Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> flitterbit > wrote:
>
>>> Sounds like slugs? Try some flat pans of beer.
>> >
>> >
>> I have the same problem with chard as Janet does, and it only started up
>> a few years ago. It's not slugs as far as I'm aware; these aren't slime
>> trails, and there's no evidence of slugs anywhere else in my vegetable
>> garden, which is in a series of 12-inch-tall Trex-framed raised beds,
>> and I rotate my crops on a 4-year cycle so there shouldn't be any pest
>> buildup in the soil.
>>
>> Rather, the marks look like the result of larvae burrowing through the
>> leaves, but I've yet to see *any* insect of any kind anywhere around my
>> chard, so have no idea what pest I might be dealing with.
>>
>> BTW, what I've found that works best for slugs (not that I've had any
>> for the past decade) is copper. Years ago I bought a bunch of copper
>> pot scrubbers (remember Kurly Kate?), stretched them into largish
>> circles, laid them on the soil and planted the seedlings in the centre;
>> never saw another slug.
>
> I'll have to try that. I don't have a LOT of slugs, but they are around.
>
> Never had the burrowing problem. My issue here is with cabbage worms.
> I've spent a lot of time hand-picking the damned things off the plants
> at dawn!
>
> I need to try some BT next time I grow them and broccoli.
>
>
I hate cabbage worms; I had an infestation on a broccoli crop once and
looked out one morning to see sparrows picking them off!

You can also deal with cabbage worms by using floating row cover. It's
a non-woven fabric that you drape over the row of vegetables you want to
protect; not so useful if you require insect pollination and it also of
course hides the vegetables from view, but it does keep away the pests.

The copper works a treat; it must be real copper, though; I gather
there's a chemical reaction between the slug's slime and the copper that
gives the slug a shock of sorts.

You can also use crushed eggshells; apparently the sharp edges cut the
slugs' bodies so they won't cross an eggshell barrier. Diatomaceous
earth works, but is hazardous to all wildlife and pets (sharp-edged
powder that damages lungs if inhaled) so I don't use it and don't
recommend it. I've heard of folks who go out after dark with a
flashlight and a pair of scissors, but I'm not *that* keen! Another
trick is to lay a board on the ground; apparently slugs will seek out
the shelter of the underside and be relatively easy to pick off. I've
never tried this myself so have no idea how effective it is.