The past year was incredibly bad for slugs, they were everywhere and in great quantities!
SLUG PELLETS
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde are a particularly toxic poison which not only kill molluscs but are a danger to wildlife such as birds, earthworms, pets and humans (see below)
Alternative pellets containing ferric phosphate (available from the Hut) and have been proven to be just as effective, and are suitable for use (sparingly) in the organic growing area. However the active chemical chelators have also proven to be toxic to molluscs and pets.
Our advice is to try to use natural alternatives to slug pellets where possible. Such as:
- Wood chip paths dramatically reduced slug and snail numbers and damage at my allotment.
- target watering, to the bases of plants and not all the bed areas in between them, don’t give slugs and snails an easy route to travel across.
- Lift old scaffold boards near your crops every few days and dispose slugs hiding beneath.
- I’m trying coffee grouts spread around plants (rumour has it also good for compost)
- Make a pond to encourage frogs and toads to your allotment will help for free!
And finally… your drinking water quality will improve too
Metaldehyde is toxic to humans, yes we need to consume a lot to start convulsing (!) but there was a case in 2013 in Essex where levels in river water were 100 times higher than EU regulations allow. Metaldehyde cannot be filtered out of drinking water, so you’ve definitely been consuming it for years.