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Re: [SG] Slug Control -Reply -Reply -Reply

I'm recommending that you consider the nutrient levels
of your soil before you use tremendous amounts of wood
ash.  A bit here and there rarely hurts anything, but
large quantities can and do change the soil pH and
potassium and phosphorous levels in troublesome ways.

I'm pretty cautious about blanket recommendations that
involve adding major amounts of minor nutrients to soils,
too...  I've seen enough soils with "trace mineral excess
disease" that I really do think that many of the trace mineral
mixes should be close to "prescription only".  ;-)

There is a new slug and snail bait available under the name
EsCarGo (I think, I'll have to go look at the box), that is
1% iron orthophosphate in a plant materials-based binder.  I've
only had about 3 days experience with it, but it does seem to be
quite efficacious, without the problems associated with metaldehyde
baits.  It's also a bit pricey at the moment, $2/lb.

At the moment, I'm still mainly relying on metaldehyde baits in
pop bottle traps for slug control, but I'm trying the iron orthophosphate
around some seedlings.  Will let you all know how the experiment
goes.

Kay Lancaster  kay@fern.com
in slug-ridden Hillsboro, Oregon.

On Thu, 21 May 1998, SUSAN SAXTON wrote:

> Are you NOT recommending using this then?
> Just don't want to take a seemingly good idea
> and ruin something else.  I was thinking of
> small amounts of ash as slug bait, herein PNW.
>
> You can also push your soil into potassium or
> phosphorous
> imbalance, since those nutrients aren't readily
> lost.
> Then you've got *real* troubles.
>
> Kay Lancaster    kay@fern.com
> just west of Portland, OR; USDA zone 8
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