[blackone]

Last years outdoor was a complete failure. Every single one of my plants were eaten by slugs but this time I'm back with a vengeance!
I have selected several outdoor locations, started some seeds and will be prepared for the slug invasion.
Most of my harvest will be turned into bubble... gotta get myself something better than my 1 gal bubblebag copies...

Seeds started so far:
Freja
Phils Erdpurt * E-rocket/Danish Passion (My own F2 - males were autoflowering indoor under 19 hours of light)
Katsu Bubba * B3
ErocDp/dc X B3
HTC DC/ErocDP X B3
Htc DC * ErocDp F2.

I also have some mothers for clones:
Erdpurt F2
Phils Erdpurt * E-rocket/dp
Redhaired Sonja * ErdPurt

If the auto-father Phils Erdpurt * E-rocket/Danish Passion F2 are early then one of the plots with this strain will be for seedmaking.
Here is how the mother looks when seeded in an indoor grow - I have BIG expectations for this one.

[blackone]

Got a little work done in the weekend - dug 2 plots - each 2*2 m and cleared the ground for another plot. Still need more places - in particular I need 2 good remote places far away from each other and also away from the rest of the grow. 1 will be for making some more Freja seeds, the other will be a seedplot for Phil's erdpurt * E-rocket/dp F2.

I also cut up some soda cans to use as slug prevention - no plant will go out without them, except for a couple of mothers that are too big for the cans. They're just gonna have to try and outgrow the slug attacks...

put a saucer or plastic lid full of beer near the plant's base. A plastic cap buried even with the soil works best.

Slugs love beer and will go drink and drown.... Slug problem solved!

You can even use old flat beer, they don't mind...

[here2learn]

beer, mothballs and soap with fragrance!! load up and start the outdoor war

[blackone]

I've thought about the beer but it might be counterproductive - if it just serves to attract the slugs then they might also take a good bite from my plants before they find the beer and drown.
My first line of defense is actually iron phosphate slug pellets - the slugs are supposed to stop eating almost immediately and die shortly after if they eat those. That should decimate their numbers a bit before they reach the cans - hopefully enough that only very few will succeed in scaling the walls.
Now... all I need is little dwarfs to scorch them with burning oil and some elven archers - then I'll be set.

The beer is irresitable to them, and if any are around they will all drown in the beer.

It don't have to be very deep to drown them either. You could put out some bait stations circling your plants.

Torture a few by pouring salt on em and let the rest hear the screams.... lol

The beer technique works really well. Last year after I noticed slug damage, I put out a can of beer, and didn't have any damage from that point forward.

[blackone]

2 plots I dug last weekend. Revisited the first one and put in 2 motherplants - more will follow shortly. Broke my shovel digging today - word of advice: Don't buy a cheap ass trifold shovel with a plastic handle.

Pics without plants.

[Hold Your Fire]

Tempered Steel spades only.
For slugs I use collars made from copper flashing, and place them around the base of the plant. Slugs won't climb copper.

^^ what he said.
and for extra added measure, use crushed eggshells around the perimeter of the stalk as well. It's like walking on razor blades to a slug.

[Ulysses]

Copper Chore Boy scrub pad unravels and you can loop it around the stem- Loosely.

Diatomaceous Earth added to your soil and around the plant slices and dices any crawlers...

That soil looks good- but I'd still hit it with Pulverized Dolomite Lime and some Earthworm Castings, maybe a shot of Kelp tea...

Best of Luck this season.

Petersons or hyponex snail and slug bait. A few pellets placed in a circle around the new transplant protects it for more than a month. Sprinkle a dozen more little pellets after about a month and youre done for the year. no snails/slugs. You will find dozens of the little slimebags dead at the base of the plant each time you visit.

[Bob_J]

is that stinging nettles i see? there great camo plants. stay green into harvest season too

[blackone]

Thanks for the comments all:=)

@Ulysses: Already cultivated down some Magnesium lime (I think that's the same as dolomite) and composted horse manure. Will add NPK when I'm sure they don't already have more than enough.

@Bob J: Yup stinging nettles galore. Only bad thing about them is that you leave a very obvious trail if you walk through a patch of those. I prefer not to have an obvious trail going from an easily accessible location to my spot.
Spot #1 is in a mixed vegetation area with a good portion of stinging nettles. I kinda prefer that to pure nettle spots.
#2 is a pure nettle patch - I should have planted earlier here because that location is a little obvious still with the big hole in the unicolor sea of nettle.

[Bob_J]

do you wear coveralls or anything like that. its a love hate relationship for me with them. they provide excellent cover and ive never given it much thought but your dead on with them leaving a trail. there stalks are too flimsy and fold completely over leaving a very obvious sight. and they dont perk up either. ive tried "cutting" a 12'' path in the back part of a patch of em so i wont disturb them but they grow so quickly. when i bend down with the shears i get em rubbing on my ears or parts of my face sometimes...so thick. that was years ago but i wasent prepared enough. 10 minute sting.

ive read that nettles and thistles bring up minerals from the soil naturally. they also grow in areas where there is more groundwater. and, supposidly nettle tea sprayed on fruit trees and the like produce stronger smelling tastier fruit.

Habitat: Rich porous soils near lakes and ponds, wood and roadsides.

Habit: Perennial

Plant Description:
Stinging nettle is the name given to common nettle, garden nettle, and hybrids of these two plants. Originally from the colder regions of northern Europe and Asia, today this herbaceous shrub grows all over the world. Stinging nettle grows well in nitrogen-rich soil, blooms between June and September, and usually reaches 2 - 4 feet high.
Stems are upright and rigid. The leaves are heart-shaped, finely toothed, and tapered at the ends, and flowers are yellow or pink. The entire plant is covered with tiny stiff hairs, mostly on the underside of the leaves and stem, that release stinging chemicals when touched.