What do you do to discourage slugs ?

[Simon C]

So basically slugs don't like compaction [emoji6]

But they love it when farmers do what they think is neccesary to alleviate compaction.

My soil is uncompactable

 

[Desangosse Ltd]

Cambridge rolls are perfect - you are not going to "squash" many. Slug can actually withstand compaction. What we are trying to do is consolidate the soil.

 

[Pilatus]

Cambridge rolls are perfect - you are not going to "squash" many. Slug can actually withstand compaction. What we are trying to do is consolidate the soil.

How does consolidated soil help control slugs,please excuse my ignorance.

 

[Desangosse Ltd]

How does consolidated soil help control slugs,please excuse my ignorance.

The consolidation of soil or breaking down the clods removes shelter and pathways for the slugs to move and also lay protected eggs. Slugs will lay eggs in what the think will be a safe place but close enough to moisture and food. Clods allow this shelter perfectly. The clods also allow a great hiding place from preditors.

 

[Douglasmn]

From my experience the absolute most important thing is consolidation. Claydon or plough, doesn't matter, seed has to be firmed down or, if slugs are around, they'll find it. Strip tilled wheat after OSR(straw chopped) a few times and no pellets needed at all with firm seedbed. Strip tilled 2nd wheat last year(straw chopped) and slugs almost ruined the crop. Didn't get it rolled quick enough.

 

[doorknob]

It's now starting to occur to me that you must have a different slug in the UK and Europe than I have here on the west coast of the USA.

"Here" tillage, rather timely tillage, does reduce the slug number as well as reduce severely the ability of the slug to do crop damage.

"Here", no-till/dd fields are the slugs perfect haven to thrive and do well.

So it's sort of a catch 22 deal. You can either put money into costly tillage to control slugs, voles, and weeds, which destroys the soils ability to hold moisture for the crop's season. Or you can chemically damage the soil in "attempts" to control pests and hope you have a crop to harvest.

So to the author, "here" slugs do seem to be the number one reason for the lack of interest in no-till/dd and until regulations are lifted and markets are opened so we can diversify our rotation, slug control is mostly left to tillage.

I think we need to start watching more closely what some of the organic farmers are doing. It is known that concord grape juice is a repellent for certain pest birds in grapes and bush berries. Perhaps there is a natural and non chemical way to control slugs that we have not stumbled upon yet? As you mention, reduced tillage or no-tillage does seem to be what will be required in the future. So it's best to start making a move toward that direction as soon as possible to better be prepared for the day that it becomes a requirement.

 

[warksfarmer]

Although only an onlooker,I am interested to know what you do try and discourage/reduce numbers of slugs as part of your direct/ zero/ strip drilling system. From what I have seen on this great forum "SLUGS" are the number one problem, to the afore mentioned seeding systems,which I am sure are the way to the future.

We stopped growing oilseed rape and stopped buying slug pellets .... simple as that so far now 4 years down the line. Hopefully the same for this year.

 

[RushesToo]

Perhaps there is a natural and non chemical way to control slugs that we have not stumbled upon yet?

Here we call them amphibians, frogs and newts. not good in dry climates tho'

 

[Chasingmytail]

Ducks - you'll need a lot of em (duck farm?)

 

[simonk88]

Straw rake anyone? Followed by a set of rolls, twice in OSR stubbles before wheat, once in W Barley before OSR, cut pellet use by 50% so far!

 

[Clive]

Straw rake anyone? Followed by a set of rolls, twice in OSR stubbles before wheat, once in W Barley before OSR, cut pellet use by 50% so far!

is all that machinery cheaper than pellets ?

 

[Pilatus]

Does applying ammonium sulphate to stubble , etc control slugs to make it worth while, or is that idea waste of money and time?

 

[shakerator]

Need to think of slugs as residue decomposers. If there's decomposed residue either a C:N rotational problem or too many fungicides as suggested above! A spring crop with well weathered heavy residue that's gone brittle allows far more consistent seed placement imho .

I would always use metalyhyde due to the specific toxicity to slugs over other soil life.m. Draza was shocking and I'm guessing many will know my cynicism towards ferric phosphate

We also definitely get more field slugs with not moving soil, along with more of everything else though ....