Slug Solution that Works

In follow up to my previous post about Slugs:
I am happy to report that Kelly and I have been using the ammonia solution with success.  The formula is:  7 parts water to 1 part ammonia.  I read about this in a gardening magazine at some point.

Kelly is spraying early morning; I'm spraying less regularly in the evening.  The solution melts slugs on contact - I'll refrain from posting a picture of this!  It also seems to be a good deterrent.  I can see that if we start early next year, we'll be able to keep the population down right from the start.  I'm hoping it'll make a difference with other bugs as well.

Gladiolus Thrips II - Corm Storage

Further to my earlier post on Gladiolus thrips, here is my latest update. This is a new bud on my 'Hunting Song' which were right beside the infected 'Velvet Eye' of the last post. I have been spraying them down twice a day but I got to them too late at the start. This is obviously better than the 'Velvet Eye' opened so I am trying to be happy about that. I have removed the foliage on all other Gladiolus in that front house garden but I left this single patch of 'Hunting Song' because I am anxious to see them. I received some great advice for treating the infected Gladiolus for storage and Spring planting from one of my bulb suppliers and here is what she said....

"Store them over winter in a cold dark location but not freezing. Before storing them for the winter we recommend you soak them in a mixture of 1 ½ tbsp of Lysol and 1 gallon of water for a half hour at least, let them dry and then store. When you remove them from storage and go to plant them next spring do the same thing but after soaking, plant them while they are still wet. I have read that they can be soaked for up to 6 hours but we don’t find that to be any more successful…"

This is exactly what I am going to do. Then, next Spring, I am going to plant all the Gladiolus that were infected this year on their own, away from the Sun Gardens. Even the damaged flowers of this year made me see that they are worth one more try so I am going to put some effort into it. Wish me luck.