Potting bulbs

Hi PennyP :)
I find that the slugs don't bother with the bulbs, until the foliage appears in spring. If you use blue pellets, that may be the best time to start using them...just sprinkle one or two on top of the compost when the leaves appear :)

Hello Ppr, we have lots of slugs and snails in our garden but I am not aware of them eating the actual potted bulbs. In fact, I cann't even remember them eating the foliage of bulbs. I suspect that there is somthing in the sap that they don't like.
I correspond on another Scottish plant/bulb blog and don't remember any slug problems there, either.

I agree with Crazydi the slugs wont eat the bulbs, but if it makes you feel better and safer there is no reason not to add some slug pellets - just make sure birds and other animals can't eat them Pennypollyr

Are you potting bulbs, as in putting the bulbs in pots? Then, assuming you are using fresh compost, there will be no slugs in the pots anyway. If you sprinkle grit on top to further deter the slugs then you won't need to use slug pellets. Additionally, you can use glazed ceramic pots which the slugs find difficult to slither up. Hope all this makes sense and good luck :o))))

Sorry - everyone elses response came up at the same time :)

Just to add that slugs like tulips and often eat the flowering bit before it grows above ground, which is why tulips sometimes come up blind - I'm no expert, but I'm sure I read that somewhere once.

Useful question to me Pennypollyr...& the answers! I'm potting up bulbs too. Thank you!

Hi normally only have a problem with slugs in spring and then I try to use coffee grouds around the plants to stop slugs before using blue pellets, ( it does help but I do also have to use pellets)but my problem is the squirrels digging them up and eating them before they grow so I now put them in a container the kind you use for pond plants and cover them with netting them sink that in the garden... which is great and stops them, I can also lift the pots if I want to and that gives me more space for other plants... works for me!

Hi Janunjem and welcome to GoY Bulbaholic has done that this year with a lot of crocus we bought and were not ready to plant out. He's put quite a few pond baskets all into one salmon box size trough. Yup we turn fish boxes into troughs too :-) If anyone is interested we can write a blog on.

Hi Moon Grower
I'm interested in the pond baskets can you tell me more, thanks PPR

Okay when you put plants into your pond you use a 'pond basket' or whatever fancy name it is called to put your plant in. This is either round or square and is basically a plastic mesh - thus allowing a pond plant to get totally wet but not be able to move. Does this make sense?

Yes, so would it be just as good if I buy a roll of mesh a put over the top of my pots?

Given that it would need to be a big enough mesh for the bulbs to come through I don't think it would work... others may sat differently

Pond baskets are just like square plant pots but the materialis heavily perforated. We use them when we want to plant a lot of different bulbs close together but still want to be able to access and identify the different bulbs after they have finished flowering next summer. The baskets are 'planted' beneath the surface of the soil and allow the roots to pass out into the surrounding soil but keep the bulbs contained. We don't put any sort of mesh over the pots.