How do I rid my sweet bell peppers of garden slugs?

Question

I've planted six or seven varieties of pepper plants along my fence inside my patio. They're mixed in between my running roses. I have several varieties of peppers all planted in a line along the fence with a rose bush in between every second one. My yield is still small but increasing. The hotter peppers are doing fine. I have Tobasco, Cayenne, Jalapeno, Habanero and hot green peppers. I also have mildly hot Verde peppers and red bells and green bells. Only the green bells are being affected. Every one I have picked when the tops are cut off have had garden slugs inside the peppers and I have had to throw them away. It's only the green bells and they are planted right beside another variety yet they are unharmed. What can I do to rid my peppers of these slugs?

Answer 1

1. Galic spray with chili pepper is great for getting rid of slugs, cutworms, wireworms, & whiteflies:

Blend well 1garlic bulb & 1 onion add 1Tbsp cayenne pepper & 1 quart water. Steep
ingredients for 1 hr, then strain & add 1 Tbsp dish soap & your non-toxic spray is ready to use. (1)(2)

Apply in the cool of the evening, because you don't want to damage your plants. Even something as organic & "safe" as hot chili pepper or garlic should not be applied in full sun or extremely high temperatures because that's when most remedies may contribute to either burning or stressing plants.

2.Strong coffee poured directly on slugs kills them. Also, spread coffee grounds & coffee around the base of the plant. (3)(4)

3.Chile Pepper...Sprinkle on plants & around them. Snails won't cross materials containing the naturally repelling properties of chili pepper.

4.Repellent mulches: Wormwood, prostrate rosemary, basil, rue, acacia bark, and oak leaves are disliked by snails and make good repellent mulches. Wormwood is also effective as a spray.

5. Barriers: Dry, dusty or sharp material can be a barrier to snails, such as hydrated lime, wood ash, sharp sand, crushed egg shells, or diatamaceous earth. Snail fences may also be made from galvanised metal, window screen wire and similar materials.

6.Traps: Place board on ground & scrape off snails when they gather on the underside, &/or place shallow containers sunk into the ground and filled with beer or other fermenting substances such as sour milk, or even a mixture of water and bakers yeast.

7. Onions repel slugs.

Answer 2

DON'T EVER USE PESTICIDES ON FOOD. Use broken egg shells, Red Chili pepper, Salt, and natural slug repellent pellets(salt in different form). They're all biodegradable so they all go away in rain except egg shells but they are good for soil when they do finally sink into the ground. Pesticides can mess with the growth process and even poison food plants...

Details: Chili pepper is too hot and has the same effect as your hottest peppers(that's why they wont touch them). Boards are also accurate but aren't very attractive to look at. Salt and slug bait pellets are deadly because they instantly dehydrate the slugs. And egg shells rip the S*** out of the bottom of the slugs because the underside of a slug is extremely tender and once over the shells they slowly stop moving until they die. I use chili pepper for my grandma's and my wife's gardens. It works like a charm and it washes away quickly. Good luck.

Answer 3

Since slugs are like snails they are very susceptible to copper poisoning. You can buy some copper foil and cut a hole in the center. Set the foil around the plant.

As the slug moves over the copper he will die. You might even be able to use copper wire. The wire is thin though so the slugs will not have a lot of contact with it.

The best thing is slug bait. Just read the label to be sure it is safe for use on edible crops.

Answer 4

Don't ever put salt around your plants, it can kill them! A layer of crushed eggshells around the plants will do a pretty good job of repelling slugs, trapping them with beer is also fairly effective.

There is a non-toxic type of slug bait available these days, it uses iron phosphate as its active ingredient. It comes in the form of small white pellets, sold under the names "Sluggo", "Escar-Go", "Worry Free", and many others. It doesn't kill slugs outright, just makes them stop eating. It doesn't wash away quickly, and when it does wash into the soil it provides a little fertilizer.

The old-fashioned type of slug bait, with metaldehyde, is very toxic. It's a hazard to children, birds and animals, yet it's not very effective - it washes away, and slugs can develop resistance. Don't get that kind, check the label and make sure the active ingredient is iron phosphate.

Answer 5

I grow all kinds of peppers, tomatoes and herbs. I use 4 things to keep the nasty little bugs, slugs and snails out. A few small bowls full of beer they drown in. I planted marigolds around my veggie beds since pests hate them. I put a ring of salt around the plant beds AND I use the cooled ash from the fire pit and thrown them onto my plants right after I've watered (it looks bad but it really works). It not only keeps out the slugs and snails but whiteflies and other pests too. Good luck!

Answer 6

If you use pesticides, there are many slug baits available.

If you are organic, try placing lids from mayonnaise jars or a flying disk near your plants. Pour cheap beer in the lid or Frisbee. The slugs are attracted to the ingredients of the beer, but fall into the liquid and drown. It sounds suspicious, but it does work.

Answer 7

I have tried putting old boards down on the ground in my garden. the slugs love to stick to the bottom of the board. every day or so, flip the board over and take the slugs off. Its all natural and even though I have heard about drowning them in beer..............it just seems like a waste of good beer.

Answer 8

you can buy a pouch of any tobacco - like redman- soak a pinch in warm water - then spray the plants. very effective! the nicotine messes with the bugs nervous system.

Answer 9

common table salt circled around the pepper plants will do the job.

Answer 10

Moth balls and slug pellets. You can get the pellets at your local garden center.