Information on Slugs and Irises

Snails and Slugs
"Snails and slugs are members of the mollusk group and are similar except slugs lack the external shell. They move by gliding along on a mucous-secreting muscle. The dried mucous becomes a silvery slime trail that tells you they have been dining in your garden. The common brown garden snail (Helix aspera) was brought to California as a culinary source from France in the 1850s. Moisture is critical to their survival and is why they are active only at night or during cloudy days. On sunny days they are hiding in moist, shady places. During hot, dry weather they seal themselves off with a membrane while attached to tree trunks, fences or walls. During cold weather, they hibernate in the topsoil. They are among the first pests to begin feeding in spring and the last to stop eating your iris plants in fall. The adult snail and slug each lay a mass of about 80-100 eggs and they may do this up to 6 times a year. The eggs resemble small pearls (about 1/8 inch); they can be seen about 1 inch below the soil level or under rocks, boards or plant debris and they hatch when they come in contact with moisture. It takes about 2 years for snails to mature but slugs mature in 1 year. The garden snail may live as long as 12 years but slugs only live about 2 years. Given all this, it is easy to see why there are huge numbers of these pests in the garden. Eliminating as many as possible requires persistence. Snails and slugs will damage your iris plants by chewing irregular holes with smooth edges in the leaves, as well as the bloom. It's best to physically remove all active insects when you see them. The best control is bait containing METALDEHYDE, such as what is found in "Corry's Slug and Snail Death". If you don't get rid of the snails and slugs, they will absolutely devour your Iris. We use the meal formula of Corry's Slug and Snail Death, not the pellets, and we buy it in the big twin-pack at Costco. You can sprinkle it directly on each plant, as well as around the plant in a circle, once a month in the wet months, then you should be able to cut back to once every few months during the dryer months. Corry's won't lose potency when it rains and it is super effective, but if you have these pests you will need to control them every year. If you have agapanthus (lily-of-the-Nile) near your Iris, it is important to note that these plants harbor snails and slugs, they don't eat them, they simply nest there just waiting to eat your Iris. So it's best to either treat them with Corry's, or better yet, remove them from your Iris growing areas altogether. "
This information is from:
Russ & Nancy Rodrigue - Tall Bearded Iris Collection


This message was edited Jul 6, 2010 12:47 PM

we have lots and lots of slugs, not nearly as many snails, here. I've never seen them in the iris garden, though. perhaps because the irises are in the sunniest/hottest part of the garden and there's plenty of plants in the shade? They are a serious issue for our hostas.

We have a lot of slugs and I have never tried to control them before. This website has a lot of interesting non chemical things to try:
http://www.ghorganics.com/page13.html

I've heard of the beer on the saucer method and I've used Escar-Go from Gardens Alive with success. (I personally hate the smell of beer.)

I'm wondering if slugs do anything good for the garden; I know nature is a delicate balance.