turf or clods or under the soil surface and see how many adults or eggs you can find. After a week or so in the ground, you should dig around to examine the seed and make sure it is intact.

Half the battle is ensuring the seed is well covered and surrounded by fine dirt so that it will germinate evenly and get away.

Jebus, I never thought ferric was as potent as the earlier alternative products but what you guys have mentioned is scary. Two doses of 7kg not being enough is something else.

I agree with your description on how to monitor after drilling but I’m curious why you wouldn’t apply any pre ploughing?

 

[Jo28]

terrible after osr here, lost 30 acres out of 50 in one field. should have rolled but too wet. not sure what to do now, if i redrill i will knacker the pre em spray and i dont fancy redrilling and re spraying and hoping the next lot of seed survives. i personally dont think the pellets do anywhere near the job metaldehyde did.

 

[PSQ]

I agree with your description on how to monitor after drilling but I’m curious why you wouldn’t apply any pre ploughing?

(This only applies to the UK not RoI)
I think I’m right in saying that even though iron phosphate is benign, there is a maximum field limit of 10kg/ha for Sluxx etc.
So why waste part of that limit on a significant proportion of slugs that will be killed by the plough.
And now that metaldehyde is banned, why is there still a maximum annual field rate for pellets of iron phosphate is ‘safe’?

 

[thorpe]

terrible after osr here, lost 30 acres out of 50 in one field. should have rolled but too wet. not sure what to do now, if i redrill i will knacker the pre em spray and i dont fancy redrilling and re spraying and hoping the next lot of seed survives. i personally dont think the pellets do anywhere near the job metaldehyde did.

i'm sure your right about metadehyde!

 

[CORK]

(This only applies to the UK not RoI)
I think I’m right in saying that even though iron phosphate is benign, there is a maximum field limit of 10kg/ha for Sluxx etc.
So why waste part of that limit on a significant proportion of slugs that will be killed by the plough.
And now that metaldehyde is banned, why is there still a maximum annual field rate for pellets of iron phosphate is ‘safe’?

I’d say we have the same label limits over here for the various products.
I’m not sure if the plough really kills enough of them though and if pre-pelleting does kill a very large proportion of them then perhaps it isn’t a waste? Granted, eggs will be present but if the adults are removed then it gives the crop a chance to get away?
I’m only going by observations and have no definitive proof to back it up.

 

[B'o'B]

(This only applies to the UK not RoI)
I think I’m right in saying that even though iron phosphate is benign, there is a maximum field limit of 10kg/ha for Sluxx etc.
So why waste part of that limit on a significant proportion of slugs that will be killed by the plough.
And now that metaldehyde is banned, why is there still a maximum annual field rate for pellets of iron phosphate is ‘safe’?

On Sluxx it’s a maximum of 28kg/Ha/crop with a maximum individual dose of 7kg

 

[DrWazzock]

I’d say we have the same label limits over here for the various products.
I’m not sure if the plough really kills enough of them though and if pre-pelleting does kill a very large proportion of them then perhaps it isn’t a waste? Granted, eggs will be present but if the adults are removed then it gives the crop a chance to get away?
I’m only going by observations and have no definitive proof to back it up.

I think I’m glad I pelleted after ploughing shortly before seedbed cultivations began. But probably didn’t use quite enough at 4 kg. There were three slugs wherever you put your hand down after OSR on the ploughing. I’m watching the drilled seed like a hawk. Not many slugs about now but still enough to be concerned and will pellet again as soon as required which won’t be long, though frost early next week might slow them down a bit. Ploughing on heavy land just seems to make homes for slugs down the furrow side from what I’ve seen. Didn’t kill them on the sand either. They don’t like the power Harrow but if pressure is high we still need some pellets and this year is the worst I’ve seen after OSR. Not so bad at all after cereals.

 

[PSQ]

On Sluxx it’s a maximum of 28kg/Ha/crop with a maximum individual dose of 7kg

I'll have a word with my agronomist

It came up in conversation when I mentioned that so far the worst area has had 2x 4kg passes and 1x 5kg, and yesterday I could only find a single pellet after 50mm of rain.
The body of the field is growing away from it nicely, but the rough area is about to get another 4kg this morning ( total cost £50.15/ha on that patch).

And does anyone know why a simple compound like iron phosphate nearly doubled the cost of pellets over metaldehyde, when the other 97% (wheat) stayed the same?
It's almost as if we're having our leg lifted.

 

[FarmerBruce]

Put some in with the seed on heavy land!

 

[Zippy768]

terrible after osr here, lost 30 acres out of 50 in one field. should have rolled but too wet. not sure what to do now, if i redrill i will knacker the pre em spray and i dont fancy redrilling and re spraying and hoping the next lot of seed survives. i personally dont think the pellets do anywhere near the job metaldehyde did.

What kind of ground was that on? Any prior cultivations?

 

[Jo28]

What kind of ground was that on? Any prior cultivations?

Warp. Plough ph drilled. Should have either rolled or ph after drill but was forecast heavy rain. Had plenty of pellets.