CULT: Orthene, Irises & Slugs

Bill Shear wrote:
> 
>  it sounds much more like slugs--or possibly weather damage?
> 
> I would urge you to try to find out what is going on before you jump off
> the deep end with pesticides.

Jose, (and all)

I have slug and snail problems (generally my biggest problem here), and it
does often look like part of the flower has been shredded. I think it is done
mostly by the baby slugs. 

I also discovered (just a couple of days ago in fact) one of the most
treacherous hidey holes that those insidious little b******s (excuse me) like
to crawl into. If you look at an iris plant that has obvious damage and peer
into the little open crevices at the base of the leaves, you will find a nice,
shaded, moist, spot where those little *&%)(*#_ slugs like to hide, especially
the baby ones. Where the leaves are sealed tightly against another leaf, there
is no problem. But, where the leaf has separated somewhat or where a leaf
attaches at a stem or branch point; those are the places to look. It took me a
while to figure it out. Kept finding damage and couldn't find the slugs.

I spritz them with a 40% solution of white vinegar. Makes them fizz. (the
acetic acid dissolves their slime coat and they dry up.) (This doesn't work so
well on snails because of their shells)

My primary solution for slugs and snails is to go out at night with a
flashlight and collect them (except for the small slugs that I spritz) in a
plastic bag and toss into the trash (gleefully). (You have to watch out if
this takes a little time while you hunt, they will try to crawl out of the bag
sometimes.)  After 10:00 pm or early in the morning a little before light is
the best time to catch them. Of course if it is too cold they tend to stay in
their dens. If you do this every night for a few nights you will find that you
can almost eliminate the snail population (and slugs too), and that once you
have them under control, doing it once a week will generally suffice. Watch
out for new hatches when the weather warms up.

One thing I really hate about slugs is that they are hermaphrodites - it only
takes one to make more of them.

Bill's advice is very good as well, with a couple of comments that I recall
from previous talk. 

On using diatomaceous earth - we had some discussion last year on it and as I
remember you need to get agricultural DE not swimming pool DE, the latter not
having the sharp edges needed for the task due to the type of processing used
to refine it.

Both DE and ashes will work until they get wet at which point they loose a
great deal of their effectiveness. (Also from previous discussions)


> If slugs are responsible for the damage, clean up around the garden to deny
> them places to hide during the day.  Sprinkle the iris bed liberally with
> wood ashes or sharp sand (builder's sand, not beach sand), or if you can
> find it, with diatomaceous earth (this is used as a filtration material in
> swimming pools).

I use slug and snail bait or poisons only under extreme attack. In addition to
environmental impacts, I have cats that like to play "Tiger in the Savannah"
amongst the irises and snail bait is poisonous to them too.

-- 
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---

John                     | "There be dragons (and slugs) here"
                         |  Annotation used by ancient cartographers
                         |  to indicate the edge of the known world.

John Jones, jijones@ix.netcom.com
Fremont, California, USA, Earth, USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay) 
Max high 95F/35C, Min Low 28F/-2C average 10 days each
Heavy clay base for my raised beds.
There are currently 83 Iris pictures on my Website. Visit me at:
http://members.home.net/jijones
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