[sainttoff]

Hi;

I have a raised veggie patch and a pollytunnel on top of them. My strawberries are starting to go red but something is eating them. Its just at the top of the strawberry attach to the plant?

I have slug pellets down, any ideas on what it is and how to stop it?

Thanks

[tunnelsofhens10]

Sounds like slugs, Could be anything, put some straw around the plants, keeping the strawberrys off the soil. I did and have no problems.

[The Garden Shop]

Slugs generally leave large craters in your strawberries and can attack any part of the fruit

It is possible that whats causing the damage is a grey mould. This fungus can attack the tops of fruits and will quickly destroy the fruit.

Can you see signs of the fruits rotting? or the fruits turning brown at the top?

[sainttoff]

I see no signs of the fruit rottening anywhere. Where would i get straw in Dublin?

Thanks

[doctor greenthumb]

Try a pet store they would have straw for rabbits and such..

[inishindie]

How about drying some cut grass in the sun then laying that under the strawberries? Might work and would save a trip to the shops...

[sainttoff]

Please find 2 photos i took on my phone of the strawberries.

[dormouse]

Where should we start looking?

[sirpsycho]

Try and get out when it's dark and see if it's the slugs. Any slug trails around?

Is the tunnel closed in? If there's a gap it might be a bird. It's always one or the other with my strawberries. Speaking of which, they are really poor this year. lotsa berries but they are lacking sun bigtime.

[Dirt Digger]

sainttoff, slugs may well be your problem, but if you thinks you've got problems picture this; I am one of those who acquired a small allotment in St Anne's Park last year. We have some amount of established wildlife to contend with, and on Saturday evening after it had dried up a bit I headed down to do a little tidying, and myself and one of my fellow plotters spot this grey squirrel munching on some on my strawberries, Cambridge Pines, so still green, and we clapped our hands to scare him off but he mistook it for a round of applause and nonchalantly grabs another big green beaut before bounding over the wall. generally I don't bother netting till things start to ripen fast, but I've suddenly changed tack...

[tippben]

Buy an air rifle Dirt Digger. Then you can have squirrel kebabs with strawberry dipping sauce. They taste nice, but are a bugger to skin.

[AJ]

Was going to post this topic this eve. Same question, what eating my strawberies.

A few pictures below.

Ok I see there is a slug in there. but he seems to be having a kip. Previous ones eaten have a little blak insect crawling around inside.

Have i too much straw in the bed.

[marlin vs]

I had the same problem with my strawberries and removed my straw as it was a haven for the slugs with this damp weather,problem fixed as their hiding place is gone.

[badfarmer]

I have the same problem. Covered them with a fine net, laid out plentiful sluc pellets and still I find lovely big ripe ones nibbled at.
I even placed small sheets of plastic under the berries as they grew bigger and started to ripen. No effing good. At this stage I feel like digging the lot up in desperation.
They are set on flat ground beside a wall. BTW

HELP

[dormouse]

A nightly patrol with a torch and a scissors is a good way to knock them back.