Slug Control

Arguably a gardeners number one pest! Use our biological control method to keep your garden slug free.

Damage
Slugs feed on plant tissue located both above and below ground and can devour the equivalent of half their body weight within 24 hours. Maximum damage occurs during warm and humid periods when conditions are optimal for the slugs to feed. Slugs need a humid environment in order to survive, reproduce and move around. Most of the time 90% of the slug population is beneath the soil surface.

Control
Our slug control product contains the mollusc-parasitizing nematode Phasrmarhabditis hermaphrodita . The nematodes are applied as a drench to the soil. They actively search for their prey and invade it via the respiratory opening under the mantle. An infected slug stops feeding within days and displays a typical swelling of the mantle. The nematodes multiply inside the slug and when it starts to decompose, a new generation of nematodes spreads and starts looking for the next host. Phasmarhabditis-System can provide protection against slugs for at least 6 weeks, longer if the soil stays moist and the nematodes reproduce.

How to use
To be effective, the soil or growing media temperatures should be between 5°C and 20°C; the optimum temperature is 15°C. The soil must be moist to obtain a proper penetration when applying the nematodes. It is best to apply in the late afternoon or evening, as the slugs are active at night. The longer the soil is moist, the more effective the product. To protect potato tubers, apply the nematodes when the tiny tubers are just beginning to form (this usually coincides with the start of flowering).

There are approx. 12 million nematodes per pack. The application rates are as follows (Sq. metres per pack):

• Before planting ~ 120 Sq. metres
• When slugs are already causing damage ~ 40 Sq. metres

Nematodes are not suitable for heavy clay, waterlogged or frozen soils and are not effective against snails. For these conditions and when the soil cannot be kept moist, slug pellets will be more effective. The product we sell is based on iron phosphate which is not harmful to wildlife other than molluscs.

Order Growing Success Advanced Slug Pellets

Please note that these are live creatures and on arrival the package should be opened immediately.