Cypripedium and slugs

[Corrado & Rina]

I thought useful to open a separate thread, so that when beginners search, it may be easier to find the answers.

So, questions to all experts:

1) Do you think cypripedium recover if all the shoots are eaten? 

2) What would you do in extreme cases? For example, I think one of those very tiny slugs is hiding in the perlite of one cypripedium and coming out at night to eat the leaves .... I have tried by removing the top layer of the perlite. Would you take the plant out and repot in new sterile perlite? I really do not know what to do. I have even gone out at night with a torch to catch the culprit in flagrancy, but to no avail.

3) Would you keep feeding the cypripedium even without shoots, so as to have a healthy plant next year?

Best,

[SteveC2]

My Hank Small was levelled 2 years ago by slugs.  Last year it produced two small shoots.  This year it has two shoots which are about to flower, so yes they will recover.  A single slug pellet in pot will hopefully catch your culprit without any risk to any other wildlife.   I kept a little feed going in even when there was no top growth.   

[Anthony Darby]

I find it strange that in the 12 years I grew cyps I never, to my knowledge, had so much as a nibble on any plant by slugs.

[Maggi Young]

I find it strange that in the 12 years I grew cyps I never, to my knowledge, had so much as a nibble on any plant by slugs.

You were always telling us about the huge amount of rain your got in Dunblane, Anthony - surely all the slugs were drowned? 

[Anthony Darby]

You've not heard of the swimming slugs of Dunblane Maggi? They're very good at the crawl.

[Maggi Young]

You've not heard of the swimming slugs of Dunblane Maggi? They're very good at the crawl.

Well, I had heard of them, but I thought they were an Olympic Synchronised Swimming Team......

[Anthony Darby]

They failed to qualify. Couldn't keep time with the mucus.