What do I do about Slugs?

Question

How do I keep them out of my garden in a natural way?

They go an the pavement and at night I can feel them squish under my feet cuz I can't see the buggers.

I don't really care about my plants, it's more for the YUCK factor.

I really do care about my plants but they always die anyway. I have no green thumb.

Answer 1

"Garden Guides"
Garden Pests: Slugs and Snails

by Jackie Carroll

Snails are capable of destroying a garden if given a chance, and the slightest touch from their cousin the slug sends shivers up an unsuspecting gardener's spine. You'll probably never be able to completely rid your garden of slugs and snails, and since they are a part of the ecology of your garden, you probably shouldn't even try. What we want to do is maintain a balance in the garden, and the tips below are about helping you keep the slug and snail population down a reasonable minimum.

According to a study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment you can reduce slug and snail damage dramatically by watering in the morning instead of the evening. The study showed that lettuce watered only in the morning had only 1/5 the damage that lettuce watered in the evening had.

Here are some additional guidelines that will help you control the slug and snail population in your garden:
Encourage reptiles to take up residence in your garden. Toads, turtles and snakes all prey on slugs.
If you see evidence of these pests avoid dense groundcovers and mulches that provide a hiding place. Oak leaf mulch will deter slugs and snails.
Handpick slugs and snails at night. Use a flashlight, and drop them into a bucket of soapy water.
Lay boards in the garden to trap slugs and snails. Check your trap early in the morning and remove the slugs and snails as they collect.
Diatomaceous earth sprinkled around the base of the stems will deter slugs and snails, but keep in mind that it will also discourage beneficial insects.
Drench the soil with wormwood tea.
Line the garden with copper strips. Slugs receive a shock when they touch copper, and they will not cross the barrier. When using this method, make sure you trap the slugs OUT and not IN.
Slugs love beer. Bury a shallow container of beer in the garden, with just the lip above the ground. When they go in for a drink, they will drown.
One commercial product that really works without harming the environment is Escar-Go. Visit Garden's Alive to find out more about this product.

"The Garden Helper"
Ahhhhh! The joys of springtime abound... The new blossoms forming on your perennials, sunshine, longer days,........ slugs!

The slug... your adversary:

Slugs may be a very serious problem to you if you live in the Northwest or other moisture laden areas of the country.

The battles and the war:
Although you may never win the war against snails and slugs entirely, you owe it to your plants to fight them with every weapon at your disposal.

The battlefield:

As with any battle plan, it is to your advantage to be able to set the field. Set your field by cleaning your garden, and eliminating the places where the slugs hide, sleep, and reproduce.

The weapons:

For the sake of the environment, it is better to make an effort to control slugs and snails without using chemicals and poisons before you resort to chemical warfare.

Hand to hand combat:

Keep slug pokers stuck around the garden at random. Meet your enemy, one on one... Your weapon is at hand, impale them!
Fill a small bowl with stale beer. Put it in the areas where the slugs are active. Stale beer attracts the slugs and they drown. You may also use grape juice or a tea made from yeast, honey and water.
An early morning stroll around the garden, salt shaker in hand will often result in many casualties for the bad guys.
Destroy any and ALL slug eggs you find!
Bait and destroy tactics work. Set a pile of slightly dampened dry dog food in an area frequented by slugs. In the morning and evening visit the feeding station a few times.... slug poker in hand!

Battle lines:

Cedar bark or gravel chips spread around your plant will irritate and dehydrate slugs.
The sharp edges of crushed eggshells around the plants will cut and kill slugs. The calcium in the eggshells is a good soil amendment anyway!
Sprinkle a line of lime around your plants. (Obviously this won't work around plants requiring a more acidic soil)
Certain herbs (Rosemary, lemon balm,wormwood, mints, tansy, oak leaves, needles from conifers and seaweed will repel slugs. However using a mulch of these plants will only turn thhe slugs away, in search of other food sources.
Oat bran will kill slugs when they eat it... sprinkle some around.
Enlist allies..... snakes, ducks, geese, toads, and Rhode Island Reds would enjoy helping you out as they dine on your slugs.

Chemical warfare:

Probably the most popular, most effective, and easiest method of controlling slugs is by using commercial slug bait products.

