大象传媒

Its been known for a long time now that Slugs and Snails are the gardeners number one pest, however, recent research tells us that these slimy little garden pests are on the increase, in fact the population we are told has increased by fifty percent this year alone.

This little land based mollusc has been having a great time with the recent peculiar British weather in that whilst its been wet and cool Slugs and Snails have been living in the best conditions suitable to them and this has given them a chance to increase their population. In real terms this means we have to be ever vigilant to keep this group of pests from decimating our crops. Its difficult because most of the damage is carried out at night as Slugs and Snails are mainly nocturnal so other than going out in the dead of night with a torch and picking them up by hand there is little that can be done other than the usual methods.

I am told Ducks and Chickens do a pretty good job of clearing a plot of these pests but in my experience in doing this most newly merging crops are destroyed so its back to square one I'm afraid which tends to be either the biological method of watering the groundnematodes, little organisms like eelworms that burrow into the hatching Slugs and lay their eggs which finally kill them, or my favoured method of Slug Pellets.

Either way you can be sure that control of Slugs and Snails in your garden will become more and more difficult and my advise always is to keep your plot free of rotting debris, an environment, this number one pest just simply loves.

PLANT OF THE WEEK:

Acer Dissectum "Rubrum". Maples have always been a favourite garden plant and the smaller varieties have proved popular up and down the country This relatively new variety is possibly the easiest to grow.as its completely hardy and will cope with most cold winters. It grows to only 2 meters high and is neat and mushroom shaped. In summer the green and red foliage brightens up any garden, turning a deep orange in Autumn. Grown in a pot or in the open ground this new variety should prove a great hit.

TOPICAL TIPS:

Hanging baskets can now be placed outside making sure the container is not hung too high which will not only make it difficult to water and maintain but will not look its best as the whole of the display needs to be seen, and not just the bottom of the container. Be sure to water at least twice a day and add a liquid feed every other day, Pinch out any spent flowers as this will encourage more flower growth.

Cut back the foliage on spring bulbs to a few inches above the soil. At this stage its still worth adding a handful of fertilizer to help the bulbs develop for next years flowering by using either Sulphate Of Potash or Chicken Manure in pellett form.

Prune back by half flowering brooms which are now past their best. Make sure that the shrub does not dry out on very dry days to ensure a more sturdy shrub next year with an even better display of flowers.

Happy Gardening:

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