I have noticed Tits eating something on my red Hot poker flowers. Any ideas?
Ros
Tits eating something on Hot poker flowers
they are drinking nectar
Thanks Mark.
This is the first time I've grown red hot pokers....they were given to me by my late mother in law who was an excellent gardener,
Ros
I wish they'd eat the snails on the flowers. I always end up with bare stems!!....the snails seem to live in the leaves, and no matter how hard I try to get them out they just slide further down into the folds!!...GGGrrr....
you have my sympathy Sue. The slugs ate all mine before they had a chance to flower! :((
THE BLUE PELLETS WORK 100%
I know but I do not use them. If it cannot tolerate slug attack then it is not tough enough for my liking, and I have no desire to poison the wildlife for a few extra blooms!
Easy way to kill slugs/snails without harming birds is to get a plastic flower pot....preferably one of the taller ones that seem to be supplied with plants nowadays. Cut it in half from top to bottom so it makes a sort of " hut" when placed on the grass. Put a few slug pellets on the ground & place this hut over it making sure the pellets are at the end well away from the birds reach & it's pushed a little way into the soil to make it secure. Place close to plants that are being munched. The slugs/snails crawl inside nibble the pellets & die well away from prying beaks. It also keeps the pellets dry & there's no yukky bodies to clean up as they simply melt into the soil
rosalie we often put beer traps out for the slugs and they are quite effective except for one thing. The crows come along turning them up looking for slugs underneath!! So unfortunatly they would find your hut irresistable too!:( they are just too inquisitve for their own good. I tend to leave plaenty of short wooden plants around. The slugs hide under them and I and the frogs do the rest. !
I would try the beer traps..but fear that I'd find my husband out there drinking it !!....not that he'd be too impressed anyway, me donating his beer to the moluscs...LOL
well if you donrt want to use use blue pellets what about Nematodes?
Sue my husband brews beer. In any one batch he does one barrel for my slugs and one barrell for him!! It really does work. I have seen from one night the traps are so full you can pack no more in!! On the plot we also use bin lids for the slugs to hide under . The frogs also live under them. In the morning if the frogs havent got them we turn the lids over and let the birds eat them.
Like that idea re bin lids & nematodes. Going to Gardeners world Live tomorrow at the NEC ( can't wait - love it!) so I'll post again if there's anything new re slug control.
Nematodes are all very well but I think maybe they are not the be all and end all. For nematodes to work well conditions have to be right. They only develop in warm conditions and I suspect would prove very expensive if they were to prove effective on all my area. Also, I read an interesting article lately that said nematodes might be responsible for unsetting the wildlife balance when used. If the nematodes wipe out all the slugs, what will the frogs, hedgehogs and birds eat. We have to learn to live with some slugs in order to keep the balance healthy.
There are many organis methods that can be used in order to keep the slugs guessing. Bran and oats are also good methods to keep slugs off, and if you lay down comfrey in patches the slugs gorge themselves on that and hide in the leaves. You can then regulalry dispose of the slugs. Noone should expect no slug damage in the garden but it can be kept to a minimum.
I'm only interested in protecting specific plants don't mind a few holes in the rest. Take your point with the nematodes ... it would probably work as it's quite warm down here...but I'll re think it. I was born in Fleetwood by the way & lived in Warton until I moved down here the slug damage was far worse up there - tad more rain :))
Fleetwood brrrrrrr! I have been there several times and it was always cold. It is always wet here too though this year it has been really dry in Bolton so slug damage has been minimal.