Surprise tactics:

Try as you might, the war against slugs will go on as long as there are gardens. You will never win, but you can keep them under control. Remember that for every slug you destroy, you are preventing countless generations of that slug's offspring.
You may want to consider offering a bounty on slugs in your neighborhood. It might amaze you how many slugs an ambitious young person can gather up at a nickel a head...
Organize a 'Slug Derby' with some small prize for the biggest slug, the ugliest slug, person with the most captured slugs.... A grand event for any neighborhood, to be sure!

As you wage your war on slugs and snails, you are almost certain to be 'slimed' at least once. YUK! Mix up a little warm water and vinegar, and use this formula to remove the slime from your hands like magic!

Answer 2

Whilst agreeing with the salt idea,please remember,if you have pets,salt will BURN their pads should they tread on it!!!!!!!Remove slugs and snails by hand. By night, use a flashlight and follow their shiny trails to find them.
Squish or drown them in a jar of soapy water.
Install barriers of 2-inch or wider copper stripping around plants and flower beds. Do this only after you have removed all slugs and snails from inside the area, because the slimy pests won't cross copper and will be trapped inside to munch away.
Position ceramic flowerpots upside-down to trap snails and slugs that will accumulate there to rest in the shade. Overturn them and remove the snails daily until the infestation is exhausted.
Set yeast traps in troublesome beds. Sink a shallow jar or store-bought trap so the top is flush with the ground. Fill the traps with beer - regular or nonalcoholic - to 1/2 inch from the top and wait for the snails and slugs to fall in and drown. Check the traps every few days.
For those of you who can't imagine wasting beer on snails, try this home brew: Add 1/2 tsp. baking yeast and 1 tbsp. sugar to the water in each trap.
Minimize the moist and cool spots in your garden, such as woodpiles and empty flowerpots, which slugs and snails need to survive sunny days.
Tips:
Water lawns and gardens in the morning. These pests are nocturnal and can slither through your garden more easily when the grass and soil is wet overnight.

Answer 3

Rake your garden in early spring to remove leaves, plant debris and slug eggs. Also remove boards and other material to reduce favorable areas for slugs. Avoid using large wood chips as they provide hiding places for slugs. Do not place mulch any thicker than three inches. This helps protect plants from weeds and helps maintain plant moisture while minimizing a favorable environment for slugs.

Water your garden only when necessary. Irrigate in the morning so plants are dry by evening. Prune lower leaves or stake large plants to reduce potential hiding places for slugs and to allow better air circulation that helps keep the soil surface drier. Thin or divide plants if they are too crowded.

You can trap slugs by setting out several flat boards, shingles or damp newspapers. Check under these traps the next morning and kill any slugs that are hiding. You can drown slugs in soapy water, crush them, or spray them with household ammonia diluted to a 5 percent or 10 percent solution. Traps containing beer or other fermenting food are popular. You can purchase commercially available slug traps or make your own. Sink jars, cans, pans or similar containers into the ground so the top is level with the ground (some commercially available traps are placed on the ground). Pour beer or a water and yeast mixture (one teaspoon of yeast to three ounces of water) or similar fermenting liquid into the container. Slugs are attracted to the odors, fall in and drown.

Answer 4

In addition to removing likely hiding places, you can use one of the pet-safe slug baits such as Sluggo. If you're vengeance-minded, mix a solution of 1 part ammonia to 4 parts water and squirt the slugs with that. It melts them as effectively as salt but is less damaging to plants. The best hunting times are at dusk and early in the morning.

Answer 5

Fill a shaalow pan with beer. Lean a small board or plank on the rim of the pan, that they can use as an access to the pan. They will crawl up the plank to get to the beer and fall in and drown. Or on the sidewalk or pavement, sprinkle salt. They can't handle salt.

Answer 6

put some salt down around your plants. That eats them up. Also dont water for a few days and let it dry up a little. Slugs like the moisture.

Answer 7

Pop open a can of beer and sink it into the ground so the top is at ground level. They love it...but they cant get out. Easy to get rid of them then. Or some say if you sprinkle the ground with crushed up eggshells they go away because they dont like the feel of it on their slimy selves. Good luck.

Answer 8

Half fill a jam jar with beer or lager and bury it in the garden so just the top of the jar is above ground. They go in, but don't come out again! Other than that, try sprinkling some salt where you don't want them to go, they hate it.

Answer 9

Rather like the convicted prisoner having a final meal if, you can afford it, put out a saucer of "Guinness" it reaches the parts that other......can`t reach. Slug pellets can kill cats,Guinness will just give them a hangover if you have a cat?

Answer 10

GO to Home depot or Lowes and get some stuff to put in the yard. also of course salt