Soil Pests - Cultivate the soil finely
Slugs hide in soil and around larger damp soil lumps. They like to remain under cover during the day.
Cultivate the soil finely around slug prone plants like, potatoes, lettuce and seedlings. This exposes the soil pests to predators such as birds, frogs, hedgehogs, etc... Slimy creatures won't be as happy moving over fine dry soil crumbs.
Regularly cultivate flower and vegetable beds. Whenever you're in the garden get into the habit of removing any pest or weed that you see. With untidy gardens concentrate on one smaller area at a time. If slugs and snails are a problem make a few trips down the garden after sun down. But also learn to distinguish the pests from the useful animals such as larva of ladybirds and hoverflies.
Clean away organic debris
Layers of soft moist organic debris provide cover and food for slugs and other pests. In danger areas crisp mulches like chippings, straw or strulch are better. Some advisors even say that manure attracts soil pests - but you have to balance advantages and disadvantages. The same goes for none essential companion plants or close spacings.
Plastic sheeting and newspaper etc... also provide pest cover. Consider the risks at the planning stages and make appropriate compromises. You might create a pest unfriendly environment around vulnerable areas but elsewhere retain some pest risky methods that have overwhelming advantages e.g. covering crops in cold weather.
Grow resistant varieties
Yes, there are lettuce varieties that are reputedly far less attractive to slugs. Carrot root fly resistance bred into carrot varieties such as resistafly is no guarantee but gives a significant percentage of improvement.
Resistance to fungal attack such as American mildew has been bred into many garden fruit varieties. Also try mixing more than one variety in the same row. The differences may only be due to timing of growth but it's better than giving disease a clear run at the whole crop.
Timing of the growing
Growth can sometimes be timed to miss a pest's life-cycle e.g. delaying carrot sowing to miss the carrot root flies late spring attacks.
Barrier methods
Covering the crop has to be one of the very best methods organic pest control methods against all sorts of animal pests from: tiny flea beetle, to cabbage butterflys, from carrot root flies to flocks of pidgeons. Select the finest mesh to exclude flea beetles.
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