What substance will irritate slugs and leather jackets?

[Yale]

After finding leather jackets and a few slugs in recently drilled DD slots containing an over seeding grass mix it would be interesting to have a discussion on the possibility of including a substance in the drill box with the grass seed which is an irritant to these species.

Ideally it would be a cheap substance freely available in granular form to mix with the seed.

Any suggestions?

The only one I had was a,bear with me,type of rock which occurs in the Southern Hemisphere which I’ve read about on here but cannot remember it’s name.Its a natural irritant and has been used against insects,larvae etc.

 

[Sharpy]

After finding leather jackets and a few slugs in recently drilled DD slots containing an over seeding grass mix it would be interesting to have a discussion on the possibility of including a substance in the drill box with the grass seed which is an irritant to these species.

Ideally it would be a cheap substance freely available in granular form to mix with the seed.

Any suggestions?

The only one I had was a,bear with me,type of rock which occurs in the Southern Hemisphere which I’ve read about on here but cannot remember it’s name.Its a natural irritant and has been used against insects,larvae etc.

Diamateous earth? Spelling is wrong but that is what it sounds like.

 

[hendrebc]

Diamateous earth? Spelling is wrong but that is what it sounds like.

@Kiwi Pete knows about that stuff

 

[Clive]

Sulphur will help with the slugs - they seem to hate it in any form

Try some tiger 90 elemental sulphur maybe ?

 

[Clive]

Diamateous earth? Spelling is wrong but that is what it sounds like.

I think this works in grain stores etc through being so dry it sucks moisture from the insect killing it ??? not sure it would have any effect when in moist soil ?

 

[Sharpy]

I think this works in grain stores etc through being so dry it sucks moisture from the insect killing it ??? not sure it would have any effect when in moist soil ?

Nearly sure it works in veg beds too. Something about the sharpness?

 

[Wigeon]

Nearly sure it works in veg beds too. Something about the sharpness?

Yup, pretty sure it rubs off insect exoskeletons.

 

[dirty harry]

Bittersalts?

 

[Brisel]

Yup, pretty sure it rubs off insect exoskeletons.

It is abrasive. Insects move around & have their waxy outer layer rubbed off then they dry out & die. Slugs do hate sand - it's like crawling over broken glass, which is sort of what sand is...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Nearly sure it works in veg beds too. Something about the sharpness?

Yes it dessicates anything with an exoskeleton for something like a slug the mucous can help them across it but it can still curl them up - under a microscope it looks like broken glass.

Great for lice / ticks / fleas / weevils etc etc would be interesting to dribble a bit down the drill.

As Clive said they don't like sulphur or AS

 

[tw15]

Bittersalts?

Tried Bittersalts in a knapsack onto slugs that we collected up put them on the concrete and sprayed um didn't work too well the best result I had was liquid n/s sprayed over them that kills them but you cant do that to a growing crop as it will scorch it or most likely kill it . Still trying to come up with something that don't cost the earth to to help to control them so I can spray it on at night on to stubbles . Hoping to put liquid starter fert on osr and stubble turnips with flat fans at night this year before they are sown to see if it helps as hate slug pellets and the bill you get for them .

 

[Renaultman]

I tried a couple of tramlines with polysulphate this autumn, thinking the salt might upset them. There probably weren't enough slugs or a definitive enough cut off line from the spreader to get any sort of result. May try again this autumn.

 

[Yale]

Sulphur will help with the slugs - they seem to hate it in any form

Try some tiger 90 elemental sulphur maybe ?

This stuff seems as though it may be viable.

http://www.tigersul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Tiger90CR-Sulfur_SafetyData.pdf

As it is in a sort of prilled form it may form hotspots within the slot as it becomes soft and degrades.This may deter these seed eaters from travelling along the slot.

 

[Chae1]

There is a garlic based product that's meant to be effective against leather jackets. Was something about it on other thread

 

[Sandy]

@Breakthru

 

[Yale]

There is a garlic based product that's meant to be effective against leather jackets. Was something about it on other thread

There is a garlic based product that's meant to be effective against leather jackets. Was something about it on other thread

I read this a day or two ago however it would be the practicality of getting it in the slot.

https://www.soilassociation.org/media/13393/leatherjackets-field-lab-report-spring-2017-results.pdf

 

[Breakthru]

I read this a day or two ago however it would be the practicality of getting it in the slot.

https://www.soilassociation.org/media/13393/leatherjackets-field-lab-report-spring-2017-results.pdf

Spray it on the surface like any other agchem/foliar feed.
@APJ inspected on the Wednesday, found leatherjackets under every turf, sprayed in the afternoon and on re-inspection on Friday zilch lj's to be found.
He used it successfully last year as well not so far geographically from you.
We are not sure of its persistence so generally wait for them to come to the surface and so far it has always worked well.
I use a minimum litre at £20/ha, I think above was 20ltrs for 18ha plus water conditioner.
Before demise of Dursban only really used it in organic situations but latterly it has worked from Devon to Orkney and so far no complaints.

 

[Yale]

Spray it on the surface like any other agchem/foliar feed.
@APJ inspected on the Wednesday, found leatherjackets under every turf, sprayed in the afternoon and on re-inspection on Friday zilch lj's to be found.
He used it successfully last year as well not so far geographically from you.
We are not sure of its persistence so generally wait for them to come to the surface and so far it has always worked well.
I use a minimum litre at £20/ha, I think above was 20ltrs for 18ha plus water conditioner.
Before demise of Dursban only really used it in organic situations but latterly it has worked from Devon to Orkney and so far no complaints.

If this is a viable treatment then I’d assume it would be best sprayed on in the days after dd slot seeding to allow the spray drift to settle in the slots.

Any comments @Kevtherev ?

 

[neilo]

If this is a viable treatment then I’d assume it would be best sprayed on in the days after dd slot seeding to allow the spray drift to settle in the slots.

Any comments @Kevtherev ?

You’ll struggle to get a sensible response from Kev tonight. I suspect he’s been on the pee all day at a local wedding.

 

[Yale]

You’ll struggle to get a sensible response from Kev tonight. I suspect he’s been on the pee all day at a local wedding.