Moan, Moan, Moan - 2012

[Paul T]

 

So what's he going to do now?

[Paul T]

The other way I've also seen it done is to put a table on blocks that are sitting in water (just a small tub of water under each leg, the blocks are designed to keep the table legs dry).  That way you get a whole table that is snail proofed (providing all your pots are checked thoroughly for snails before putting them onto the table. 

Assuming of course that snails never take up sky diving. 

[Martin Baxendale]

Thanks for the tips. Not much left to protect now, although maybe some of the seedlings will grow again - eaten down to the base but a couple still have a little basal stem left. Lesley, yes please to the seed. I collected and sowed some seed from my own tree but it never sets much and I had to go through a lot of hard little pods to find enough to be worth sowing. Will have to wait quite a while for more seed from my tree, which is just flowering now, so if you have seed now that might speed things up in getting more seedlings going.

[Ulla Hansson]

I get so sad when snails graze on a pot that had just germinated. Is it only the cotyledons, so it usually does not come back.
 This year, I finally got hold of seeds on Hegemon lilacina, they sprouted very well. But they are a distant memory, snails grazed the entire pot, in one night. 

[Lesley Cox]

Oh that IS sad Ulla, especially with such a precious treasure.

I've collected a little seed Martin and will get a bit more tomorrow. Most has fallen and the little pods seem to be on the highest branches - well they would be wouldn't they? But there should be enough for a small batch. I'll send them within a few days. Almost all pods have just a single seed in. Back at the market working today, first time for about 9 weeks so very tired tonight but happy to rewatch our guys rowing.

[TC]

Have you tried a ring of sea salt crystals around your trays.  I find this works for me.  When the slugs/snails touch the salt, they almost explode into a frothy mess.

[Gerry Webster]

I see NASA has just landed 'Curiosity' on Mars -  a barren planet. In view of the well-known connection between curiosity & cats I can only see this as  a terrible waste. They should have sent it to Brighton.

[annew]

 

[David Nicholson]

I see NASA has just landed 'Curiosity' on Mars -  a barren planet. In view of the well-known connection between curiosity & cats I can only see this as  a terrible waste. They should have sent it to Brighton.

...... or Devon!

[Martin Baxendale]

This should be in the I'm So Happy thread, but a few new seedlings have appeared in my pot of Genista aetnensis seedlings browsed by the snails, so not as much of a disaster as I first thought.

Wasn't expecting more seedlings as there was a very long gap (maybe three months) between the initial germination in the Spring and this second batch following the recent couple of very cool wet weeks which must have made the seeds think it was spring again.

[Martin Baxendale]

So no need to send seed, Lesley. But thanks for collecting it for me anyway.

[Anthony Darby]

I think 'Curiosity' is looking for signs of life?

[Hoy]

I think 'Curiosity' is looking for signs of life?

If they don't find slugs and snails I can use it for my seedpots. You are welcome to join, Martin. Maybe I can make a rock garden too and live to see the plants live without slug damage!

[Lesley Cox]

Nice that you have some new seedlings Martin but in the meantime, if anything nasty happens to them, just sent a line here. I have about 40 seeds now and if I don't hear from you again before sending off for the exchanges, I'll send them there. Will sow a few myself to take with me.

I think this should be in the happy thread but I'm not sure. Having put our place on the market just last week, we had an "open home" (do you have those in other countries?) on Sunday. Teaming with rain and the place swimming but 32!!! groups of people through in spite of that and with attendant children, the agent reckons about 100 people altogether. Now I'm worried we may sell too soon but I can be very stubborn and won't sign a contract (we both must as it's jointly owned) until I can be assured of getting what I want from the garden. Some viewers came back with our agent today - still pouring with rain - and two anyway have indicated they will make offers. We haven't put a definite price on it because as our agent says, "it's unique, I've not handled anything quite like it before" (good, desirable size and handy to the city but so much work to do for any buyer, very hard to price).

If only it would stop raining, I could get on with the start of lifting/potting which will be a huge job.

[art600]

I thought the existence of 5 fox cubs living under my garden shed was on the whole a bonus.

Now if I had a gun I would cheerfully shoot them.

Having finished laying 58 rolls of turf at 2110 on Saturday night, it took them less than 60 minutes to turn 2 turves over - apparently looking for worms  .  By morning the area was a disaster with 10+ turves overturned chewed etc.

I am relying on SCOOT, a fox repellent that is the equivalent of lion's poo - to keep them away.

Last night I left the oscillating sprinkler on all night, but they still managed to turn 2 turves over.

The area was so much better before the Kent County Council made me reinstate the grass verge - that I will need to maintain.

Any suggestions to keep the foxes away would be most welcome.