Slugs will eat whatever you put on the menu for them this autumn, attacking and hollowing out sown seed, destroying plant embryos and consuming new shoots before or after emergence.
“The price paid for not checking slug numbers, and baiting if required, can be very high, especially when you’re looking at the overall investment required for sowing a paddock of new grass,” points out Nufarm Product Manager Matt Strahan.
Fortunately, this is one risk you can easily eliminate, and it starts with having to spend nothing more than a bit of time monitoring paddocks for slug pressure before the drill goes in. If slugs are present, Matt says, correct bait choice and application will give both peace of mind, and good results.
A cost-effective solution, proudly developed and proven in New Zealand conditions, SlugOut® combines weatherability and palatability with a very high loading of active ingredient on the surface area where slugs eat.
Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) trials show that in most situations the amount of active ingredient in the edible portion of the pellet is more than double other slug baits on the market.
With two to three times more baits per square metre than other similar products, and a faster kill, Matt says SlugOut® remains New Zealand’s best performing slug bait for all autumn sowing situations.
“At the recommended label rate of 10kg per ha, FAR1 trials show SlugOut® has 112 bait points per square metre, which is much higher than other baits with the same active ingredient.”
It’s not toxic to earthworms or predatory beetles which feed on slugs; poisoned slugs pose no threat to birds or small mammals, and SlugOut® is durable in wet weather with a mould inhibitor included in the formulation.
“It’s a must for any direct-drilled seed, as plant residues left behind with this cultivation technique provide the pests a perfect environment to live and breed,” Matt says.
If cultivated seed beds are cloddy, farmers should monitor and consider baiting.
Monitoring is simple – just leave six to 10 wet sacks, boards or other similar objects in various parts of paddocks to be drilled for several nights and check them during the day. The presence of even just two to three slugs per object means it’s cost effective to bait.
SlugOut® should be broadcast at a rate of 10-15kg/ha at or immediately after sowing.
Split applications – with half the bait spread 5-10 days before sowing and the other half at planting – usually give the best results.
The bait can also be direct drilled at 10 kg/ha into the furrow with seed, but only where the drill leaves a distinct open drill slot, which is not common with modern drills.
To find out more about protecting your autumn pasture from slugs with SlugOut®, talk to your TSR or visit Farm Source today.
1 FAR Slug baits available in NZ 2022 – far.org.nz/resources/slug-baits-available-in-new-zealand.